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Southeastern Section Update

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Fall Update: CODA

Fall Update: CODA

SOUTHEASTERN Southeastern Section Update

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Dr. David Betancourt Southeastern Section President

Good morning from the Southeastern Section! I would like to share a little bit of salt and pepper in this article.

It is so fantastic to see all the posts about various activities. From marching bands, to orchestras, to choirs and jazz groups, to general music classes and professional development for colleagues, music education activities are buzzing. Congratulations to all who are involved in this noble profession. We did not give up, we did not roll over, we pushed through, united, came up with creative solutions, persevered, and found our way through the fog. Granted, we are not fully through yet, but are we ever? Aren’t we always finding that our discipline is shifting? I love to see the posts that share a victory, seek solutions from colleagues, give a heartfelt testimony, or just participate in a bit of much needed humor and silliness. I scroll through social media and the various music education groups, smiling, reflecting, learning, sharing, and enjoying our profession. I seldom come to a dead stop on any single post (probably the conditioning of social media).

Now to change time signature and tempo abruptly:

The Southeastern Section is excited to announce that we have a handful of exciting and beneficial activities coming around this year. They include a pre-festival choral festival, a mariachi festival, a colleague social, and a leadership symposium for your indoor groups. Please keep an eye out as information and invitations go out. It is an amazing time to be in our profession.

One last question: which was the salt, and which was the pepper?

Find those victories, be part of the solution, and keep taking care of yourself so you can share with your students, community, family, and friends, the best version of you.

The other week, a post stopped me in my tracks. It was short and to the point: Being the last person to leave the school is not a badge of honor.

I just stopped on that post and read it several times. I reflected on the tide that has been building in our profession toward taking care of ourselves and not slowly dismantling our own physical and mental health in the service of others. I wish I could say I have always thought this way, but I have not. I posted pics too. I wanted to be part of that family. I still do. It has only been through hard learned life lessons that I realized this might not be the best approach. How much of ourselves are we willing to sacrifice? How much of our relationships outside of our music sphere are we willing to sacrifice?

I am not suggesting that posting those pics is bad, or that our colleagues who find themselves living at their schools, even on weekends, are somehow overachieving or setting a standard that we shouldn’t follow. Often, it is those individuals that find some of the most enriching moments with their students, community, colleagues, and even family and friends. I am not interested in taking away from the success of colleagues and students. I am more interested in reflecting on what success means and how that term can mean different things for different people. True to life, it does! Personally, I respect all our colleagues who are doing what they can to enrich the human condition through music, regardless of time spent. We do what we can.

So I come full circle to those photos of us being the last to leave. Are these photos to be lauded and rejoiced as a colleague who has joined that group of teachers (a badge of honor)? Should they be addressed as a challenge that we should discuss and consider possible alternatives? Should they be accepted as part of the profession? I do not have the answer. What I do have are questions, and a desire to know what my colleagues think.

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