Roxanne Kar has been named as the EMTA Volunteer of the Month for June 2026! We offer our appreciation and congratulations to her and thank her for consenting to provide us with this interview. She will receive her certificate of Recognition of Extraordinary Volunteer Service at the June General Membership Meeting.

First, please share a bit about your teaching with our readers.

I thrive on the challenge of creating individualized curricula for each student that helps them grow as a whole musician. Technical skills, form, artistry, music literacy, and self-evaluation are core tenets, taught through the lens of classical repertoire. My students this year are a good reflection of my studio. I rejoice and am sad to have three graduating seniors. They have been my students for 5, 10, and 12 years. My student of 12 years decided to open his own studio under my mentorship (as a high school senior) and is successfully teaching ten students of his own! In contrast, I enrolled my youngest student (3.5 yrs old!), taught several adult students, and kids with significant disabilities, typical ability, and amazing giftedness.

Please tell us how you have volunteered your service to EMTA and to our students.

My introduction to EMTA was 15 years ago, when I had only two kids, ages 5 and 2. At the time, EMTA was the only chapter to provide childcare for young teachers. That service blessed me for almost ten years and allowed me to jump in immediately and engage with the community. I served as the childcare coordinator , hospitality chairperson, on the board as secretary,  performed regularly during our meetings, and most significantly, have served on the team for the Musicianship Festival for 12 years.

How have you balanced your teaching load with all of the time that you have devoted to EMTA volunteer work?

There was a time when I held multiple positions in EMTA simultaneously. This desire to serve was born out of gratitude and excitement. It has taken years to realize where my threshold is! I consider my EMTA work crucial to the success of my studio, and structure my studio calendar around EMTA performance events (Jazz, Rags and Blues, Music Era Festival, MAP, etc). My volunteer work is integrated into my professional endeavors!

Is there a special memory about your volunteer activities that you would like to share?

My involvement in the Musicianship Festival has resulted in over a decade of invaluable experience. I was fortunate to be mentored for several years by Cathy Baylor in this role. Frances Goei’s expertise in theory helped transform my approach to teaching technical skills. Brandi Basset and I collaborated to create a database so that we no longer had to schedule 150 students, up to 8 events each, by hand. During COVID, we successfully held the Festival FULLY online. Now, Mary Walker-Liberman is doing a fabulous job as Chair, and I continue to use and modify the database to eliminate countless hours of manual labor. This flexibility and growing with one another is a testament to the culture of our association.

Besides benefiting EMTA members, please tell our readers about any benefits or personal rewards that you feel that you get from doing volunteer work for EMTA?

Every worthwhile endeavor requires dedication and sacrifice. I wholeheartedly support the mission of MTNA and the Edmonds chapter. Initially, I felt intimidated by our chapter full of highly credentialed and experienced teachers. However, I experienced a spirit of collaboration, support, mutual benefit, and an aligned goal of providing high-quality, encouraging musical experiences for students of all abilities. Through my early years of volunteerism, I forged lifelong friendships that continue despite some of my colleagues’ retirements. Multi-generational and multi-experiential relationships provide a richness and depth that help challenge and grow us.

Is there anything else that you would like to say to our members about volunteering for EMTA?

It is common for musicians to feel inadequate, as our skills are often so clearly on display. Many teachers held previous positions or had a completely different career before turning to music education. Do not allow your fears, perceptions of people, expertise, or credentials to keep you from engaging in the community. As teachers, we must “practice what we preach” and challenge ourselves to learn something new, take risks, and try new endeavors. You may just find lifelong friends in the process.

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Thank you to EMTA member, Rick Asher, for coordinating the EMTA Volunteer of the Month.