Who We Are
Black Hills Area Music Teachers Association (BHAMTA) has been providing support and opportunities to teachers and students in western South Dakota since 1976. Teachers can network and grow in professional and educational development through our meetings and programs, and students of BHAMTA members have access to many musical opportunities, such as an annual piano exam festival, state and national competitions, and multiple recitals each year, including a piano ensemble event. Our membership encompasses many areas of instruction, such as piano, voice, cello, violin, flute, theory, and composition.
BHAMTA is an affiliate of South Dakota Music Teachers Association (SDMTA) and the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA).
Mission Statement:
To advance the value of music study and music making to society and to support the professionalism of music teachers, in alliance with SDMTA and MTNA, BHAMTA provides opportunities for local teachers to enrich the musical education of their students and themselves through workshops, master classes, recitals, festivals, duet concerts, and other events. BHAMTA also provides a forum for the exchange of ideas, strategies, and techniques related to teaching music in a private setting.
Executive Board
President: Kathy Helmer
Vice President: Melody McGeary
Secretary/Treasurer: Janeen Larsen
Immediate Past President: Erica Sowers
Event Coordinators
Northern Hills Recitals: Colleen McKirdy
October Masterclass: Kathy Helmer/Diane Ketel
Duet Extravaganza: Diane Ketel & Laura Kolb
Spring Festival: Erica Sowers
What We Offer
Membership Meetings – BHAMTA members gather regularly to discuss and plan events and happenings in the organization. An educational aspect is often incorporated into our meetings, offering, as our mission statement says, “a forum for the exchange of ideas, strategies, and techniques related to teaching music in a private setting” and supporting the professionalism of music teachers.
Northern Hills Recitals are held bi-annually, typically in October and March, at Meier Hall on the campus of Black Hills State University. These recitals are open to any instrument, and members may enter up to eight students. Performers get the privilege of playing on a beautiful Steinway piano in the acoustically pleasing Meier Concert Hall. Students connect with peers and hear music from outside their own studios. Halloween costumes are encouraged at our October Northern Hills Recital!
SDMTA Conference & Competitions – Our state affiliate, South Dakota Music Teachers Association, holds its annual student competition usually the first weekend in November, coinciding with the state conference and membership meeting for teachers. This event moves around each year to a different university, taking place at Black Hills State University in Spearfish about every five years. Visit sdmta.org for more information.
Masterclasses – Students and teachers both get to learn from the best and come away inspired as a clinician works with students in a public setting.
Duet Extravaganza – For this unique multi-keyboard event, teachers prepare their students to play our pre-selected duets, and then we all gather at the Uptown Rapid Mall on a Saturday in February to play these duets in larger ensemble groups. Pianists get the experience of playing in an ensemble with a conductor and playing bold flashy music for a vibrant public audience.
Spring Festival – The Black Hills’ very own piano examinations, the Spring Festival is your end-of-the-school-year assessment to ensure your students are progressing and growing. We strive to encourage well-rounded musicians, offering evaluation in performance, technique, and theory in a friendly, welcoming setting to help each student reach his or her potential.
