Northern Section Update

the first class went on to the Renton technical college and now are working at a music store in Tucson, AZ, doing instrument repair! In year two the class jumped to 20 kids but I had to tell about half that they had to drop the class since there was no room to teach safely in our small closet. We got the class down to 12 but it was still too many and the class always spilled into the instrument room off of the main classroom. Even with the space challenges, we had a great year and the students were fixing instruments at a high level. A baritone sax was brought in from one of the middle schools and a student that had about six months of the class was able to bend and put the horn back in regulation within the hour and the horn was back at the school site within 24 hours. Teaching instrument repair has always had two main goals: 1. Teach the students a trade that is music related but not performance based. 2. Maintain DNUSD’s inventory at the highest level.

I can say with confidence that we are achieving those goals. I have now graduated three students that have gone on to make this a career and this past summer we went through all 3,000 districtowned horns and did preventative maintenance on all of them. We are also in the process of making the class a fully fledged CTE class and I am working on my clear CTE credential.

Music in Del Norte Schools is thriving. We have an incredible staff that works very closely together and meets regularly to align curriculum and plan events. Also, a huge shout-out to the very supportive administration: Jeff Harris - Superintendent, Thomas Kissenger - Assistant Superintendent, and Alison Eckart - Principal, Del Norte High School.

If anyone has any questions on how to get started with this, please do not hesitate to contact me (Dan Sedgwick - ddsedgwick@ delnorte.k12.ca.us).

NORTHERN Northern Section Update

Tanner Johns Northern Section President

Greetings from the Northern Section!

I am excited to serve as the CMEA Northern Section President and I would like to invite any and all readers to reach out to any one of the awesome team of music educators serving on our section executive board. We are here to plan and host educational experiences for your students and provide access to support, skills, mentorship, and training for the wide array of things you do every day as a music educator. We hope that through our section you will find information about upcoming events including honor band and choir groups, regional large ensemble and choral festivals, solo and ensemble festivals, training, and continuing education opportunities.

I’d like to invite you all to consider the importance of wellness. The vast geography of the Northern Section can feel isolating, but know that there are resources available. Most districts now provide some sort of access to free counseling and many other resources. We all know that many of us work far and above “the contract” because we care for our students and programs. Amidst the twists and turns of a busy school year, it is difficult to make time for self-care. An emotionally dysregulated adult cannot be there for a student who needs help. Compassion fatigue, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress are real. Make sure to reach out to people you trust for support and work to promote a stigma-free environment with your school and classroom community.

We all know that the music classroom is often the closest point of contact between students and school. Our students have experienced repeated traumatic events over recent years. They need safe spaces with the best versions of the adults they trust most to learn and thrive more than ever. Those spaces exist only as long as we provide a healthy life-work balance for ourselves. Find what de-stresses you and make time for it. Whether it is a hike or an afternoon reading a book, be sure to make time for it.