AKTA 2022
In-person and/or Virtual
Piano Adjudications
These adjudications are available only to current
AMTA/AKTA Members
In-Person Adjudications
Kristen McKinnis, Adjudicator
About our 2022 In-Person Adjudications:
IN-PERSON ADJUDICATIONS NOVEMBER 11-12: We have asked Kristen McKinnis, a new AKTA/AMTA member who recently moved to Eagle River. to serve as our adjudicator. (See attached bio). We hope this will encourage more teachers to take advantage of this valuable educational experience.
Kristen will be available both Friday and Saturday from 9:00-5:00. All adjudications will be held at St. John United Methodist Church – 1801 O’Malley Road.
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Dates and Registration Information for In-Person Adjudications
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Registration forms are due by November 1st
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To help with the scheduling, list your preference of Friday or Saturday and morning or afternoon. Let us know if you have no preference, too.
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To register click on this link:
ABOUT IN-PERSON ADJUDICATIONS: Teachers purchase blocks of time:
1. Early Elementary through Elementary (15 minutes/$20)
2. Late Elementary through Intermediate (25 minutes/$30)
3. Late Intermediate through Advanced (35 minutes/$40)
During their adjudication time the students perform 2 pieces of contrasting style for an adjudicator to hear and write comments about. One piece should be “recital-ready” and memorized, while the other piece should have all the notes and rhythms learned, but can be "in progress" and needing additional refinement. The adjudicator works with the student at the piano during this mini-lesson and parents and interested parties are welcome to attend. Teachers may want to group their early beginners (E1 and E2) in more of a class-like arrangement and these students only play one piece. All students receive a ribbon for participation. Adjudicators are chosen for their teaching skills, their musical and pianistic knowledge, and their ability to work with students in a positive and constructive manner.
ABOUT Kristen McKinnis (Orehowsky), MM
Kristen McKinnis (Orehowsky) is a pianist and teacher located in Eagle River, Alaska. Prior to moving to Alaska, Kristen was on the faculty of the New Mexico School of Music, and also spent time in suburban Philadelphia as a high school assistant choir director, private piano teacher, and collaborative and solo pianist. She has taught group and private piano lessons to students ages preschool through adult in Wheaton, IL, Harleysville, PA, Norman, OK, Alexandria, VA, Albuquerque, NM, and the surrounding areas.
Kristen graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy. While at the University of Oklahoma, she studied piano and pedagogy with Dr. Jane Magrath, as well as pedagogy with Dr. Barbara Fast. As part of her Graduate Teaching Assistantship at OU, she taught group piano courses and private lessons to college students. She completed her undergraduate degree in Piano Performance at the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music, where she studied piano with Dr. Karin Redekopp Edwards. While at Wheaton, Kristen co-taught early childhood music classes as a part of the Community School of Arts at the conservatory. In high school, she studied with notable pedagogue Marvin Blickenstaff, who remains a close mentor and friend. Go to Kristen's website:
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Virtual Adjudications
Adjudicator, Kristin McKinnis
About our 2022 Virtual Adjudications:
VIRTUAL ADJUDICATIONS: As we did last year, students will create videos of their performances which will then be sent to our adjudicator, who will then provide written comments.
MORE ABOUT VIRTURAL ADJUDICATIONS:
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Dates and Registration Information for Virtual Adjudications
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Registration forms are due by November 1st.
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To register click on this link:
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Videos, PDFs of scores, and printed programs due Friday, November 11th
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Attach videos to an email to pianoakta@gmail.com
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FEES: Calculate the number of students in each of the following levels and submit with registration.
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Early Elementary through Elementary = $20
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Late Elementary through Intermediate = $30
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Late Intermediate through Advanced = $40
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Optional 15-minute Teacher Conference = $15
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REQUIREMENTS:
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Students prepare and video TWO pieces. One piece can be “in progress” with notes and rhythms learned but in need of additional refinement, while the other should be memorized and recital ready.
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Measures should be numbered at the beginning of each system.
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Further instructions regarding the videos, the programs, and the scores will be emailed once registration and fees have been submitted.
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To avoid any copyright issues, participating students will need an original score or, if the music is a purchased download, the “authorized for use” should be visible on both the PDF that goes to our adjudicator and in the student’s video.
IMSLP scores that are in the Public Domain are allowed.
In case you are wondering about copyright law regarding the sharing of PDF’s of music, we received the following clarification from MTNA:
It is legally acceptable to send a PDF to a judge if:
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The student owns a legitimate print or digital copy, and
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The PDF scan is used only for the judge’s adjudication and is subsequently deleted.
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At no point should the PDF be distributed to any other individuals.
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We are extremely excited to offer this opportunity to students across the State and hope you will make AKTA/AMTA Adjudications a part of your 2022-2023 teaching year. Contact us if you have further questions.
