Piano Festival

The Augusta Music Teachers Association sponsors an annual Piano Festival that is open to all students regardless of age, ability, or length of study.  It is not a competition.  Students are evaluated against of standard of excellence according to their individual performance selections – not judged against each other.

How is participating in Piano Festival beneficial to students?

The experience will help them…

  • Gain knowledge in perfecting selections and skills for an outside examiner / adjudicator

  • Build confidence in playing the piano

  • Set goals for musical growth and progress in piano studies

  • Discover the joy of music making

Piano Festival is also open to non-member teachers.  We hope you decide to share with us in the opportunity to motivate and  inspire our students to further growth, and to further our own growth as teachers!

Visit the Festival Resources page for details and registration information for AMTA’s upcoming Piano Festival. 

Completely new to Piano Festival? Here are more helpful tips.

1.    It’s perfectly okay to use pieces from the method books!  They just have to be memorized.

2.    Yes, your first-year students can participate!  This is a great opporunity to get them used to working on pieces through completion and performing under (a little bit of) pressure.  Adult students are welcomed, too!

3.    Students should arrive at least 15 minutes prior to their assigned performance evaluation time to register / checkin.

4.    The theory exam is given throughout the day with exception to being closed during lunch hour.  Please note that the theory exam correlates to the Georgia Music Teachers Association Theory Exams. If you are using the theory books that come along with the method books, you will need to supplement them to cover the theory.  You may want to use the older Georgia Music Teachers Association’s theory tests as practice tests for your students. GMTA’s Sample Theory Tests

5.    The scales, sight-reading, and hymn challenges will take place in the room with the judge just prior to playing the two memorized pieces. The judge will have an evaluation form with the performance level student is registered for.

6.    Your students should dress nicely to show respect for the judges and the process.

7.    To further show respect for the judges and process, coach your students to greet and thank the judges before and after playing.

8.    If your students have schedule conflicts on the day of Festival that require them to have a specific performance time, please write this on the registration form. Requests made on the registration form will be honored as much as possible, but are not guaranteed.  Time changes can’t be requested after registration forms are submitted.