WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Nov. 11, 2015 — For three years in a row, a West Liberty University music student has earned the top prize in piano performance at the West Virginia Music Teachers’ Association (WVMTA) collegiate piano competition. Most recently WLU junior Mikayla Schultz received the honor.

The competition was held at Marshall University on Oct. 24, 2015.

“I was excited to compete and thrilled to win. I am grateful to Dr. Lee and appreciate his teaching and the individual attention I get in his class,” said Schultz, who played two challenging pieces for her competition, Debussy’s Pour le Piano and Kabelevsky’s Sonata No. 3, 1^st movement.

Schultz is majoring in music education and is a piano student of Dr. Gerald Lee, WLU’s professor of piano, who has been a full-time faculty member since 2002.

Schultz is from Claysville, Pa. and is attending WLU on a full Elbin Scholarship which requires a 3.75 high school grade point average and a college GPA of at least 3.5 (cumulative). Her career goal is to become a high school band director after college.

As an instrumentalist, she also has played numerous wind instruments in various ensembles, including WLU’s pep band, marching band, jazz ensemble, chamber wind ensemble, Wheeling Symphony Youth Orchestra and wind ensemble. She currently serves as president for the local collegiate chapter of the National Association for Music Education.

Schultz comes from a musical family, since her father Matthew was a drummer in the United States Marine Corps and both she and her brother were in the band at McGuffey High School.

For nearly 50 years, WVMTA has been providing high quality music 
instruction across the Mountain State as well as neighboring states. Students of WVMTA members are provided with opportunities to perform in competitions, festivals and public performances, as well as provided guidelines to develop fundamental musical skills such as theory and technique. It is affiliated with Music Teachers National Association.

For more information on WLU’s music program, please visit the College of Arts and Communication website or call the Department of Music and Theater Office at 304-336-8930.