Washington Music Teachers Association Holds Inaugural Conference at Howard University
By Chad Eric Smith, Director of Strategic Communications and Marketing, Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts
The Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts welcomed music educators, artists, scholars and students to Childers Hall on Sunday, September 27, for the Washington Music Teachers Association’s inaugural conference, a daylong gathering centered on music education, artistry, scholarship and community.
Held as the Washington Music Teachers Association (WMTA) marked its first conference and the Music Teachers National Association’s 150th anniversary, the program brought together educators and musicians from across the Washington, D.C. region for keynote presentations, poster and lightning sessions, a masterclass, panel discussion and live performance. Approximately 65 attendees participated despite heavy rain across the region.
The conference opened with remarks from WMTA President Grace McFarlane-Bottelier and Music Teachers National Association President and CEO Brian Shepard, followed by a keynote lecture-recital from pianist and educator Dr. Catherine Kautsky, From the Outside Looking In: America’s Music at 250. Kautsky later led a masterclass with pre-college performers and joined Shepard and Dr. Leah Claiborne for an afternoon panel discussion.
Howard was represented throughout the program. Brian Avery Bethea II, a Master of Music student studying piano under Howard Assistant Professor Dr. Natalia Kazaryan, presented Beyond the Ghost Notes: The Legacy of Florence B. Price during the conference’s poster sessions. Bethea’s work reflects his broader interest in championing underrepresented composers and music of the global majority.
The day culminated in A Celebration of American Music, with Kazaryan performing Kotekan from Vivian Fung’s Glimpses as part of the Concert Finale. The program also featured the United States Air Force Band Ceremonial Brass Quintet.
For Howard, the gathering created an opportunity not only to host members of the region’s music education community, but also to introduce the College and its programs to educators who work directly with talented pre-college musicians. Attendees included university faculty, private instructors and other leaders in music education, many of whom play an important role in preparing and advising the next generation of college musicians.
Kazaryan, who helped facilitate the College’s hosting of the conference, described the gathering as a successful first step toward continued engagement with WMTA. With Howard faculty and students contributing as hosts, presenters and performers, the inaugural conference positioned the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts not simply as its setting, but as an active participant in a regional community of educators advancing the future of music teaching, scholarship and performance.
