Milbank Pianists Earn Membership in National Fraternity of Student Musicians

Milbank piano students Isabella Karels, Natalie Thaden, and Macy Mueller joined other students in the Brookings Area to participate in National Piano Playing Auditions.

Each student performed a program of memorized pieces for a guild adjudicator and received a written critique of their performance. Rather than ranking students against each other, the goal is to measure individual progress against a standard of excellence. The auditions are held in hundreds of cities throughout the nation each spring.

Karels, Thaden, and Mueller each memorized five to six pieces  and each was awarded a district certificate, a fraternity pin, and a year’s membership in the National Fraternity of Student Musicians.

District certificates were awarded to Isabelle Karels, Natalie Thaden, and Macy Mueller, who played 5 or 6 memorized pieces. Preparing for a Guild audition gives a student a long-term project that encourages steady practice and repertoire study. Instead of  learning isolated pieces, students build a complete performance program. 

Levels 
Pledge – 1 Piece   
Local –  2-3 Pieces 
District – 4-6 Pieces   
State – 7-9 Pieces   
National – 10-14 Pieces  
International–  15-20 Pieces

The 2026 adjudicator was Rennae Peterson of Sioux Falls. Participating teachers, who are also members of the National Guild of Piano Teachers, included Sheila Dailie of Milbank; Deb Kalsbeck of Brookings; Cynthia Jorgensen of Lake Benton, Minnesota; and Nancy Sandro of Hendricks, Minnesota.