EMTA General Meeting Information

EMTA general meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the month at 10:00AM with the exception of March, July, and August. Meetings are currently being held in person at the Edmonds Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Edmonds.

Edmonds Unitarian Universalist Congregation Address: 8109 224th St SW, Edmonds, WA 98026

13 October 2026

Curtain Raiser: Mary Rose Walker-Lieberman

Special Guest: Jennifer Hammill
Topic: Developing Tactile Senses to Improve Sightreading and Using Storytelling to Teach Note Reading

Born into a musical family, Jennifer began playing the piano early with her mother. She started accompanying church choirs in rehearsal when she was 9, and accompanying and playing chamber music remain a key part of her musical life. She earned degrees in piano performance from Western Washington University (Ford Hill) Arizona State University (Studied with Steven DeGroote, MMA) and the University of Washington (Bela Siki, DMA). She has also studied with the Golandsky Institute.

Jennifer maintains an active studio in Seattle, adjudicates and lectures throughout the northwest, performs in chamber groups, and is past president of the Seattle Music Teacher’s Association.

10 November 2026

Curtain Raiser: TBD

Special Guest: Debra De Miero
Topic: Icing on the Cake: Polishing for Your Best Performance

Debbie teaches Music Fundamentals and Piano at Edmonds College where she has been on the faculty for nearly 25 years. She earned her Master of Arts in Music from WSU with an emphasis in Piano Performance, and holds degrees in Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy from SPU. Additionally, she earned her AA degree from Edmonds College where she was an active member of the performing groups. When Debbie began her study with Marcile Mack at age 12, she had a lot to learn about effective practicing and attention to detail. As she progressed, she loved her new-found confidence in her playing and enjoyed performing and competing, winning honors at several festivals while in high school and college. She had the opportunity to study with Béla Nägy at an intensive piano festival for two summers while in college, and with Ruby Bailey-Ronald in graduate school. While at WSU she had many fun experiences as an accompanist and fell in love with collaborating and performing with other musicians.

Debbie has been teaching since high school, and especially enjoys helping students of all ages play with confidence. She loves working with older students to get beyond their fear of performing and to overcome past negative experiences. Debbie frequently serves as an accompanist and adjudicator for regional and state music festivals. In addition to serving on the music department faculty at Edmonds College, Debbie accompanies the Sno-King Community Chorale and the Seattle Children’s Chorus, serves as Music Director at St. Thomas More Parish in Lynnwood, WA and teaches privately in her home piano studio. She and her husband, Vince, have four adult children, four grandsons and a granddaughter. The DeMieros live in the beautiful small town of Brier.

8 December 2026

Member Social: Our member socials include a short business meeting, light refreshments, incidental performances, and plenty of time to chat with other members.

11 January 2027

Curtain Raiser: TBD

Special Guest: Jeffrey Gilliam, Head of Piano Department at Western Washington University
Topic: Music Artistry Program from the Adjudicator’s Perspective

9 February 2027

Curtain Raiser: TBD

Special Guest: TBD
Topic: TBD

13 April 2027

Curtain Raiser: TBD

Special Guest: Kirk Marcy
Topic: Teaching Improvisation to Your Students

11 May 2027

Curtain Raiser: TBD

Special Guest: TBD
Topic: TBD

8 June 2027

Member Social: Our member socials include a short business meeting, light refreshments, incidental performances, and plenty of time to chat with other members.