Did you take any online or correspondence courses to help prepare for your MTNA certification? I have been teaching piano for the past 2 years, and am interested in getting certified. I have a degree in sacred music, but know I need to brush up on some of my music history and pedagogy courses. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
I took one theory course by correspondence, but the academy I took it from has since closed. There are a number of other universities now that offer on-line classes, though, so I think you could probably track down some in each of these areas. For pedagogy, I took one semester at our local university and then did a one-week intensive course through the afore-mentioned academy.
MTNA has recently revamped their whole certification program, streamlining the process and making it more systematic. I’m not as familiar with this process, but the PowerPoint presentation they have on their site is an informative way to get started. When I took the tests to demonstrate proficiency in pedagogy, theory, and history, they had sample test questions available that proved very helpful! Reading through several pedagogy texts and utilizing music history resources in your teaching are two excellent ways to prepare for the requirements of certification. Here are a few I would recommend:
Thinking As You Play by Dr. Sylvia Coats
The Well-Tempered Keyboard Teacher by Marienne Uszler, Stewart Gordon, and Scott McBride Smith
Exploring Piano Classics Series by Nancy Bachus
The Baroque, Classical, and Romantic Spirit Series by Nancy Bachus
Succeeding with the Masters Series by Helen Marlais
I know there are numerous other resources out there that would be especially helpful for a study in music pedagogy and history; please feel free to share any that you’ve used and found beneficial!
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