Mendham High School Junior Wins New Jersey State-Level MTNA Competition

High School Junior Jasmine Meyer has had an avid passion for piano for over eleven years. Starting at just 5 years old exploring the computer game “Piano Wizard”, her years of endless hard work and devotion has led her to very prestigious musical accomplishments. Jasmine will compete as a division finalist in the MTNA Northeastern Division Senior Duet piano competition.

This wonderful opportunity was earned after her first victory in winning the New Jersey state-level MTNA competition, then later winning the Eastern Division. Meyer says she was in a convenience store in the middle of her driving lesson when she heard that she won, and she reports that it is a minuscule detail that she will never forget. The competition, The MTNA, is a triple-tiered competition and begins at the state level, then advances into division competition in which submissions are video-only.

The final tier is the National Competition Finals. Jasmine and her duet partner, Gordon Li, had to memorize 30 minutes of duet collection and perfect their independent skills and technique, as well as have synchronization down pat. Meyer states, “I believe the reason my duet partner and I performed so well is that we were able to get in (colloquially speaking) “the zone”, and immerse ourselves completely in the music. For me, losing yourself in the music is a hallmark of a good performance.” Meyer and Ri will soon go off to compete for the National Title in the MTNA National Conference, Chicago, March 2020.

However, Meyer´s accomplishments do not end there. In previous years, she was selected as a public performance winner for the 21st Annual Cecilian Young Artist Competition. She also placed first place in both the International Music & Arts Society’s 5th Annual Talented Young Musicians Olympia Competition and the Music-Fest Rising Talents Festival and was a gold prize winner in the Golden Key International Music Festival. Being the accomplished and very well reputable performer that she is, Meyer was also given the opportunity to have Master Classes with the world-renowned pianists John Perry and Douglas Humphreys.

Although she has endured many victories with her piano passion, Meyer states that the art of the instrument has taught her so many skills outside of performing and also serves as a wonderful escape. Meyer describes practicing piano as “a reprieve from the huge amount of stress schoolwork gives” She also states, “It’s definitely given me a great work ethic. I don’t just try really hard to practice piano, but I also work really hard on my classes and trying to keep good grades. It’s also the love of my life, and I’m really grateful for it because I know that no matter what happens in life I’ll always have a piano to cheer me up.”