Group starting to plan celebration of 50 years of Music Forum of Jackson
It’s been 49 years since the Music Forum of Jackson was founded by 10 piano teachers in 1968.
With the 50th anniversary fast approaching, current members of the group are already planning events for this fall through next year to celebrate the organization’s success for half a century.
In 1968, Sarah Wright, Elizabeth McKay, Robin Davis, Dot Gibson, LaNelle Nash, Peggy Bickley Blackwell, Irene Kenna, Alberta Daniels, Sarah Cole and Annette Joe gathered together to create the forum.
“The Music Forum of Jackson was founded April 11, 1968,” Annette recalled from the organization’s first program. “The unique organization has emphasis on the highest levels of musical endeavor…”
At that time 49 years ago, the 10 piano teachers gathered together in hopes of creating a musical organization that was exceptional in what it offered its members and their students.
“We just got together. We really wanted to branch out and do more than traditional piano,” Annette said.
After the 10 teachers had gathered together, LaNelle, the organization’s first president, was invited to the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) to speak about the Music Forum of Jackson.
“The MTNA president (at the time) invited LaNelle to come to the national convention that year to speak, because they wanted more student organizations in MTNA. They wanted more of what we had. So, she went and spoke, and we were founded right then,” Annette recalled.
Annette, a native of Boyle, began practicing piano and singing while attending public school in her hometown. She participated in competitions in Jackson every year. Upon graduation, she attended the Mississippi University for Women with a scholarship. She majored in piano performance.
She then began teaching piano in her apartment with her husband in 1958 in Jackson. After she taught 20 students for a year, they’d saved up to buy a house.
Annette has also been a member of the Mississippi Music Teachers Association (MMTA) and the MTNA.
“I loved teaching. I really enjoy singing, and I do a lot of singing… I’ve had a real rich life. It’s been a real rich existence…”
Piano teacher Patsy Simpson has been a member of the forum since the early 1970s. After running into an old friend at Barnette’s music store, she was convinced to come to the monthly meetings and has been an active member ever since.
“I have been active in forum, and my students have participated in lots of activities of forum…. I guess this was in ’72 or ’73, and I started coming (to the) meetings the first Thursday of every month…”
Patsy is from McComb and was originally introduced to piano through her mother, who taught Patsy throughout her childhood.
Patsy later earned college credit for piano courses she completed in high school. She started teaching lessons in 1972, around the same time she joined the forum.
Debbie Barnes became a member after she moved to the Jackson area from Louisiana. She has been a piano teacher since 1981.
A graduate of Louisiana State University, Debbie always knew she wanted to work with children and music.
After teaching music and kindergarten in a school for a few years, a fellow piano teacher and friend asked Debbie to take on a few of her students.
Debbie became a member of the Music Forum of Jackson soon after she moved to the Jackson area.
Caroline Whitfield Smith has been teaching piano for 15 years. Although raised in North Carolina until the age of 11, Caroline began learning piano when she was a child.
She continued to take lessons throughout high school and Millsaps College, where she majored in music.
Caroline didn’t become a music teacher until sometime after she graduated from Millsaps, when her previous piano teacher and a forum member, Kay Johnson, called her to see if she would be interested in teaching.
Caroline was first introduced to the organization when she played in one of the organization’s annual festivals — the February Bach Festival or the November Sonata-Sonatina Festival.
“I did the student activities all the way through high school. So, when Kay Johnson called and heard I was looking for a job, I got started and loved it,” Caroline said.
As soon as she started teaching, Caroline joined the forum and began entering her students into the events.
The current forum president, Carol Durham, is a native of Clinton who started taking piano lessons when she was in the fourth grade.
“I felt the call to be a church organist, so I majored in organ at Mississippi College, and then I got a master’s of music at the University of Tennessee in organ, but I also took graduate piano there.”
Carol said she’d always had a teacher’s heart, and she began teaching piano in 1967. She joined the Music Forum of Jackson in 1985.
“I also taught piano and accompanied at Mississippi College, and I presently teach organ at Millsaps and Belhaven.”
Carol initially judged the MMTA auditions in which the forum participated.
“I was so impressed by what they required the students to do.”
As soon as Carol had time to develop her studio after starting a family, she joined the group as well.
The Music Forum of Jackson is the first local organization and the Jackson chapter of the MMTA, part of the MTNA. Anyone willing to pay the annual dues of $25 a year can be a member of the forum.
“Our budget is determined by the amount of dues we receive from our memberships,” Patsy said. “I would say in the last 10 years or longer, we’ve maintained an average of 50 members.”
To hold the annual Bach and Sonata festivals, the forum requires each student to pay an entrance fee, which helps the organization fund judges and the events.
The Bach Festival is open to students in the Jackson area and beyond. Often, as many as 400 students participate from all over the southeast.
To be a part of the MMTA as well as the MTNA, a due is required as well.
Over the years, the forum has held themed musicales and Christmas piano-thons.
The musicale pieces voted the best were later recorded by the students and broadcast through PBS.
For the piano-thons, teachers would sign up for an allotted amount of time, and their students would play Christmas music at the mall.
The organization has also hosted a piano camp at Hinds Community College and still offers scholarships.
“The music forum began music camp at Hinds, which continued for several years,” Patsy said.
Many members of the Music Forum of Jackson are piano, voice or organ teachers.
“We have a mix of those of us who run private studios, as well as those who teach in schools and universities,” Caroline said. “Some of our members maintain membership so they (retain) access to some of the benefits and access for their students to participate in the activities.”
Some can also become part of the forum as associate or honorary members. Elections for the forum are held every year for the 15 positions.
To kick of the year-long celebration that will commemorate the Music Forum of Jackson’s 50th year, the organization will hold a recital on Saturday, August 26, at the Municipal Art Gallery at 10 a.m.
“When we started, that’s where the monthly meetings used to be,” Caroline said.
Longtime members of the forum will be performing at the event.
“It’s the first event of a year-long celebration, which will conclude next fall,” Patsy explained. “We have members that will be performing in this recital. Sandra Polanski and her husband will be playing, as well as Karen Laubengayer and her brother… We’re thrilled to have them.”
A reception will follow the recital.
In September, the next celebratory event will help restart the monthly meetings.
“We have not had the monthly meetings in years… But for next year, we’re going to have a meeting the first Thursday of every month to celebrate the 50th anniversary,” Patsy said. “The September meeting is going to take care of the first decade. At the October meeting, we’re going to do the second decade.”
After the November Sonata festival and the annual Christmas luncheon in December, the monthly meetings will pick back up to continue the 50th anniversary celebration.
Throughout the celebration, forum members will discuss happy and exciting memories from the past five decades.
“We have an unusual situation among music teachers,” Annette said. “They’re very competitive usually. We’ve never been like that.”
For more information about the organization and upcoming celebration events, call Patsy Simpson at 601-954-8028 or Carol Durham at 601-906-0350.
