2026 State Conference

BITE SIZE PRESENTATIONS

Mingke Zhu

Injury Prevention: “Kung Fu for Musicians: Release, Recovery, and Injury Prevention”

Injury is a word often associated with musicians, but it does not have to be a lifelong relationship. This interactive presentation introduces Kung Fu-inspired movement principles that musicians can use to release tension, recover from fatigue, and develop more efficient playing habits. Through demonstrations—including a plastic Wing Chun Knife—participants will explore how movement, strength, and relaxation can work together.

Pianist Mingke Zhu is an internationally active performer who has appeared at venues and festivals across the United States, Europe, and Asia, including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Aspen Music Festival. She holds a BM in Piano Performance with a minor in Mathematics from The Catholic University of America and an MM from the Peabody Institute. She is currently pursuing her DMA at Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts. Mingke has studied piano pedagogy with Chiu-Ling Lin and presented in the NJMTA State Conference poster session in 2024. Her students have received prizes in international and national piano competitions.

Sondra Tammam

Pedagogy: “Thumbs First: Connecting the Notes with Pedagogy Tips”

The Thumb Improves Velocity with the Taubman Approach. The Thumb is often the Most important Finger. It frequently starts the music playing!

Anatomy of the thumb has an important role in how we play with ease. We will see how the thumb is so agile and is not merely a finger. But, it never moves by itself in an isolated way. It always uses the support of the forearm and rotation. Many times, it moves differently and helps the hand!

A thumb bridges scales, arpeggios, broken chords and more. Excerpts from repertoire will demonstrate the principles. Discover why the thumb is so flexible and has a unique connection with the music.

Recognized internationally as a pianist and pedagogue, Sondra Tammam has given concerts, masterclasses, lectures at conservatories and universities on five continents. Her debut recitals presented by the Paderewski Foundation in Carnegie Weill Hall, Wigmore Hall, and the Concertgebouw. First prizes in the Juilliard Concerto, Auerbach International and NY Orchestral Society. Guest speaker at MTNA National and Suzuki International Conferences. The 2018 NJMTA Teacher of the Year Award and 2022 Steinway Top Teacher Award recipient, Ms. Tammam is on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music Precollege and Montclair State University. BM from MSM and MM at the Juilliard School.

Jason Gallagher

Elementary Pedagogy - Solving Technical Problems: “Expanding Horizons: Moving Beyond the Five-Finger Pattern”

One of the most significant hurdles an elementary student faces is moving beyond the five-finger position. In this session, I will highlight several techniques to make these moves with security and ease.

I will focus on the specific hand and arm movements involved in each move so that any student can be taught to perform them successfully, regardless of talent level. Working through these specific physical motions will help students learn faster, perform with greater security, and move more quickly into musical expression.

Examples will be drawn from popular method books such as Piano Adventures and The Music Tree. Though the session will focus on elementary music, the techniques provided will prove useful to intermediate and advanced students facing similar issues.

Jason Gallagher received his Master's Degree in Piano Pedagogy and Performance from Westminster Choir College in May 2014. He studied piano with Phyllis Lehrer and undertook a year-long internship with renowned teacher Ingrid Clarfield. In 2017, he completed the New School For Music Study’s Fellowship Program under the guidance of Amy Glennon. Mr. Gallagher is the ex-officio President of the Piano Teachers Forum of Central New Jersey and serves as co-chairperson of the NJMTA Spring Recital Auditions. He has served as a judge for the NJMTA Spring Festival, the Shore Music Educators Association Festival, and the Elite International Music Competition.

Trinity Fan

Improvisation for All Levels and Ages: “No Script, No Fear”

Once a cornerstone of classical musicianship, improvisation is now under-taught and widely feared. This presentation demystifies the improvisatory process, equipping teachers and students with practical, confidence-building tools for immediate use in lessons and practice.

Artistically, improvisation fosters spontaneity and independent thinking. Scientifically, NIH published research shows it deactivates self-monitoring brain regions to enable freer creative processing.

Through hands-on application, participants explore how simple constraints, such as imagery prompts, limited pitch sets, texture, and dynamics, unlock creative expression. The presentation connects improvisation directly to functional harmony (using I–IV–V and ii–V–I progressions) and applies these tools to re-imagine repertoire, ranging from Baroque bass lines and Mozart structures to familiar tunes like "Happy Birthday."

Featuring ideas involving live demonstrations, this session bridges music theory, repertoire, and spontaneous creation to develop stylistic fluency and musical imagination.

Trinity Fan is a pianist, composer, and improviser bridging classical tradition and spontaneous creativity. Her accolades include First Prize in the 2025 Rosamund P. Haeberle Piano Competition, Second Prize in the 2024 MTNA National Composition Competition for her work Reminiscence, and honors from YoungArts and the 2026 Musicians Club of Women. An advocate for classical improvisation, Fan has led workshops for Steinway & Sons Princeton and the 2025 Michigan MTA. Fan holds a BM from Indiana University and MM from the University of Michigan, where she is currently pursuing a DMA in Piano Pedagogy and Performance alongside jazz improvisation studies.

Chaihun Kim and Guannan Alice Liu

MTNA Collegiate Chapter Establishment: “Building Bridges: Founding the Rutgers MTNA Collegiate Chapter and Its Mutual Impact

Establishing a collegiate chapter connects future music educators directly with the professional teaching community. In this presentation, the co-founders of the Rutgers University MTNA Collegiate Chapter share how they built a chapter from the ground up, highlighting actionable strategies and the reciprocal value it brings to the state association.

Express Founding Roadmap: A streamlined, 3-step guide covering university approval, effective student recruitment, and executing budget-friendly inaugural events. Student Professionalization: How chapter leadership equips young musicians with career readiness, networking opportunities, and real-world organizational skills.

NJMTA Synergy: The vital role collegiate chapters play in injecting fresh energy, creating mentorship channels, and building a sustainable pipeline for future association membership.

Chaihun Kim is a pianist and educator currently pursuing the DMA degree in Piano Performance at Rutgers University, where she founded the MTNA Collegiate Chapter. She has performed at major venues including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Seoul Arts Center. Alongside her performance career, she is an active piano teacher dedicated to developing young musicians through thoughtful and structured pedagogy. Chaihun received her BM in Piano Performance from Seoul National University and her MM in Piano Performance from Missouri State University on a full scholarship as a Graduate Assistant.

Guannan Alice Liu earned her BM in Piano Performance from Northwestern University with Dr. Sylvia Wang and her MM from Mannes School of Music with Dr. J.Y. Song and Ann Schein. She is pursuing her DMA at Rutgers University with Dr. Vladimir Valjarevic. She is the winner of the Illinois MTNA Young Artist Performance Competition, Northwestern Concerto/Aria Competition, Beijing International Music Festival Academy Piano Solo Competition, Mahidol International Piano Festival Competition, and Huang Long Piano Competition. Alice Come out. -founded the MTNA Collegiate Chapter at Rutgers, where she serves as Vice President.

Carla Salas-Ruiz

Research & Practice: “Research as Part of Our Practice”

Learning to conduct research changed the way I think about teaching piano. It taught me to look more closely at questions that arise in lessons, examine assumptions, and seek evidence beyond my own experience. Research findings have also given me practical ways to think about learning, memory, practice, motivation, and other aspects of piano teaching.

This session will explore both through four practical steps:
Read: Find research related to questions in our teaching.
Try: Consider how findings might inform our work with individual students.
Talk: Discuss research in light of our experience and observations.
Share: Bring questions and insights from our teaching into the wider professional community.

Along the way, we will examine findings from music learning and related fields that teachers can put to use in their studios. The goal is not for every teacher to conduct research, but to make research a useful part of our practice—and one way we learn from, contribute to, and serve our professional community.

Carla Salas-Ruiz, PhD, is Associate Director and faculty at The New School for Music Study, where she teaches piano, mentors teachers, and leads educational programming. She earned her PhD in Music Education with an emphasis in Piano Pedagogy from Louisiana State University. Her research interests include student motivation, interest development, adult piano teaching, and healthy musicianship practices. Carla has presented at national and international conferences and published her research in music education and piano pedagogy journals. As a teacher and researcher, she is especially interested in how research can inform everyday teaching and help teachers better understand and support their students.

Chiung-yin Cheng Liu

Studio Management: “How S.W.O.T. can help you to build and grow your studio”

In this session, the concepts of S.W.O.T. (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and Threat) will be introduced as an important tool for promoting yourself and attracting more students to your studio. Attendees will also learn how to use S.W.O.T. analysis to assess their studio’s needs when developing an outstanding marketing statement before forming the strategic plans. \

Chiung-yin Cheng Liu holds a BM and MM from National Taiwan Normal University. Her students have been awarded in numerous events and performed at prestigious venues, including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. Within NJMTA, Chiung-yin is Vice President of Membership, Chair of the APN Committee, and Coordinator of Cross-State NCTM Workshops. She is also President of the Shore Music Educators Association. Chiung-yin is also locally involved as Chair of the Holmdel Heritage Committee and is a former Holmdel Board of Education member. She holds top certifications from the NJ School Boards Association as Master Board Member and Certified Board Leader.

Xiaoya Gao, Carla Salas Ruiz and Molly Sanford

Student Repertoire: “A Musical Menu: Fun Food-Related Pieces to Enrich Your Students’ Repertoire”

This presentation serves up a delightful “menu” of food-themed piano repertoire for young musicians, featuring pieces with titles, lyrics, and musical imagery inspired by desserts, appetizers, entrées, and more. Carefully selected for elementary through intermediate students, these works offer engaging, imaginative, and pedagogically useful additions to the studio repertoire.

We will begin with a look back at J. S. Bach’s Coffee Cantata (BWV 211), featuring the famous aria “Ah! How Sweet Coffee Tastes,” and explore Eleanor Bindman’s appealing piano arrangement. We will then sample contemporary repertoire from Confections: A Piano Sweet by Akira Yuyama, Tasty Tunes, Finger Food by Bernadine Johnson, Easy as Pie: Go Bananas! by Peter Rudzik, and In My Lunchbox by Judith Lang Zaimont. Come hungry for new repertoire ideas and leave with a musical menu your students will love!

Xiaoya Gao is an accomplished pianist and dedicated music educator. A native of Urumqi, China, she has performed solo and chamber recitals across Italy, Austria, and the United States, including in Vienna, New York, Seattle, Washington, D.C., and Princeton. Her artistry has earned international recognition, including the Diamond Prize at the Carl Reinecke International Music Competition and Gold Award at the 2025 Mozart International Music Competition. She is also a certified artist of the Washington International Young Artists Music Series. Gao holds a DMA in Piano Pedagogy from the University of South Carolina (2024) and degrees from NYU Steinhardt and Lawrence University.

Carla Salas-Ruiz, PhD, is Associate Director and faculty at The New School for Music Study, where she teaches piano, mentors teachers, and leads educational programming. She earned her PhD in Music Education with an emphasis in Piano Pedagogy from Louisiana State University. Her research interests include student motivation, interest development, adult piano teaching, and healthy musicianship practices. Carla has presented at national and international conferences and published her research in music education and piano pedagogy journals. As a teacher and researcher, she is especially interested in how research can inform everyday teaching and help teachers better understand and support their students.

Molly Sanford is a faculty member and Administrative Manager at The New School for Music Study in Kingston, NJ. She teaches private lessons and group classes for piano students of all ages and levels, performs in community recitals and lecture recitals around the Princeton area, and runs the NSMS Silent Film Celebration. She earned her DMA from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) in 2024. She specializes in contemporary and American music, and her recital programs often include creative pairings of well-known and unknown repertoire.