Pictured from left are Andrew Schmidt, Vivian Watson, Taran Laska and Merrillie Schmidt.

Vivian Watson, Taran Laska and Merrillie Schmidt, students of area piano teacher Andrew Schmidt, each recently received a distinguished award from the National Guild of Piano Teachers.

Watson and Schmidt received the Five-Year National Award. Laska received the Paderewski Award.

The Five-Year National Award signifies that in each of the past five years the student has performed a demanding 10-piece memorized program of piano compositions for a guild-appointed judge and received a passing grade on repertoire, scales, and cadences. The Paderewski Award signifies that the student has attained this same feat in each of the past ten years. The students will be featured in the Summer 2026 issue of the magazine Piano Guild Notes in recognition of their achievements.

Vivian Watson is a sophomore at Chautauqua Lake Central School. The daughter of Mark and Janet Watson, she also plays bass clarinet in her school band. In addition to classical compositions, she also plays a lot of music from the Zelda series of video games. In her spare time she enjoys reading and sailing.

Taran Laska is a senior at Frewsburg Central School. The son of Shaun and Alicia Laska, he also plays the trombone and plans to attend State University at Fredonia this fall to double major in music education and trombone performance. A trombone student of Tim Przybelinski, he was selected to perform in the 2025 New York State School Music Association All-State Symphonic Band. He is a 2026 recipient of the Josephine Fenton Gifford Music Scholarship presented by the Jamestown Mozart Club. He also enjoys soccer and weight lifting.

Merrillie Schmidt is a resident of Jamestown and a long-time participant in the Jamestown music scene. She holds a master’s degree in music education and taught music at Frewsburg Central School from 1976 to 2002. In all of her extensive musical training, however, she was never required to memorize music. Because the National Guild of Piano Teachers requires memorized performances, this was a new challenge for her, and one which she has met impressively. Merrillie also sings in the Chancel Choir at Christ First United Methodist Church in Jamestown where her son Andrew is organist. She also enjoys reading and traveling.

The National Guild of Piano Teachers was founded in 1929 in Texas and now holds annual auditions for more than 100,000 students at guild centers located throughout the United States, China, Japan, and several other countries. At each center students perform for a guild-appointed judge who critiques their performance. Andrew Schmidt’s students perform annually at the Guild center located at SUNY Fredonia.