A half-dozen young musicians from Fayette County Public Schools recently earned honors in piano and violin competitions sponsored by the Kentucky Music Teachers Association (KMTA) and the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA). Students receiving accolades during the Oct. 22-23 state conference at the University of Louisville included:
- Anna Du, third-grader at Athens-Chilesburg Elementary, runner-up in piano (KMTA Bluegrass elementary contest);
- Wenbo Fan, eighth-grader at SCAPA at Bluegrass, runner-up in piano (KMTA Bluegrass junior high division);
- Andy Du, sophomore at Paul Laurence Dunbar, runner-up in piano (MTNA high school division);
- Alexandre Auer and William Auer, seventh-graders at SCAPA at Bluegrass, winner and runner-up in violin (MTNA junior high); and
- David Ma, junior at Dunbar, state representative in the MTNA high school violin competition.
The KMTA Bluegrass competitions end at the state level. State winners and representatives in the MTNA competitions advance to the U.S. regional level and then nationals. The MTNA Southern Regional, which covers Kentucky and eight other states, is slated for Jan. 13-16 at the University of South Carolina in Columbia.
Founded in 1876, MTNA is the oldest professional music association in the United States. The nonprofit organization is composed of some 24,000 independent and collegiate music instructors. Its statewide competitions are considered primarily educational, while the regional and national levels showcase outstanding performance and honor significant pedagogical achievement.
For questions, contact May L. Man of the Bluegrass Area Music Teachers Association at (859) 312-9366.