Music teachers celebrate a century of song in Billings

BILLINGS – Music has been heard here in Billings for 100 years.

The Billings Music Teachers Association (BMTA) has been training local students to become musicians since 1924.

Mack Carmack, KTVQ

Although most students begin at a young age, the association teaches everyone from zero to one hundred years of age.

“Seeing the joy on the students’ faces when they have learned a new piece or mastered a new skill is, in my opinion, the most exciting thing,” says the association’s president, Therese Bertrand, who currently works as a teacher.

Mack Carmack, KTVQ

Bertrand loves teaching and is very knowledgeable about it. She has been teaching music to the next generation for 41 years.

She works in the association with Anna Rodriguez, a prospective teacher.

Mack Carmack, KTVQ

“I think the most useful thing was getting together with other musicians and playing in different music camps, different duets and ensembles. My teacher put a lot of emphasis on playing with other people and I think that was very useful,” says Rodriguez.

Although Bertrand and Rodriguez teach all age groups, they take great pride in teaching music to young children.

“When you see the little ones’ reactions to the music in their eyes – like the little one-year-old I work with – it’s just amazing. It just makes me happy to see how excited they are about the music,” says Bertrand.

Mack Carmack, KTVQ

Others start their musical journey much later in life. It’s a more unconventional path that, for Bertrand, begins with a conversation.

“People always come to me first and talk to me. I always see what – I always ask them what they’re looking for. And then I go through the policies, and if they fit, that’s fine. And if they don’t fit, that’s fine too,” Bertrand says.

In addition to making sure it fits well, Bertrand recommends that his students buy an 88-key acoustic piano and start each lesson with a positive attitude. The rest is up to the imagination.

Mack Carmack, KTVQ

And with 100 years having passed and many more to go, neither Rodriguez nor Bertrand have any plans to give up anytime soon.

“When you see them come in and have no idea about music at all, and then a few months later they start making their own music and singing the whole time, and you see that they are developing a joy for the music,” says Rodriguez.

Mack Carmack, KTVQ

Learn more about the Billings Music Teachers Association by visiting their website or contact Therese Bertrand.