Monthly Teacher Meetings

APPI Teachers meet from 12:00-1:30 pm on the second Friday of the month, September - June.
​Teacher Meetings are held at Schmitt Music-Brooklyn Center, ​2400 Freeway Boulevard, ​Brooklyn Center, MN 55430. 
Meetings are always free and visitors are welcome!

View the Full Calendar

APPI Newsletters

Published twice a year, the APPI Newsletter is much more than a replay of APPI events.  Each newsletter features original content written by APPI members and guest authors.  Past newsletters have featured topics such as teaching steady beat, incorporating improvisation and composition into lessons, lists of favorite pieces that sound harder than they are, ideas for planning themed recitals, and much more.  Since 2009, APPI newsletters have also featured the original cartoon series "Pete and the Piano" drawn by Katie Condon. 

Issue 25 - Fall 2017
File Size:	2387 kb
File Type:	pdf

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Educational Field Trips

Educational Field Trips (EFTs) are special opportunities for students of APPI members to enhance their musical study.  Past EFTs have included exclusive meet-and-greets with concert pianists performing with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra; visits to the Schubert Club Museum of Historical Instruments, Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre, and Orchestra Hall; classes such as Taiko Drumming and Yoga for Pianists; and a hands-on demonstration of the powers of the pipe organ. 

Piano Festival

Piano Festival provides students with an opportunity to perform in a positive, non-competitive setting for constructive and supportive feedback from professional adjudicators.  Students may choose to perform in a cozy "private" setting for one judge, or in a larger "public" setting for two judges which is open to audience members.  Memorization is optional and there are no required elements or repertoire lists to follow.  All students who participate in Piano Festival receive a large blue ribbon.  This is a great way to prepare for Spring Recitals and contests!

Composition Festival

Composition Festival is a positive, non-competitive opportunity for student composers to have their compositions evaluated by a professional composer.  Evaluations are non-graded and are always constructive and supportive.  Students submit a notated score in advance; then, on the day of the Festival, the judge meets with composition students at individual conferences.  Students also have the option of performing their piece in a recital.  All students who participate in the program receive a large red ribbon!

Arts Appreciation Award

The Arts Appreciation Award program is designed to help young musicians develop an appreciation for the many facets of the Arts that surround and enrich our lives.  During the year, students work with their teachers to document completion of two requirements from each of these four categories:
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• ​Category 1: Attend and Visit (concerts, museums, etc.)
• Category 2: Read, Listen, and Participate (read about composers or instruments, listen to recordings, participate in APPI Listen Up or an EFT)
• Category 3: Perform and Volunteer (perform in recitals, at community centers, or at church)
• Category 4: Learn, Create, and Compose (study a different area of the arts like dance or visual art, compose music)

​Students who complete the program receive a handsome bust of a different composer each year.

APPI Listen Up!

APPI Listen Up! is a guided music listening program for all ages.  Each year features a different theme or topic.  Carefully selected and easily accessible playlists include incredible music of diverse time periods, styles, and genres.  Students respond to pieces in a listening journal, choosing from a wide variety of age-appropriate prompts which inspire imaginative, focused listening and call attention to musical elements in the pieces.  All students who participate in the program and turn in a listening journal will receive an attractive certificate.