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The school year has drawn to a close in district IV. There has been no
changes in the officers and directors and music have been chosen for some
of the festivals next year. I'm looking forward to the coming year
working with the music teachers of district IV and teachers around the
state.
Dan Labonte
Mountain Valley Middle School
dlabonte@msad43.org
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Promotional materials were on display at all-state
near the exhibit area. Thanks to Jon Carsley for
making room for the display board and fliers. Sample
newsletters were also available in the registration
area as well as in the student rehearsal areas.
Ribbons were given to all current Tri-M members to be
worn at the concerts. Hopefully this will generate
some new interest and chapters for another year.
This year there were 13 active chapters. They
include: Berwick Academy, Dexter, Ellsworth, Foxcroft
Academy, Kennebunk, Marshwood, Messalonskee, Oxford
Hills, Penobscot Valley, Sacopee Valley, Sanford,
Washington Academy, and Windham. It is my hope next
year to build a network among the chapters by sending
emails to all active chapters about activities during
the year.
Thanks to the executive board for recognizing
Washington Academy as the Maine Chapter of the Year.
I hope to encourage more participation in the
scrapbooking project next year. It is a great way to
keep an historical record of musical happenings in
your school.
Hope to see you all on Friday.
Alice Sullivan
I am unable to attend the June meeting due to a previously scheduled family event in Ontario.
As for the Research Chair Report, I would like to submit some questions to the board and membership at large.
I am seeking information from the membership. Please email any MUE concerns/questions to me at kaschub@usm.maine.edu.
I would like to know....
1) What type of information would the membership like to see in the research column of the Bulletin?
2) Is there data that we need to collect from the membership - and what is it? Do we need information on scheduling, pull-out
lessons, student participation rates, student achievement in music and other areas, etc? If there are questions that state-wide
info would be useful in answering, I would be happy to design a survey instrument that could get us information.
Respectfully submitted,
Michele Kaschub, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Music
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June 16, 2006
Choral Manager Report
All State 06 ran very smoothly. I enjoyed being choral manager and look forward to future years in this capacity. A few
items to report:
This year, music was stamped and numbered. Due to the demands of my own job; it took me a while to collate and figure who
was missing music after the concert. However, about a week and a half ago, I notified all of the schools whose music was
missing. I have received one folder back, with some email acknowledgments of more on the way. At $11 for each set of all
state choral music, I think it is worth the extra effort to track down (and/or bill the school) for the missing music.
The Gorham space for housing the All State Choral Music is filling up, and Darrell Morrow would like us to continue researching
the Bagaduce Library option (or other options)
Reauditions at All State this year were problematic. They were conducted in quartets due to room size. And many students
were flagged as being underprepared. We had two students who could be considered seriously underprepared (as in – no
prior preparation); and all of the others seemed to have worked on the music and either a) didn’t work on the music
enough, or b) were thrown off by the quartet format. I will draft two separate letters and share them with Rob at the June
meeting. I think the issue of reauditions needs to be addressed by the Choral VP, the Choral manager, and other interested
Board persons. It seems that the reaudition process is losing its “bite” and students are not taking the process
seriously. Also, teachers need to be reminded that it is not sufficient to just hand the practice CD and never check with
the student. It is ultimately the teacher’s responsibility to make sure that the students are sufficiently prepared.
I would like us to work on this this summer so that guidelines can be available in the Fall.
Practice CD’s: I would like to look into having a professional company compile our practice CD’s. There is an
outfit which has a set up to produce such CD’s for ACDA and other state festivals. The recording would be more professional
with better intonation and quality. The cost is a bit higher – but would be a huge savings in time. The cost approx.
$9 - $10 per CD would be passed on to each choral student.
Black Folders: A suggestion has been made to purchase black folios for the All State choir which would be passed out at dress
rehearsal (if needed) and collected after the concert; then saved for reuse each year. This would create a more professional
look. If the Board is interested, I will research prices.
Student Heights: After I finally received all of the heights, it really helped me in my organization of the choir, for line
up and configuration onto risers. The problem this year was that there were old and new acceptance forms available to teachers….and
I received mostly forms without the student height information. I hope we can scratch the old forms from available sources
for next year. With all of the student heights BEFORE the festival, I can arrange a seating order before students arrive.
Student rankings: For some reason this year, the decision was made to not inform students of their rankings in their respective
audition rooms. Since they need to know the ranking in order to apply for All Eastern, I suggest we go back to the earlier
format of listing the scores – so that I do not have to answer a pile of emails after All State.
The new vocal audition procedure is underway. I can copy CD’s for anyone who is unable to download the information
from the website. This information should be in the bulletin and listed in any audition information: Contact Kim Murphy
if you are unable to access the vocal MP3 files on the website, or if you would like clarification on the new vocal audition
procedure.
Next year’s All State Choral Conductor will be Dr. Brady Allred from the University of Utah.
Respectfully Submitted (3 hours before deadline!)
Kim Murphy
Choral Manager
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Audition plans for 06/07 are well underway with
sites and dates set; judges hired and the audition
list complete. With so many changes in the vocal and
string auditions, this year it is especially important
for teachers to check the web site often.
There have already been corrections and edition
changes for a couple of instruments. If teachers
don't stay on top of things, their students will not
have correct information to make their auditions a
posittive experience. You can lead a horse to
water.....
It will also be important to keep on top of Appendix B
as there will be a change in how the piccolo player(s)
will be selected. Wording has not been worked out yet
but be on the lookout for it under "requirements
specific to winds".
The auditions team is (mostly) very excited about
heading north in December for that audition site.
There's nothing like going to or coming home from the
north in a snowstorm.
My thanks to all the teachers who arrive on site paid
in advance and on top of things. If you have a
question, ask. There are no stupid questions if you
don't know the answer. How else will you learn how
the process works?
That's all for now. Enjoy the summer weather if it
ever comes!
Sam Moore-Young
All State Auditions Co-Chair
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Ruminations Upon My Departure
Six Years! What started out as a two-year commitment turned into a six year gig. The beginnings were very humble. Arnie
Poland approached me at All-State 2000 and said that MMEA was in need of a Choral VP. He then said that he thought that I
would do a great job and asked if I would be willing to run for the office. My initial answer was, “No thanks, I’m
really too busy.” This was true, I really was quite busy and adding one more thing to my plate wasn’t something
I was all that interested in. I thought that would be the end of it. However, the next day Arnie approached me again and
said that there was no one else running and asked me to reconsider. Now anybody that knows me understands that I easily give
in when I think that there’s a real need. I then told Arnie that, if there really was nobody else running for office,
then I would “do my duty” and help out. Arnie seemed thrilled and relieved at the same time.
When the ballot came out, imagine my surprise when there were actually three candidates running for Choral VP! By then I
figured that it was too late to back out even if there were others running. I do not know how close the vote was but I ended
up getting elected into the office for the 2000-2001 and 2001-2002 school years. I have to admit that I was excited about
being able to serve MMEA in this capacity for the next two years. Little did I know then that this journey would continue
six years all the way to the present day (which just happens to be 6/6/06 – Yikes!)
Year one: Things went fairly well during my first year. I attended my first MMEA Executive Board Meeting. It was long (although
the trip from Caribou to Augusta and back was longer!) and rather boring, and I really did not have anything to report. I
basically asked who the conductor was for the 2001 All-State Chorus and found out that there was no one hired yet! However,
this problem was quickly solved with a call to Dr. Robert Russell (Thank you Dr. Bob!). However, this was only the beginning
of several revelations I would have during my first year in office!
During the January meeting I submitted my report that things were shaping up with the festival. Dr. Russell had submitted
his program and bio, Dale Perkins had ordered the music and Alison Moore would be the accompanist. Then Joan Hamaan asked
a question that sent shockwaves through my entire system, “So Jay, what do you have lined up for clinics?” My
response, “What clinics?” It was then that I found out that not only did I have to manage the All-State Chorus
but I also had to line up all the clinics for the conference! I immediately called Dale Perkins who set up a few choral workshops.
I then e-mailed several of my choral friends around the state who generously agreed to offer more clinics. The 2001 All-State
Festival and Conference came and went (quite successfully under the circumstances!) and I learned a lot of valuable lessons
in my first year. I was confident that year two of this position would go much more smoothly.
Year two: My second year in office did go much more smoothly. I knew we had a conductor (since I hired him!) and the clinics
for the conference came together like a snap (and were lined up before January!). My first thought was, “Man I’m
gonna go out with a bang!” My second thought was, “Why not run again now that you know what you’re doing?”
I did run again and was elected for a second two-year term.
Year three: The third year went fairly well also but I began to notice something different during this year. The Orchestra
VP position was being covered by two individuals. This had also been the case during my first term. That got me thinking,
“Maybe these guys are on to something. In fact, why couldn’t all of the All-State VP jobs be co-positions? That
way, one person could focus on the festival and the other could run the conference.” It seemed like a revolutionary
idea (even though I stole it from the orchestra folks and the President/President-Elect positions had been dividing the All-State
duties in a similar fashion for years!). During this year I made a motion that all of the All-State VP positions become
Co-VP positions. After giving my rationale, the board voted to adopt this policy for the next election cycle. This would
make the VP jobs much more manageable and hopefully make it easier to get more folks involved.
Year four: Another good year overall. This year I thought, “I’m going out on a positive note knowing that there
will be two folks sharing the responsibilities next year. This will make things easier all around.” However, my overactive
brain had another thought, “Why not stick around for one more term to train a new person in the position. This would
make things go even more smoothly!” Therefore, I decided to run for one more term along with a Co-VP candidate so I
could train this person in the position. I was also curious to see how sharing the responsibilities would work after doing
it all by myself for the past four years. After trying to convince several people to run with me, I finally found a wonderful
running-mate and began to prepare for the next two years.
Year five: In a nutshell, it worked like a dream! The first year with a Co-VP I ran the festival and my cohort, Kimberly
Murphy, coordinated the conference end of things. Then for the next year I would coordinate the conference and Kim would
manage the All-State Chorus. Brilliant! By doing things this way, Kim would be able to then guide the next Choral Co-VP
in the same way and thus perpetuate the training of the new folks in this position. I was proud of myself for getting things
moving in this new way. Little did I know that there were some major changes on the horizon.
It seems that a new movement was brewing behind the scenes (or perhaps just in southern Maine as I was not aware of it living
way up north in “the County!”). Early on in my third term, Rob Westerburg proposed a complete overhaul of the
MMEA Organizational structure. This new structure did away with the Co-VP’s and was very confusing to me upon first
glance. At first I was vehemently opposed to this new plan (after all, it would do away with the Co-VP’s!). However,
as it was further explained to me I saw the inherent genius of this new plan as it did for the entire organization what we
had done for the All-State VP jobs. This new structure created several new positions and made all of the duties very manageable
– especially good news for all of us who have extremely busy lives already. The MMEA Executive Board spent the entire
year discussing and tweaking this plan and voted to bring it to the membership for a vote the following year.
Year six: This plan was brought to every district, put on the MMEA webpage for further discussion, and then brought to a vote
at the all member meeting at the All-State Conference in Orono. After very little discussion (and even less bravado!) the
motion was voted on and passed unanimously. With the passing of this vote, MMEA is now poised to forge ahead with much greater
ease as no one position will be “too much for any one person to bear!” I believe that this new organizational
structure has the greatest potential for positive changes within MMEA than any other change that has taken place in my nineteen
years of teaching in Maine!
For those of you who have read this far I applaud you and I apologize for taking so long to get to the point of this essay.
As you can see, MMEA has gone through several changes in the six years I have been a part of the Executive Board. All of
the changes were made in the best interests of all involved in MMEA – and especially for the betterment of our students!
However, one thing has remained constant – the lack of volunteers willing to commit to a period of time to serve our
organization and our ultimately our kids.
As a member of the MMEA nominating committee this past year it was extremely disheartening to be met with a constant barrage
of, “No thanks, I cannot help out at this time.” Let’s face it, none of us have the time to help MMEA in
these capacities – we simply CHOOSE to make time to do these things for the betterment of music education in Maine!
Those of us currently serving on the MMEA Executive Board made that choice even though we are all very busy with our own jobs/lives
(and I have a difficult time believing anyone has a busier schedule than mine!).
Therefore, my challenge to all of you is to get involved with MMEA! It is said that “many hands make light work”
and this new structure is geared to prove this theory. However, we really do need many hands! Therefore, make that choice
and help out wherever you can. Maybe you’re already serving MMEA in some role, and if you are – thank you! But
I suspect that there are several of you out there who are not serving in any capacity. Maybe you’re timid. Maybe you
haven’t been asked (consider yourself asked!). Maybe you think you’re too young (I managed my first All-Aroostook
Chorus during my first year teaching). There are several excuses you may use to avoid getting involved but they are just
that – excuses! Instead of making excuses make a decision to get involved. MMEA is a volunteer organization and we
need you to become a volunteer!
Now these may not really be ruminations, and I’m not really departing as I plan to stay active with MMEA (just not as
an Executive Board member for the time being). However, my hope in sharing these thoughts is that some of you will be spurred
on to get more involved with our wonderful organization. Remember, MMEA exists for you and your students. But also remember
– you are MMEA! We need you to be involved! And there is no better time to get involved than right now! Therefore,
make that choice, get involved, and help keep MMEA running smoothly for years to come! Thank you!
Jay Nelson
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MMEA PRESIDENT-ELECT REPORT for June 2006
ALL STATE
* Things went well this year, in large part to the organization of Bruce
Stinson, Joe Cota, Beth Wiemann and everyone associatied with UMaine...
they were GREAT to work with and exceptionally accommodating.
* A special thanks to Ray, Linda and Kim who did outstanding work as our
BOC Managers all year long
* Audience numbers for the All State concerts on May 20th:
2:00 p.m. CHORUS
Single performance admissions 609
Two performance admissions 66
Three performance admissions 60
MMEA Conference Comps 107
TOTAL CHORUS ATTENDANCE 842
3:30 p.m. BAND
Single performance admissions 202
Two performance admissions 95
Three performance admissions 60
MMEA Conference Comps 88
TOTAL BAND ATTENDANCE 445
5:00 p.m. ORCHESTRA
Single performance admissions 196
Two performance admissions 73
Three performance admissions 60
MMEA Conference Comps 75
TOTAL ORCHESTRA ATTENDANCE 404
This format (3 individual concerts) may open some possibilities for future
years, especially as the largest crowd minus Conference attendees was
about 750. Discussion around holding BOC concerts in a larger High School
auditorium definitely needs to take place sooner than later since we do
not have Merrill for next year and Gorham/Windham High Schools possess
auditoriums that MAY be able to handle these numbers. To be continued!
* I am so grateful that Ted Nokes has agreed to come on board as Festival
Chair. No doubt he will do great and professional work - thanks Ted!!!
LEARNING RESULTS
* A meeting was held by the committee in Augusta on June 6th to review the
public commentary on the draft that was posted online. Barb and I were
disapointed on the one hand that the number of folks who did the survey
was minimal, but buoyed on the other hand by the overwhelming comments of
support in Orono. As for the survey, there was some consternation over
some specifics that consequently got altered (bass cleff grade expectation
change and substituting national standards for NYSSMA for instance) but
most were minimal or too general to be applied. By the end of the day we
felt strongly that modifications were made where appropriate and
applicable and that the public feedback WORKED in making this a stronger
document.
FINALLY... I have really enjoyed getting my feet wet the past two years in
preparation for my term as MMEA president, and I couldn’t be more proud to
work with the teachers of Maine. It has been a fun couple of years and I
eagerly look forward to the next two!
Rob Westerberg
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State Editor and Webmaster Report - June 2006
I will be unable to be with you for the meeting. Many family factors prevent me from being there. I will, however, be thinking
of you and hope that you will feel free to call me on my cell phone if questions arise that I need to answer.
Bulletin:
The Bulletin will be going to four issues beginning with the Summer Handbook Issue. Our prices will be raised accordingly.
Research is on to provide a COLOR cover for The Bulletin for future issues. Mike and Rob worked the numbers based on a quote
that we received from our current printer. We will also look into the possible use of another printer in Portland.
Please be sure that you have your mailing address updated with MENC. District Chairs should contact their members to be sure
that CURRENT mailing addresses are on file with MENC. You can now access your record and change your information online. The
system is easy to get into with your current MENC number. If someone is not receiving their Bulletin or Handbook, it is because
the address that MENC has on file is erroneous.
I am finding a lot of work surrounding the collecting of advertiser fees and billing once POs are received. I would like to
suggest that someone take over this part of the Bulletin and let me just be the Editor!
Website:
The Website continues to be a source of information, although some schools have reported that they cannot access the tripod
site at school. I am looking into the problem, however, as of this writing, I am told that several schools block it due to
some sites that Tripod has allowed. I will continue to look into what to do about this.
Arnie Poland is now uploading his site to the website and hosting it on our Maine site. Other districts have the ability to
do the same thing and I can arrange that for them.
Please let me know if your name should be changed on the website (you have left or changed a position). Unless someone notifies
me in a clear and concise manner, it may not get changed any time soon! I am in the process of updating the contact directory
and removing the links to eliminate the spam that many of you report you are receiving. I have already given web based addresses
to the main officers and myself. If District Chairs wish to do the same thing, I would be happy to set that up.
There has been a lot of discussion about a secure part of our site and that is easy to set up, however I will need to be in
closer contact with Rob about what parts and how he prefers to see that happen. Details to follow!
PayPal and Online Registration/Payments:
The online registration for the Conference has gone well. Mike will have figures for you at the meeting. Our PayPal accounting
practices need to be cleaned up and I will work with our new Treasurer to make that a bit cleaner.
Curriculum Guides:
Curriculum Guides continue to be ordered and I try to send those out with 24 hours of receiving payment either in the mail
or through PayPal. I have found the use of printable postage a HUGE time saver for me! I am able to send up to 3 Curriculum
Guides in a Priority Mailer for $4.04 each. I can pay for it online and print my mailing labels right there. Technology! Ain't
it great!
My mailing address has changed due to 911 addressing. Please update your records to read:
38 Smithtown Road, Pittston, ME 04345
Thank you for a busy, yet successful year! Look for your next Bulletin by the first of August.
Respectfully submitted,
Barbara Packales
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ORCHESTRA REPORT
Summer 2006
Here we are in the home stretch! It always feels good to make it to June. It might feel better if it would stop raining
for a few days!
All-State 2006 fell together very nicely, and I once again need to offer a huge thank you to the faculty and students of the
University of Maine School of Performing Arts for being such outstanding hosts. Things could not have run smoother. I also
need to offer thanks to all the teachers (and they are numerous in number!), who assisted in some way with the festival orchestra,
either by listening to re-auditions, coaching sectionals, coaching extra last minute sectionals (and we did have
these), moving equipment, showing the orchestra where they needed to be, helping students get from point A to point B on campus...
I am sure I am leaving out many tasks that people ran in to fill. This does not even start on all those who
assisted with band, chorus, or general conference tasks. It is so great to have an organization with so many able people
willing to lend their services, even on last minute notice.
Possibly my only disappointment with this year's festival was the surprisingly larger than usual number of drops, several
of which came in after it was too late to pull in a replacement. I do not know why that was the case. Did more proms than
usual wind up on All-State weekend? I can not suggest a quick and easy fix for this problem; if it existed, it would have
been enacted long ago. I just hope that students can realize the commitment they are making once they send in their
acceptance contract, and can realize that their deciding to drop does affect much more than just them.
Several string clinics were offered at All-State, including topics such as incorporating elements of the Suzuki method into
a school program, and incorporating music of different cultures. We are always looking for possible future clinicians, so
if
there is something or someone you would like to see, please let us (actually, please let MARGARET) know. It is never too
early!
There was a directors' orchestra at All-State serving as the director ensemble this year. Thank you to all who participated.
The conductor was Peter Martin of the University of Southern Maine, who delighted in directing a varied program that
included pieces ranging from a
traditional Vivaldi string concerto to an orchestra transcription of a well-known band piece.
Now, looking to next year...
The conductor for the 2007 All-State Orchestra is Mei-Ann Chen. Ms. Chen is the musical director of the Portland Youth Philharmonic
in Portland, OR, and has an active conducting schedule taking her through many states and countries. She has
already submitted a tentative program which I think will meet our needs quite well.
We are trying a NEW FORMAT for the string auditions next fall! (I would love to bold that and put it in 72-point font, but
this program will not let me. We will continue to work on getting the word out.)
BIG CHANGE #1: Scales, scales, scales!!!! In the past string players have played one major and one melodic minor scale,
both of which were predetermined. No longer! String players will now be expected to know ALL major and melodic minor scales
though 4 flats and 4 sharps. They will play two scales for the audition: the first will be their choice; the second will
be selected by the adjudicators, and will be the mode opposite the one the student chose for themselves.
BIG(-GER) CHANGE #2: EXCERPT! This is very new, and something we hope will be effective. In addition to their solo piece,
the students will be expected to play a brief orchestral excerpt. Wherever possible, the excerpt will be selected from that
year's orchestra repertoire. (So this November students will play a sample of the 2007 music.) We are hopeful that this will
give the students a taste of the type of playing they will be doing at the festival, and will also give them a head-start
on the orchestra repertoire. This year's excerpt has not yet been released; we are ironing out what we are allowed to publish
through the "fair use in education" copyright laws, and hope to have this finalized ASAP, though it will likely be after
school ends.
SOMEWHAT MINOR CHANGE: The list of solo pieces has been revamped. Some of the pieces have stayed the same, and next year's
list uses many of the old favorites. Look at the cuts closely, though, as some required portions have been cut somewhat to
accomodate the excerpt. Several new pieces have been added, as will become very apparent in future years.
And with that, I would like to bid you all a good-bye. I have enjoyed my four years as orchestra co-VP... well, many parts
of the four years, at least. Margaret Hopkins will be taking over as Orchestra Vice-President. She is not a new face,
having served as my co-VP the past two years as well as being very active in ASTA and SAA. She is taking over as the position
changes with the new executive board. I am very excited about this change, and know that Margaret will do a fabulous job.
As for me, I have somehow agreed to manage the All-State Orchestra again in 2007 (Rob W. is one heck of an arm-twister!).
I am looking forward to this; after four years I am feeling pretty good about the "system" that I have worked out. Though
no
longer a part of the executive board, I will still be available for any questions, comments, concerns, even complaints, that
may come up concerning All-State Orchestra.
Take Care, Everyone, and have a GREAT Summer!!!!
Respectfully Submitted (for the final time... sniff... YAY!),
Linda Vaillancourt
MMEA Orchestra Co-VP
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