Teacher of the Year – 2005
Nancy Wingard
2005 Teacher of the Year
During the 2005 AMTA conference, Nancy Wingard
received the AMTA Teacher of the Year award. She has been teaching
piano for forty-five years. Nancy has been an intregral part of AMTA
and has also given of her time to local community music efforts.
Nancy is Adjunct Professor of Music at
Birmingham-Southern College, where she has been teaching piano and
music theory for twenty-five years with the Conservatory of Music.
She received her Bachelor of Music degree from Birmingham-Southern,
studying piano with Mary Carolyn Green and Hugh Thomas and music
theory with Dr. William Baxter. She also studied with Roy McAllister
during his time of teaching at Birmingham-Southern.
Nancy and her late husband, Dr. Robert Wingard,
moved to Birmingham in 1978. It was shortly after this that
she was introduced to AMTA. Nancy recalls, “My dear friend, Anna Lu
Hemphill, encouraged me to attend the AMTA conference in Tuscaloosa.
I enjoyed the experience so much that I became active on the
Executive Board.” Nancy has served AMTA as Composition Chairman,
State Clinician, Vice President, and President. During her
presidency, she developed the “Teacher of the Year” award.
Nancy’s love of piano is the result of her mother’s
influence. “We spent our evenings playing the piano and singing
hymns and current pop songs,” Nancy remembers. Her high school piano
teacher and choral director also exposed her to countless musical
experiences, such as playing for weddings, funerals, and revival
services. Following her mother’s example, Nancy’s three children
play either the piano or guitar. Her two grandsons are on her
“waiting list” for lessons.
Not only is Nancy a pianist, but she added
composition to her music activities many years ago. She has composed
many hymns that have been used within the Methodist church. These
hymns and songs have been published in a collection entitled Songs
for Sojourners.
Following her husband’s death, Nancy added a new
dimension to her life. Her interest in art led to her becoming a
docent at the Birmingham Museum of Art. Hundreds of museum
tours inspired Nancy to develop a program called “Music Reflected in
Art” in which she shows slides of paintings from various artistic
periods while performing music from the corresponding eras. Because
of the program’s success at the museum, she has been invited to
present it to many music teachers associations as well as other
organizations.
Nancy has given concerts throughout the Southeast as
a member of the Birmingham Piano Quartet. She continues to be a
member of the Bush Hills Federated Music Club and is a past
president of the Birmingham Music Teachers Association.
Nancy is passionate about teaching piano and music
theory because it gives her much joy to see students excited about
sharing what they have learned with family, friends, and churches.
She knows from experience that playing the piano is not only a great
pleasure but is also therapeutic. She is pleased that five former
students are pursuing a Bachelor or Masters degree in Piano
Performance, Music Composition, or Music History. |
