EMTA Event Information

The Edmonds Music Teachers Association organizes a number of different local musical events both on our own and in conjunction with the State (WSMTA) and National (MTNA) Music Teachers Associations. Available below is festival, meeting, scholarship and event information for EMTA.

EMTA General Meetings

EMTA general meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the month at 10:00AM with the exception of March, July, and August. More information about EMTA general meetings is available on the our general meeting page.

EMTA February Community Recital 2026

January 2026: EMTA Valentine Community Recital Registration Opens
14 February 2026: EMTA Valentine Community Recital

The February Community Recital is a chance for students of EMTA teachers to perform in a non-competitive environment. There will be two recital times for this event, so the amount of student participation will less limited. There is also a new location for this community recital.

There will be a $10.00 fee per student for the community recital due to new venue costs. In addition, registration will now be done online through jotform. EMTA member, Jennie Holland is the coordinator for this event.

EMTA Community Recital Information Page
DATE AND TIME: February 14, 2026 from 2:00-4:00PM
LOCATION: Edmonds Unitarian Universalist Congregation – 8109 224th St SW, Edmonds, WA 98026

Young Composer Project 2026

1 December 2025 – 5 January 2026: Young Composer Project Registration and Submissions
The Young Composers Project gives students of WSMTA members the opportunity to submit their compositions for judging and comments by qualified adjudicators. This year, for the first time, Washington State teachers will also have the opportunity to submit their own compositions for comments from the adjudicators.

WSMTA Young Composer Project Information

WSMTA Music Artistry Program 2026

13 January 2026: Music Artistry Program Registration Deadline and Chapter Fee Deadline
22 February 2026:Music Artistry Program – Voice
6-8 March 2026: Music Artistry Program – Piano

The WSMTA Music Artistry Program (MAP) is an annual event in which students statewide perform in studio masterclasses and receive one-on-one coaching by Visiting Artists in a positive, noncompetitive learning environment. Each student and ensemble will be given a certificate from WSMTA as well as a written evaluation and oral comments from the visiting artist. More information is available on the WSMTA website and a separate parent information sheet is available.

Please be aware that participation in the Music Artistry Program is a pre-requisite for all students wishing to apply to the EMTA Excellence in Music Awards Program.

EMTA Members Only Music Artistry Program Page
WSMTA Music Artistry Program Information Page

EMTA Honors Recital 2026

March 2026 : EMTA Honors Recital Registration Deadline
14 March 2026: EMTA Honors Recital

The EMTA Honors Recital is a special recital for outstanding performers as identified in the Music Artistry Program (MAP). Immediately following the Music Artistry Program, teachers should register their adjudicator-selected students for the EMTA Honor’s Recital. Only one piece is permitted per student due to time constraints.
* 1 student entrant per teacher with up to 10 students registered for MAP
* 2 student entrants per teacher with 10-20 students registered for MAP
* 3 student entrants per teacher with over 20 students registered for MAP

EMTA Voice and Piano State Recital Competition 2026

10 February 2026: Piano State Recital Competition Registration Deadline
10 March 2026: Voice State Recital Competition Registration Deadline
15 March 2026: Piano State Recital Competition
29 March 2026: Voice State Recital Competition

Please note that participants in this competition should not enter unless they are able to perform at the WSMTA convention if named as a Winner. Participants should also be available to perform at the District 1 Honors Recital if they are named as an Alternate.

The State Recital Competition celebrates the highest echelon of quality by the students of EMTA teachers as winners and alternates represent our chapter at the state and district level. All students who participate in the Piano Music Artistry Program (MAP) event are eligible to enter the State Recital Competition. This competition selects the EMTA Chapter Representatives to perform in the WSMTA State Conference Honors Recital (1^st place) and at the District 1 Honors Recital (Alternates). All Winners are also invited to perform at the EMTA Awards Gala in June.

State Recital Conference Information Page

MTNA National Conference 2026

21-25 March 2026: MTNA National Conference in Chicago, IL

The MTNA National Conference, held annually, brings together the most representative cross-section of the MTNA membership. National competitions feature the outstanding performances of students in all instrument areas, as well as composition. Conferences include master classes, technology and informational sessions, pedagogy sessions, exhibit hall, evening concerts and much more. Members have an opportunity to participate by submitting proposals and papers for presentation.

Registration is now open for the MTNA National Conference

EMTA Musicianship Festival and Music Literacy Exams 2026

March 2026: Musicianship Festival and Music Literacy Exams Registration Deadline
April 2026: EMTA General Meeting – Information and Training if requested for Musicianship Festival Teacher Volunteers. Teacher Packets will be available.
April 2026: Deadline for Virtual Submissions to the EMTA Musicianship Festival and Volunteer registration
May 2026: Musicianship Festival Setup
9 May 2026: Musicianship Festival

The EMTA Musicianship Festival is a fun “field day” of musical events. Events include: music performance opportunities, music literacy exams, musical composition submissions, and music projects (including arts and crafts, history, research paper, etc.). Please register with your teacher for this fun event. The theme for this year will be “A Medieval Adventure”.

EMTA Adult Piano Social 2026

28 April 2026: Registration deadline for April 2024 Adult Piano Social
30 April 2026: Adult Piano Social Evening

This is a social evening where EMTA adult students can socialize and/or perform on a wonderful piano in a casual and safe social setting. Partners of adult piano students and their piano teachers are also welcome. For adults who definitely wish to perform, the initial part of the evening will feature performances of adult students and maybe a few piano teachers who have RSVP’d that they wish to perform at this event. We will not be asking audience members to be especially quiet during the performances, these are expected to be casual performances during a social evening. After the scheduled performance, there will be an open piano where individuals who feel like playing can sit down and give it a go. Drinks and some snacks will be provided, but attendees are welcome to bring some nibbles if they are so inclined. This event is being organized by EMTA members, Dawn Taylor-May and Amber Saldivar.

EMTA Composition Recital 2026

April 2026: Composition Recital Registration Deadline
April 2026: Composition Recital

EMTA members are invited and encouraged to enroll their students in this recital of live performances of student-composed pieces for instrument(s) and/or voice(s.) Students may perform their own pieces or have someone else perform them, but no recorded performances will be included. The audience will be comprised of friends and families of the performers, along with the student composers themselves and interested teachers. Members of the general public who happen to be in the Third Place Commons are also welcome to hear the performances. Students will be encouraged, though not required, to participate in the Question and Answer session with the audience after all of the performances have been presented. EMTA member Rick Asher is the event coordinator for this event.

District 1 Honors Recital 2026

April 2026: District 1 Honors Recital

The District 1 Honors Recital in April 2025. The ‘alternate(s)’ from each chapter’s state conference recitalists competition will be invited to perform in this recital. If non-piano MAP was held and the chapter selection took place, those selected students who placed as alternates are invited.

EMTA Excellence in Music Awards Program 2026

14 April 2026: EMTA Excellence in Music Awards Program Application Deadline
16 May 2026: EMTA Excellence in Music Awards Program

EMTA has established an Excellence in Music Awards Program which includes the Joan E. Brown Scholarship award. The Excellence in Music Awards Program will support and encourage students to be active in their EMTA community and acknowledge exceptional ability, application and meritorious accomplishment by giving financial assistance to those students in grades 7-12.

EMTA Excellence In Music Awards Program Information Page

Lois Whitner Study Grant 2026

May 2026: Deadline for WSMTA Lois Whitner Study Grant application
This grant is open to music students currently in grades 8-11 who have studied a minimum of 4 years and whose teachers are members (of at least 12 months standing) of WSMTA. The applicant must have participated in the Music Artistry Program. The applicant will be considered on a basis of financial need and musical commitment.
WSMTA Scholarship Information page

2026 EMTA Student Awards Gala

30 May 2026: Student Awards Gala

The Student Award Gala is a celebration where outstanding students chosen from the the major EMTA festivals and events perform at an end of the year recital. An awards ceremony and cookies and beverage reception will follow each recital.
Venue: Hartley Mansion, 2320 Rucker Ave., Everett, WA 98201

2026 WSMTA State Conference

27-29 June 2026: Washington State Music Teacher Association (WSMTA) Conference
The Washington State Music Teachers Association (WSMTA) State Conference is an annual event that brings together teachers from across the state for workshops, recitals, and masterclasses. The conference includes a banquet to honor Hall of Fame inductees and Honorary Life Members. EMTA State Recital winners perform at this conference as chapter representatives for the Washington State Conference Honors Recital. The 2026 conference will be held at Central Washington University in Ellensburg.

July – August 2025 EMTA Summer Holiday Break

MTNA and WSMTA Competitions

September 2026 – WSMTA Outstanding Artist Competition Registration
The competition was established in 2005 to provide an additional performance opportunity for talented pianists from Washington state. It runs concurrently with the MTNA Competition, but is not part of the MTNA Competition. The Outstanding Artist Competition (OAC) may serve as a positive initial step for students desiring to compete in the MTNA Performance Competition in future years.
WSMTA Outstanding Artist Competition Information Page

September 2026 at 3:00PM EST – MTNA Composition, Performance (not including Brass and Voice) Competition Registration Deadline
December 2026 at 3:00PM EST – MTNA Chamber Music (Wind and String), Senior Performance (Brass and Voice), Young Artist (Brass and Voice) Registration Deadline

The three-tiered Junior, Senior and Young Artist Performance Competitions begin with live state competitions. The winners/representatives of each state’s competitions advance to a video-only division competition. Division winners compete in the national finals at the annual MTNA National Conference. The state competitions are considered the primary educational level with the division and national levels showcasing outstanding performance and honoring significant pedagogical achievement. Competitions include Brass (Senior and Young Artist only), Piano, Piano Duet (Senior only) String, Voice (Senior and Young Artist only) and Woodwind.
MTNA Performance Competition Information Page

EMTA Jazz, Rags, and Blues Festival and Concert 2026

September 2026: Jazz, Rags, and Blues Festival and Workshop Registration Deadline
October 2026: Deadline to purchase discounted festival concert tickets
October 2026: Jazz, Rags, and Blues Festival Concert
October 2026: Jazz, Rags, and Blues Festival and Workshop

The purpose of this festival is to encourage the exploration of Jazz, Rags, and Blues. The festival will take place in a masterclass setting in which each performer will perform and receive feedback by the adjudicator. Each student will receive a brief written evaluation and achievement certificate. The festival also features a workshop to teach improvisation and jazz techniques.

EMTA Jazz, Rags, and Blues Festival and Concert Information Page – Please be aware this page has not been updated with 2026 information yet.

WSMTA District I Conference 2026

October 2026: District Conference

EMTA October Community Recital 2026

October 2026: Community Recital Registration Deadline
October 2026: Community Recital

The October Community Recital is a chance for students of EMTA teachers to perform in a non-competitive environment. The theme this year will be “Halloween”. Students may dress up in costumes.

There will be a $10.00 fee per student for the community recital. EMTA member, Jennie Holland is the coordinator for this event.

EMTA Community Recital Information Page

Music Era Festival 2026

September – October 2026: Music Era Festival Registration
November 2026: Music Era Festival

The Music Era Festival (formerly known as the Time Era Festival) was created to help students appreciate the differences between the Baroque (1600-1750), Classical, (1750-1820), The Romantic (1820-1900) and the Modern (1901 to Present). The era designated for 2025 is the Romantic period.

Music Era Information Page – This page has not been updated with 2026 information.
Music Era Registration Page is not yet available.