Video: AAA 80th Anniversary Workshop performance

From the ATAM Journal:
The Accordion Teacher’s Association of Massachusetts ATAM is proud to bestow Honorary Membership upon Rita Davidson Barnea at the 58th Annual New England Festival sponsored by the “Accordion Teachers Association of Massachusetts. The event will be held at the Boston Marriott Newton, Mass. from March 27-29, 2020. The New England Music Festival is an annual musical competition and the festival averages more than 3000 entries and 800 contestants from all across New England.

Rita is the National Editor of the Accordion USA News (www.accordionusa.com) for the past eleven years. This online monthly publication covering North American continent accordion events, artists, concerts, including video etc. has a huge readership of some 95,000 page views per month.

Rita Davidson Barnea is an accomplished accordionist and music teacher. She taught Pre-K to Grade 5 vocal music in the West Orange, NJ public schools for many years where she used the accordion every day in her music classes, and to accompany her chorus, and programs. For example, she would lead the entire school in a flag song each morning broadcast throughout the school. She did this by bringing her accordion to the main office where the broadcast originated. The accordion plays an important role in the life of a music teacher, especially one that does not have a music room!

Rita is an honors graduate of the University of Connecticut with a degree in Music Education. She is on the Governing Board of the American Accordionists’ Association. Rita has been attending accordion festivals and competitions for years where she judges both piano and accordion categories. 

Rita Barnea has released an album titled “The Music of Eugene Ettore Album” which includes his most well known concert works published by MusicForAccordion.com where it is a free download to promote young people playing the compositions of Eugene Ettore. Click on his name to see the Eugene Ettore Memorial Website created by Rita Barnea.

Rita studied accordion with Eugene Ettore, former AAA President and noted accordion composer and Rita also presents workshops and concerts on the “Life and Music of Eugene Ettore” and “The Use of the Accordion in the Teaching of Music in School”.  

Rita can be reached at Ritabelll@aol.com