Here are some examples: Rehearsals

Cliff Huckabee - President, Elementary/General Division

thank Dr. Moya Nordlund from Samford University for partnering with us and hosting the festival at Samford.

I hope this message finds every one well after a restful summer. I begin my two year tenure as the President of the Elementary/General Division,and I look forward to serving you. I also welcome Phil Wilson to our Elementary Executive Board as President-Elect as well as Ben and Kristina Sisco as our Music Festival Directors.

Our 10th Annual Elementary Music Festival is coming up on Friday, October 9th, 2015 at Samford University. We have over 45 schools committed to participate totaling about 450 4th & 5th grade students from all over the state. We will have Tiffany English and Andrea Coleman as clinicians, and we

1946Yale H. Ellis

The following day from 9:00AM until 3:00 PM (Saturday, October 10th), we will have a joint AMEA/AOSA teacher workshop with Tiffany English as our presenter at a local elementary school in the Birmingham area. We will email registration information once it is available. If you are not receiving emails from the Elementary Division, please send us an email at elementaryamea@gmail.com and we will gladly add you to our email list.

Finally, our AMEA Annual In-service will be Jan 21st-23rd, 2016 at the Renaissance Hotel & Conference Center in Montgomery, Alabama. We are excited to have some outstanding clinicians and exhibitors this year. First, we will have Denise Gagne from Theme & Variations with us on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. She will also do a fun evening session on Folk Dancing that Thursday night. We will also have Roger Sams from Music is Elementary who will present all three days and will have a Friday night fun session. Both of these clinicians will also have booths in the exhibit hall. This will give us two additional elementary music exhibitors which is something many of you have requested. We also will have two elementary performances in the concert hall along with other sessions of interest to our elementary music teachers. I am very excited about the 2016 In-service and encourage everyone to attend! Please be sure to pre-register and book your hotel rooms at the special conference rate! You can find links to do both online at www.alabamamea.org.

I am honored to serve our elementary/general division as President, and I look forward to seeing you at one or more of our upcoming events!

AMEA Presidents - Past to Present

1970Jerry Bobo

1992Dianne Johnson

1948Walter A. Mason

1950Vernon Skoog

1952John J. Hoover

1954Lamar Triplett

1956Carleton K. Butler

1958Mort Glosser

1960Wilbur Hinton

1962Lacey Powell, Jr.

1964G. Truman Welch

1966Jerry Countryman

1968Floyd C. McClure

1972Frances P. Moss

1974George Hammett

1975Frances P. Moss

1976S. J. Allen

1978W. Frank McArthur, Jr.

1980Paul Hall

1982Lacey Powell, Jr.

1984Johnny Jacobs

1986Merilyn Jones

1988Ronald D. Hooten

1990Ken Williams

1994James K. Simpson

1996Johnnie Vinson

1998Michael Meeks

2000John McAphee, Jr.

2002Tony Pike

2004Becky Rodgers

2006John Baker

2008Pat Stegall

2010Steve McLendon

2012Sara Womack

2014 Carl Hancock

Itisnottooearlytobethinkingaboutour AMEAConferenceinJanuary,2016.Just remember,youmustjoinNAfME,and youshouldpre-registerifpossible.A healthyorganizationisalwaysconcerned withgrowthanddevelopment,andthe AMEAboardisinterestedingrowingour organization,andforgettingallmusic teachersinAlabamainvolvedin professionaldevelopmentthroughAMEA andNAfME.Youcanhelpincreaseour membershipbycommunicatingthe benefitsofmembershiptoourcolleagues. Whenyouarejoiningorrenewingyour membership,thinkofthosemusicteachers inyourareathatmaynotbeactive members,andsendthemamessage invitingthemtojoin!Youcouldsendan emailwiththeircontactinformationtome atpstegall@mscs.k12.al andIwillinvite them!

Rememberto:Remindyourcolleagues tojoin,includethenewmusicteachers, invitetheinactivemusicteachersandbe involvedasamentortotheyoungmusic teachers

Renewyourmembershipnowat www.nafme.org .MembershipinNAfME isrequiredforparticipationinstateMEA sponsoredeventsliketheAMEA Conference,theElementary DivisionFallConference,AllstateandMusicalPerformance Assessments.

JoiningNAfMEsecuresyour membershipinAMEAandin yourdivision.

Registernowforthe2016 AMEAconferenceonlineat www.alabamamea.org. Youwillfinditiseasy andwillsaveyoutime andmoney.Reunite colleaguesfromallover thestateinJanuary.

Rejuvenateyourenergyandrenewyour enthusiasmfortherestoftheschoolyear!

Remindyourcolleaguestojoin, includethenewmusicteachers, invitetheinactivemusicteachers andbeinvolvedasamentortothe youngmusicteachers

Asanewschoolyearbegins,wearegrateful toAMEAforprovidingthisopportunityto shareinformationwithourmusiccolleagues andmusicstudentsacrossthestate.

AlabamaIntercollegiateBand

The2015AlabamaIntercollegiateBandperformedonJanuary23rdattheAlabama MusicEducatorsAssociationIn-service ConferenceinMontgomery.TheAlabama IntercollegiateBandwasdesignedbyAlabamacollege/universitybanddirectorstobe acollaborative,educationalexperience.Ten schoolsparticipatedintheensembleconductedbyCol.JohnBourgeois,Director EmeritusoftheUnitedStatesMarineBand.

atTroyUniversity,wonfirstplaceattheNationalAssociationforTeachersofSinging CompetitioninGreensboro,NorthCarolina inJuly2015.CarolAnneisavocalstudent ofDr.ChristiAmonson,AssistantProfessor ofVoiceatTroyUniversity.

PercussiveArtsSociety EnsembleShowcase

TheTroyUniversityPercussionEnsemble wonthe2015PercussiveArtsSocietyInternationalPercussionEnsembleCompetition, andwillperforma50-minuteshowcaseconcertatthePercussiveArtsSocietyInternationalConventioninSanAntonio,Texasin November.TheTroyUniversityPercussion Ensemblewonthesamecompetitionin 2012.Thepercussionensembleisunderthe directionofDr.AdamBlackstock,Associate ProfessorofPercussionatTroyUniversity.

Up-comingAnnualEvents:

SoutheasternUnitedStatesChoralClinic – Jan.15-16,2016.

ContactDr.DianeOrlofsky

SoutheasternUnitedStatesHSHonor Band/ConductorsClinic – Feb.4-6,2016.

ContactDr.CarlaGallahan

GuitarFestival –Feb.19,2016.

ContactDr.RobertGibson

VocalJazzFestival – Mar.16-17,2016.

ContactDr.DianeOrlofsky

ClarinetDay– Apr.2,2016.

ContactDr.TimPhillips

CarolAnneOsborne,aseniormusicmajor

SoutheasternUnitedStatesMiddle SchoolBandClinic – Dec.3-5,2015.

ContactDr.MarkWalker

AdditionalinformationabouttheJohnM. LongSchoolofMusicmaybefoundat music.troy.eduWeinviteyoutovisitusonlineorinpersonsoon.

ALL-STATE JAZZ BAND

Greetings! I hope everyone had a relaxing summer and a great start to the school year. In addition to marching band, fall is the time to help your students prepare for the all-state jazz band auditions. Please check the ABA website for audition requirements and registration information. Students have to perform a recorded audition on CD,which consists of two jazz standards (including some improvisation), an etude, and several scales. Students should be able to improvise with just a few scales, so please don’t let your students get intimidated by the improv component. We will have 3high school bands again this year (Gold, Silver, and Bronze) and 1 middle school band. We had 177students audition for the bands last year, and I would like to see this number grow substantially this year. Please encourage your students to audition for the band.

——Remember to allow enough preparation time to get recordings completed and mailed by November 6, 2015.

ALL-STATE JAZZ CLINICIANS

I am excited to report that we have four outstanding clinicians for the 2016 all-state jazz bands.

Mr. Mike Steinel will be directing the gold jazz band. Mr. Steinel is an associate professor of jazz studies at the University of North Texas where he teaches jazz improvisation and jazz trumpet. He is the author of the Essential Elements Jazz Ensemble Method,which is used as a resource by jazz bands from throughout the United States. He holds degrees from Emporia State University and the University of North Texas.

Dr. Chip Crotts will be directing the silver jazz band. Dr. Crotts, a world-class jazz trumpet player, is the director of jazz studies at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia where he directs the jazz ensemble and assists with the marching band. He has worked with numerous groups (including several top 12 drum and bugle corps) and professional musicians throughout his career. Dr. Crotts holds degrees from East Carolina University, Penn State University and a doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin.

Mr. Bryan Hooten will be directing the bronze jazz band. Mr. Hooten, a graduate of Vestavia Hills High School in Birmingham,is director of bands at Collegiate High School in Richmond, Virginia. Previously on the faculty of Virginia Commonwealth University, Bryan Hooten taught the Jazz Ensemble II, jazz trombone, and theory. Mr. Hooten is a member of the nationally acclaimed group, No BS Brass Band, and he maintains an active schedule as a professional trombonist in Richmond, Virginia. He holds degrees from the University of Southern Mississippi and Virginia Commonwealth University.

Mr. David Allinder will be directing the middle school jazz band. Mr. Allinderis the band director at Shades Valley High School in Birmingham where his symphonic, marching, and jazz bands have received statewide and national acclaim. Mr. Allinder was previously the band director at Gresham Middle School in Birmingham where he had a tremendously successful program. He is an active bass player throughout the Birmingham area. He holds a bachelors and masters degree from the University of Alabama.

All four of these clinicians are truly top-notch jazz educators, and I am confident they will provide an excellent experience for your students.

Please feel free to contact me if I can be of assistance to you in any way with your jazz programs, and I hope you will encourage your students to audition for the all-state jazz ensembles. I wish everyone a great school year.