CMEA Magazine Spring Issue

CMEA Magazine SPRING ISSUE 2020 VOLUME 73 • NUMBER 3

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The News Magazine of the California Music Educators Association POSTMASTER CMEA Magazine (ISSN 1099–6710) is published quarterly (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer) by CMEA. Mailing Address: 2417 N 11th Ave Hanford, CA 93230 Subscription price of $4.00 is included in the CMEA annual dues. Non-member subscription rate is $12.00 per year Single copies are $3.00 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to CMEA Magazine, 2417 N 11th Ave, Hanford, CA 93230 CMEA Magazine Graphic Designer Adam Wilke

# CONTENTS 3 President’s Message

5 Thank You, CMEA

12 Collegiate Chapter Highlight: San Diego State University

E-mail: cmea@calmusiced.com Website: www.calmusiced.com

by Steve McKeithen, CMEA Central Section President

20 Central Coast Section Happenings ... Or Not

Mailing Address: 2417 N 11th Ave, Hanford, CA 93230

Office: 559 587–2632 Cell: 559 904–2002

by Taylor Sabodo, CMEA Capitol Section President

19 Greetings from the Central Section!

CMEA Administrative Office Mailing Address: 2417 North 11th Avenue Hanford, CA 93230

by Bruce Lengacher, CMEA Bay Section President

17 Capitol Section Update

Business Manager Trish Adams

The Executive Board of CMEA serves as the Editorial Committee. The observations and opinions expressed in any article in this magazine are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Association.

CMEA does not necessarily endorse any product or service advertised in this magazine.

by Anne Fennell, CMEA Vice President

17 Bay Section Update

Rates and advertising information available at: www.calmusiced.com

by John Burn, CMEA Immediate Past President

8 CASMEC Highlights

Editors Anne Fennell and Trish Adams

E-mail: cmea@calmusiced.com

by Armalyn De La O, CMEA President

by Maria Carney, CMEA Central Coast Section President

21 Opportunity Amid Adversity

by Holly MacDonell, CMEA North Coast Section President

21 Northern Section Update

by Todd Filpula, CMEA Northern Section President

22 The Power of AND

by Ryan Duckworth, CMEA Southeastern Section President

23 Southern Border Section Update

by Dr. Jeff Malecki, CMEA Southern Border Section President

23 Thinking Differently

by Jessica Husselstein, CMEA Southwestern Section President

25 Improve Your Playing by Keeping Your Clarinet or Saxophone Clean

by Dr. Phillip Paglialonga, University of North Texas

28 Reality Check-In

by Zach Pitt-Smith, CMEA Urban Schools Rep

30 Parent Advocacy Summit

by Scott Hedgecock, CMEA Immediate Past President

32 CMEA Award Winners

Ad Index IFC Alfred Publishing 29 NAMM Foundation 15 Nick Rail Music 24 University of Portland 16 World Projects 27 Yamaha Orchestrate Success in Your Career... JOIN CMEA+. Visit www.nafme.org.

CMEA is a federated state association of the National Association for Music Education.

CMEA State Council CMEA EXECUTIVE BOARD CMEA President Armalyn De La O adelao@calmusiced.com CMEA President-Elect Anne Fennell afennell@calmusiced.com CMEA Vice President Chad Zullinger chad.zullinger@gmail.com CMEA Secretary Laura Schiavo lschiavo@calmusiced.com CMEA Immediate Past President John Burn jburn@calmusiced.com CMEA OFFICE cmea@calmusiced.com 2417 North 11th Avenue Hanford, CA 93230 559 587-2632 CMEA Executive Administrator Trish Adams cmea@calmusiced.com 559 904-2002 CMEA Administrative Assistant Heather Adams hadams@calmusiced.com 559 410-2425 CMEA Legislative Advocate Martha Zaragoza Diaz lobbyist1.mzd@gmail.com SECTION PRESIDENTS CMEA Bay Section President Bruce C. Lengacher blengacher@auhsdschools.org

CMEA Southern Border Section President Dr. Jeff Malecki jmalecki@sandiego.edu

CMEA CTA Liaison James Benanti jamesbenanti77@gmail.com

CMEA Southwestern Section President Jessica Husselstein jessicahusselstein@gmail.com

CMEA General Music, TK-12 Representative Emma Joleen Schopler emmajoleen@gmail.com

NAfME OFFICERS NAfME President Kathleen Sanz 1806 Robert Fulton Drive Reston, VA 22091 800 336-3768 NAfME Western Division President Sam Tsugawa sundevilsam@gmail.com COUNCIL OF REPRESENTATIVES CMEA CAJ Representative To Be Filled CMEA CASMEC Coordinator/CMEA Representative on the CBDA Board Joseph Cargill cargill.joseph@gmail.com

CMEA Music Supervisors Representative To Be Filled CMEA Music Technology Representative Jessica Husselstein jessicahusselstein@gmail.com

CMEA/CCDA Representative Dr. Jeffery Benson jeffrey.s.benson@gmail.com

CMEA Retired Members Representative Norm Dea normdea@yahoo.com

CMEA/CCDA Choral Leadership Academy Coordinator John Sorber johnso@cos.edu

CMEA Rural Schools Representative Judi Scharnberg judimusic@gmail.com

CMEA CODA Representative Matthew Mulvaney mulvaneymatthew@gmail.com

CMEA Central Section President Steve McKeithen smckeithen@csufresno.edu

CMEA Advocacy Representative Russ Sperling sperlingruss@gmail.com

CMEA Central Coast Section President Maria Carney mcarney@mpusd.net

CMEA Collegiate Representative Dr. Dennis Siebenaler dsiebenaler@fullerton.edu

CMEA Southeastern Section President Ryan Duckworth Ryan_Duckworth@cjusd.net

CMEA Mentorship Program Chairperson To Be Filled

CMEA Higher Education and Research Representative Dr. Ruth Brittin rbrittin@pacific.edu

CMEA Advocacy Day Performance Coordinator Jeremiah Jacks jeromejacks30@gmail.com

CMEA Northern Section President Todd Filpula tflpula@chicousd.org

CMEA Membership Chairperson To Be Filled

CMEA CBDA Representative Jeff Detlefsen DetlefsenJ@gmail.com

CMEA Capitol Section President Taylor Sabado taylor.haugland@gmail.com

CMEA North Coast Section President Holly MacDonell hollymacdonell@gmail.com

CMEA Innovations Representative Michael Alberson malbertson@geffenacademy.ucla.edu

CMEA Collegiate Council Representative Rene Canto-Adams rcantoadams1319@gmail.com CMEA Creating and Composition Representative Dr. Lisa A.Crawford lisacrawfordmusic@gmail.com

CMEA Special Learners Representative To Be Filled CMEA State Band and Orchestra Festival Coordinator To Be Filled CMEA State Choral Festival Coordinator Gail Bowers grbowers@sbcglobal.net CMEA State Solo and Ensemble Festival Coordinator Cheryl Yee Glass cglass@srvhs.org CMEA Tri-M Representative Troy Trimble troyatrimble@gmail.com CMEA Urban Schools Representative Zack Pitt-Smith zackpittsmith@gmail.com CMEA World Music Representative Dr. Lily Chen-Hafteck lhafteck@ucla.edu

resident’s Message

by Armalyn De La O, CMEA President

I

begin my presidency being reminded how ever changing life is, the responsibilities of leadership, and the value of community. In March, due to COVID-19, the CMEA Executive Board and the Section Presidents were faced with making difficult decisions under challenging time constraints. The cancelation of CMEA’s 2020 spring state festivals and many of the sections’ festivals, reflected CMEA’s commitment to putting the health and safety of our students, teachers, and their families first. As Monty Python’s Eric Idle wrote, “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” the social/physical distancing spurred CMEA leaders into exploring various methods of holding a virtual state solo festival this spring.

This virtual solo festival will provide an opportunity to gain experience that will be useful in future implementations of state solo and ensemble festivals for CMEA rural sections.

This spring CMEA members, at the K-12 and University levels, are navigating the learning curve of distance learning.

Our members and students are forging new ways to engage and share in music learning. They are casting a wider net beyond the walls of the classroom, expanding the rehearsal and performance process, and implementing the CA Music Standards of Creating, Performing, Responding, and Connecting. NAfME and CMEA communities are providing resources, webinars, and information for our members as they support our students’ development into well-rounded musicians.

While 2020 Stand Up 4 Arts Education Day was unable to be held, CMEA’s Advocacy Team meets every Tuesday morning. The weekly meetings provide dedicated time for the leadership to keep informed and proactive in providing as-needed timely responses to legislative actions that impact music education. CMEA leaders continue to work with our 4 Arts Ed Org partners, CAEA, CDEA, CETA. The four arts education organizations advocate for resources to support the implementation of CA Arts Standards, the adoption of the upcoming new CA Arts Education Framework, and to prepare for the 2021 Stand Up 4 Arts Education Day. Our collective advocacy provides a strong voice for school day music and arts education. We share this mission with the wider educational advocacy community including CA Parent Teacher Association, California Teachers Association, California Alliance for Arts Education (CAAE), and CREATE CA. As 2020 continues to unfold, the new CMEA Executive Board will build upon the momentum of John Burn’s presidency.

In taking on the responsibilities of leading the CMEA community, we will take advantage of all opportunities and address every challenge to make CMEA’s Vision — “to ensure that all California students have equal access to high quality music instruction as a part of a well-rounded education” — a reality. I look forward to working with all of you over the next two years to see our vision come to fruition.

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CMEA Past Presidents 2018-2020 2016-2018 2014-2016 2012-2014 2010-2012 2008-2010 2006-2008 2004-2006 2002-2004 2000-2002 1998-2000 1996-1998 1994-1996 1992-1994 1990-1992 1988-1990 1986-1988 1984-1986 1982-1984 1980-1982 1978-1980 1976-1978 1974-1976 1972-1974 1970-1972 1968-1970 1966-1968 1964-1966 1962-1964 1960-1962 1957-1960 1955-1957 1953-1955 1951-1953 1949-1951 1947-1949

John Burn, Cupertino Scott Hedgecock, Fullerton Michael D. Stone, Bakersfield Russ Sperling, San Diego Norman Dea, Walnut Creek Jeff Jenkins, Chula Vista Cheryl Yee Glass, Danville Rob Klevan, Pacific Grove Sam Gronseth, Paradise George DeGraffenreid, Fresno Dennis L. Johnson, Salinas Jay D. Zorn, La Crescenta Don Doyle, Pasadena Bill Adam, Roseville Carolynn Lindeman, Greenbrae L. Leroy Roach, Walnut Creek John L. Larrieu, Portola Vivian M. Hofstetter, Bakersfield David S. Goedecke, Stockton Charles L. Freebern, San Diego Henry Avila, Monterey Mary C. Reed, Elk Grove Marlow Earle, Lakewood Louis Nash, La Crescenta Anthony L. Campagna, Foster City Judd Chew, Sacramento Kenneth D. Owens Keith D. Snyder, Davis Gibson Walters, San Jose Douglas Kidd Joseph W. Landon, Fullerton Harold Youngberg, Oakland Fred Ohlendorf, Long Beach George F. Barr Elwyn Schwartz Clarence Heagy, Fresno

CMEA Hall of Fame Award Recipients Honoring Lifetime Achievement in Music Education

2020 - Stephen Luchs 2019 - Judi Scharnber, Jeri Webb 2018 - Dr. Lawrence Stoffel, Dean Hickman 2017 - Dr. Edward Harris, Michael Corrigan, James Mazzaferro 2016 - Dr. Robert Halseth, Rosemarie Krovoza, Rick Meyer 2015 - Dale Anderson, Ann Marie Haney, Dr. Thomas Lee 2014 - Jon Christian 2013 - Orrin Cross 2012 - Gayane Korkmazian, Gerald E. Anderson 2011 - David Whitwell 2010 - Nicholas Angiulo, Vincent Gomez 2009 - Kem F. Martinez, Carl W. Schafer, Robert W. Lutt 2008 - Duane Weston 2007 - John Larrieu, Mary Val Marsh, Barbara Cory, Bill Ingram 2006 - Carolynn Lindeman, Joe Foster, Paul Shaghoian 2005 - Frances Benedict, L. Leroy Roach, Silvester McElroy, Jerry Kirkpatrick 2004 - Robert Greenwood, Arthur Huff, Lyle Stubson, Lois Vidt 2003 - John Farr, Thomas Eagan 2002 - Larry Johnson, Mary Louise Reilly 2001 - William Hill, Helynn Manning, Wesley “Colonel” Moore 2000 - Vivian Hoffstetter, F. John Pylman 1999 - Lawrence Sutherland 1998 - Chuck Schroeder 1997 - Dean Semple 1996 - Burl Walter Jr. 1994 - Jerry Moore 1992 - Mike Pappone 1991 - David Goedecke 1987 - Marlowe Earle 1985 - Arthur Dougherty 1983 - William Burke 1981 - Aubrey Penman 1979 - Steve Connolly 1977 - Howard Swan 1975 - Russell Howland

Welcome New cmea Officers 2020 - 2022

Anne Fennell President-Elect

Chad Zullinger Vice President

Laura Schiavo Secretary

Scott Hedgecock Western Division President-Elect

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hank You, CMEA

by John Burn, CMEA Immediate Past President Let’s Not Talk About Coronavirus!

I

f you are like me, you have seen and heard about nothing else. These are unprecedented times. We have all increased our knowledge, understanding and skill level of the abundant technology resources available to continue instructing and connecting with our students as best we can. I’m proud and thankful that CMEA, under TechRep Chad Zulinger’s leadership, hosted a Music Education Distance Learning Webinar back on March 16. Expanding our understanding of music education tech tools is a good thing, and our students will benefit from our expanded use of technology as we continue to keep what works well as part of instructional programs after this is all over. However, nothing is more powerful than students making music together in classrooms and performance venues. We all can’t wait to get back in the classroom with our kids. Remember, as you plan your distance learning lessons, students will fare best when they know their teachers care about their well-being as much as they care about their subject matter. Your students need you. Be there for them as best you can.

And now to my not-about-coronavirus article:

Thank You, CMEA It was 1979. There I was, a skinny little 7th grade trumpet player with my best friend Mark, doing our best to stay in tempo with each other as we played a duet in a huge, cold room at San Jose State University. The fact that we conquered our nerves enough to perform the piece was victory enough. I don’t remember what the nice old judge told us, but I remember feeling equal parts proud while

also agreeing there was much we could do to improve. I still have the white “good” medal from that day, my first CMEA memory.

From then on, CMEA Bay Section solo ensemble, band and jazz festivals were significant signposts along my secondary music education. The friendships, camaraderie, and musical discovery in my music education experiences made a huge and positive impact on the kind of person I was then, and am now.

Thank you to Dave Adams, my elementary band teacher, Joe Hinds, my junior high band teacher, and Rory Snyder, my high school band director. Thank you, Bob Farrington, Terry Summa, Scott Pierson, Gordon Henderson, Tom Lee, and the late great Gerald Anderson, who were my mentors in my college years.

Service to the Profession is Win-Win My first job after college was as band director at Santa Cruz High and Mission Hill Junior High. It was exhausting and I loved it. I would not have survived without the mentorship and guidance from my predecessor, Sylvester McElroy (aka Mr. Mac), the then-and-still color guard coach Ron Salinas, and Mr. Mac’s best friend and great mentor to many, Rowland Nielson. It was in this time period that I was encouraged to join the Santa Cruz Jazz Festival Board of Directors, and I started to learn that the more I gave of myself in service of the profession, the more amazing mentors I met, such as Mark Bidelman, whose selfless and tireless dedication to music education through the running of that festival continues to this day. Finding mentors and volunteering my time outside my own classroom increased my skills and confidence in the classroom.

When the opportunity came in the Fall of 1991 to teach at my alma mater, Homestead High School in Cupertino, I took it and found ways to serve in Santa Clara County. I served as Librarian and then President of the Santa Clara County Honor Band. I hosted a CMEA Bay Section Jazz Festival for several years, hosted a CMEA Bay Section solo ensemble festival twice, and served on the CMEA Bay Section Board, first as Area V Rep, then as President. My list of mentors grew. My mentors became my friends, and my friends became my mentors. Through service to the

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profession, I am so fortunate to have mentor/friends including: Norm Dea, Mike Boitz, Dr. Ed Harris, Tim Smith, Eric Hammer, Dr. Andy Collinsworth, Bob Calonico, Tim Mahr, Dr. Mallory Thompson, Kevin Sedatole, Dr. Mark Laycock, and Dr. Soo Han, just to name a few.

It was my friend from college, Mike Stone, that asked me to serve on the CBDA board. I served first as Special Projects Coordinator, then as President. The number of hours CBDA board members give in service to the profession is awe-inspiring.

One great example of this is the amazing Trish Adams! It was during this time that the idea of CASMEC was born. Not long before, board members of CBDA and CMEA would not even speak to each other. Now associations were putting students first, and boldly trusting each other, and now we have CASMEC, the California collaborative mega-conference with so much to offer every music educator!

state and section level to reduce exposure to these unintended consequences.

With regard to Leadership, we have worked with perseverance to build and strengthen trust with our many partners. Through continued partnership within the 4 Arts Ed Orgs (CMEA, CDEA – Dance, CETA – Theatre, and CAEA – Visual Art) our Stand Up 4 Music Day in May has now become Stand Up 4 Arts Education Day and will be held in March 2021. (We were set to go for March 24, 2020, but had to push it back a year due to coronavirus concerns.)

Through continued partnership with the CASMEC partners, CCDA (California Educators Association) is now back as a full partner hosting the All-State Choirs as part of CASMEC. CASMEC now operates under an agreed-upon memorandum of understanding that insures shared financial accountability and decision-making for all CASMEC partners.

CMEA Then and Now For the past four years, it has been my pleasure to serve on the CMEA State Executive Board. I am proud to be a part of the history of CMEA. During Norm Dea’s presidency, difficult choices were made to keep CMEA from failing. During Russ Sperling’s presidency, a solid vision and mission statement were put in place and advocacy became a pillar and focus. In Scott Hedgecock’s presidency, we really started to “walk the walk” not just “talk the talk” with regard to diversity, inclusiveness, equity and access.

During these past two years, CMEA has striven to advance the good work laid out in the years before. We used the four pillars of our mission statement -- Communication, Advocacy, Leadership and Membership services (CALM) -- to guide all decision-making through a lens of diversity, inclusion, equity and access.

With regard to Communication, led by Vice President Anne Fennell, we have a new website, a new online interactive CMEA Magazine, and we continue to increase our use of social media and technology to connect to our membership.

With regard to Advocacy, led by Immediate Past-president Scott Hedgecock, in the wake of our past success in advancing the legislation that created our new California Arts Standards and the upcoming new Theatre and Dance credentials, we hired a new lobbyist, Martha Zaragoza Diaz. She is our eyes and ears in Sacramento. Ms. Zaragoza Diaz alerted us when the wording of a Charter School Bill was detrimental to our profession, and with her help we were successful in getting the wording of that bill changed so that instead of “(only) core subject teachers in charter schools must be credentialed,” the bill, now law, reads, “ALL teachers in charter schools must be credentialed.”

Also with regard to Advocacy, amidst a flurry of unintended consequences from AB 5 (the Independent Contractor law designed to improve fairness for Uber and Lyft drivers), CMEA is advocating for wording that will exempt our adjudicators, guest conductors and clinicians from any complications resulting from the law, and we have hired a law firm to review our bylaws and independent contractor agreements at the

CMEA is also active in continuing and strengthening our partnerships with CTA (California Teachers Association), CaPTA (California Parent Teachers Association), CAAE (The California Alliance for Arts Education) and CREATE Ca (a statewide Arts Ed Coalition), among others.

With regard to Membership Services, we have now institutionalized our state band/orchestra, choral and solo ensemble festivals so that our membership can rely on opportunities for exemplary students and ensembles to perform in stellar venues and receive adjudication from some of the nation’s best experts. Due to coronavirus concerns, the state band/orchestra festival scheduled at Soka University in Orange County and the state choral festival scheduled at Sonoma State will now both take place in those locations in Spring 2021.

Although the state solo ensemble festivals had to be cancelled this year, CMEA has started a State Virtual Solo Festival to be held this Spring.

Also with regard to membership services, our Council of Representatives continues to grow and change to respond to the needs of our membership; for example, now we have both an Urban Schools Representative and a Rural Schools Representative.

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Where Do We Go From Here?

AND not OR

As I reflect on my journey, I have two final thoughts:

The Music Education world is a big tent with plenty of room for diverse approaches. If our vision is Music for All (and it is), then we need to embrace and expand the ways music education teaching and learning happens. This does not mean that band, orchestra and choir educators should feel threatened by other ways of music education. Educators that embrace ways of music education other than band, orchestra and choir should never say their ways are better than band, orchestra or choir. Band, orchestra and choir educators should never say that their ways are better than other ways. For some kids, concert band is best. For other kids, if their school had a rock band, they would thrive in school instead of not show up. More band instruments are being sold in America now than ever before. Band in American schools is bigger and better than ever before. If someone calls band education old fashioned or irrelevant, they haven’t heard or seen the bands I have seen and heard recently. When I saw a middle school Mariachi ensemble perform in Nevada, the pride and feeling (and phrasing and intonation) in the young students’ voices literally brought me to tears. We should have more Mariachi in California. We should have more modern bands in California. We should have more composition in California, and we should have more kids in band, orchestra and choir.

As I step down as President, I feel I need to remind us all of this: It’s not OR, it’s AND. We are all in this together.

Respect rather than challenge diverse approaches and be open to continually developing your approach. Only then will we ever reach our vision of quality music education for every student.

Service to the profession is a win-win. When you give your time beyond your classroom to help others in the profession, you improve the quality of education for others and you become a wiser, more effective, more connected music educator.

Most of my mentors are white men and so am I. I had no problem seeing myself become a high school band director.

California’s students are mostly non-white but California music educators are mostly white. Also remember race is just one element of diversity. We need to also consider: gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, and differently-abled students. We all need to make a concerted effort to consider how our programs may be unconsciously discouraging certain groups of students from participating in music, and then make changes, and we need to encourage diverse students to enter the music education profession.

Only then will we ever make our vision a reality: a high-quality music education for every student.

Thank you, CMEA! I am a product of the service of others that served before and with me. Let’s move forward together with trust, integrity, empathy, and an open mind.

Let us all continually improve our best practices in our quest to provide quality music education for all of California’s amazing and worthy kids!

C o n g ra t u l a t i o n s t o C A S M EC a t t e n d e e s Kik Ellis, Samantha Garner, and S h e l l y J o h n s o n , o u r t h re e N o t e f l i g h t Pre m i u m w i n n e rs !

With Noteflight they’ll be able to easily create and share their music online with any device. We look forward to each of you soaring with Noteflight!

Many thanks to Noteflight for providing CMEA with these subscriptions!

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CASMEC Medal of Honor 2020 Norm Dea

The CASMEC Medal of Honor recognizes individuals whose unique service to music education in the state of California and continuing influence on the development and improvement of music education deserve special recognition. This year, the inaugural CASMEC Medal of Honor was awarded to Norm Dea.

According to John Burn, what is most impressive about Norm Dea is his commitment to serving the profession beyond his school site. From the beginning of his career, he not only attended festivals, he hosted them. He not only sent kids to honor bands, but he co-founded his county’s honor band. He went from CMEA Bay Section Band Rep to CMEA Bay Section President, to CMEA State President. He went from CBDA Treasurer to CBDA President. In these leadership positions he was a model of responsibility and professionalism.

It was Norm Dea, as CMEA President, that went to the other organizations and proposed we combine into a megaconference. Without Norm, CASMEC would never have happened.

Dr. Randi Carp Choral Music Education Scholarship 2020 Emma Holm

The Dr. Randi Carp Choral Music Education Scholarship was awareded to Emma Holm. Emma writes: “It is such an honor to be this year’s recipient of the Dr. Randi Carp Choral Music Education Scholarship. I am so excited to start my journey in becoming a music educator and to inspire others, just like how my mentors have inspired me. I feel so grateful to be recognized as somebody with a great passion for music, and I cannot wait to see where this leads me.

This scholarship means a lot to me. Dr. Randi Carp was an outstanding music educator that encouraged and inspired so many.

Knowing that I am now representing her name brings me so much joy, and I feel so thankful that others trust me to be a great music educator in my future, just like how she had been to others. I am proud to be this year’s recipient of the Dr. Randi Carp Choral Music Education Scholarship and I am eager to continue the legacy of a great music educator.”

- Emma Holm, Dr. Randi Carp Choral Music Education Scholarship Recipient

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CMEA Magazine

Giving Opportunities California Music Education Foundation

Supporting the professional development of our members and future leaders.

CMEF Foundation Programs

Future Leaders Scholarship Dr. Randi Carp Choral Music Education Scholarship Don Schmeer Memorial Scholarship Fund CMEA Annual State Awards Endowments

Emilio Lopez Felix Emma Holm First recipient, of the Emma Holm, 2020 Recipient2018, of the Dr. Randi Carp Dr. Randi Carp Choral Music Education Scholarship, Choral Music Education Scholorship with Michael D. Stone,CMEA CMEA Past with Scott Hedgecock, PastPresident.

President, Emilio is aand freshman at California State University, 2019 Recipient, Abigail Sorber. Fullerton and a Music Major/Vocal Music Education.

Visit: www.calmusiced.com/index.php/cmef

What weMusic do withEducation the money and state isthea California mission statement.

The California Foundation Nonprofit Public Benefit corporation that supports charitable and educational efforts to promote quality music instruction for the children and adults of California.

ollegiate Chapter Highlight: San Diego State Univeristy

by Anne Fennell, CMEA President-Elect

T

he San Diego State University NAFME Collegiate Chapter is one of 700 collegiate chapters in the United States. Active for over three years, it has been recognized for its service, high level of engagement and participation, and continued contributions to music education. Read on and learn more about these up-and-coming music educators and their advisors, Dr. Karen Koner, Assistant Professor of Music Education, and Dr. Jennifer Potter, Assistant Professor of Music Education at SDSU in San Diego, California.

Christian Arroyo, President

Erica Schwartz, Vice President

Elizabeth Villanueva, Secretary

Chapter Advisors

Dr. Jennifer Potter, Assistant Professor of Music Education, SDSU, Chapter Advisor & CMEA Southwest Border Section University Liaison

Dr. Karen Koner, Assistant Professor of Music Education, SDSU Music Education Coordinator & Assistant Advisor

Charlotte Brollini, Treasurer

Alyssa Koval, Parliamentarian

Getting to Know our San Diego State University NAfME Chapter The SDSU Collegiate Chapter started in the 2017 - 2018 academic year. As new music education faculty members who entered in 2018 and 2019, Dr. Karen Koner and Dr. Jennifer Potter were thrilled to see the initiative taken by the students to revive the CMEA chapter. Over the past few years, the SDSU Collegiate Chapter has served in the community by aiding the San Diego Symphony with music education activities before family concerts, attending professional development such as CASMEC and Arts Empower MegaArts Conference, and hosting guest speakers. We look forward to the years ahead as the chapter continues to flourish!

Read on to learn more about these dedicated SDSU chapter members!

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CMEA Magazine

Why do you like being on the board of the SDSU NAfME Collegiate Chapter and why did you take on this role?

I am fortunate to have wonderful colleagues who are there to support one another in all aspects of music and life. It makes it all the easier to get to work with planning out events for our peers. I decided to run for President as I had previous leadership experiences in other organizations that I felt would benefit this fairly new organization at SDSU. - Christian Arroyo, President Being on the board gives me a chance to step up into a leadership position before I graduate. It allows me to work closely with my fellow classmates to spread awareness of music education within the community.

- Alyssa Koval, Parliamentarian I enjoy this because it gives me the opportunity to be more involved in the music education community in our school. It allows me to help find ways on how we can improve it and make it even better. Being the secretary of the SDSU NAfME Collegiate Chapter allows me to help our board be organized and on top of what is to come.

- Elizabeth Villanueva, Secretary I enjoy being on the board of SDSU’s NAfME Collegiate Chapter because I am able to connect with faculty and other music education students. I have learned so much from just listening to my peers and faculty. Being on the board gives me the opportunities to learn from everyone else and I would not be as inspired if it were not for these amazing people. I took on the role as treasurer because I wanted to be a part of something important in my career. Music education is something I am extremely passionate about and being on the board allows me to express my inspirations for music education. As well, I knew being on the board would allow me to meet other people who are just as inspired as me. SDSU’s NAfME Collegiate Chapter has brought many people together with their love for music education and I am excited to continue on this journey with them.

- Charlotte “Charlie” Brollini, Treasurer

What is your greatest hope for the future of music education?

My greatest hope for the future of music education is that it is seen as important as other subjects in school. Music education can be an outlet for students to think creatively. Music can give students many joyous memories, just like other subjects can. The students’ health and well-being are extremely important to public education and I believe a growth in music education can help increase students’ well-being and happiness.

- Charlotte “Charlie” Brollini, Treasurer

My greatest hope for the future of music education is that music will be valued at the same level as mathematics and other STEM classes. In most school districts with budget cuts, music programs are the first to go. I hope that all people grow to understand the necessity of music in schools, as it gives students a way to express themselves in a safe environment.

- Alyssa Koval, Parliamentarian

What do you hope to bring to the future of music education?

I hope to be a voice in my community in regards to music education. I want everyone to understand the importance of music education in a child’s life. It is a subject that gives the students opportunities to learn about creativity, listening, dance, etc. It allows them to tap into a place that they may have never experienced. We, as music educators, need to help our community to at least get the opportunity to take place in these opportunities. - Elizabeth Villanueva, Secretary I hope to be an advisor for future music teachers, as well as inspire students to pursue what makes them happy. Many people treat music as a hobby, however, I want my students to also be informed of the many diverse jobs in the music industry, and feel supported whether they will be pursuing a job in music or in other professions. - Alyssa Koval, Parliamentarian When it comes to musical skills, I have excelled in learning all the woodwind instruments to a decent degree, and I would bring that knowledge to a conducting, coaching, adjudicating, and performance setting at the K-12 and even college level. Along with that, I want younger musicians to know that there are various outlets in music as a hobby or profession, and regardless of what they choose to follow in their life, that they can continue to be involved. - Christian Arroyo, President I hope to be an inspiration to my peers and students. I want to express my love for music education to everyone around me. I want to share with people what I see/hear in music and why I think it is important for others to experience. I hope that I can always be a part of NAfME’s Collegiate Chapter. I hope to spread new ideas about music education and help the industry grow. I want music education to be more important in K-12 schooling and I hope I can be part of the group that helps make it grow. Charlotte “Charlie” Brollini, Treasurer

Why did you become a member of the SDSU NAfME Collegiate Chapter?

I wanted to join the SDSU NAfME Collegiate Chapter because I wanted a safe place to grow my teaching abilities and become the best music educator I can be. Not only has this group given me the opportunity to grow in my field, but I have also found an extremely close-knit and supportive group of educators at SDSU. - Erica Schwartz, Vice President

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I became a member of the SDSU NafME Collegiate Chapter to connect more with fellow music education college students and with the community. Joining the chapter has given me the chance to go to conferences that further my professional development, such as CASMEC. It has also allowed me to make connections with other teachers and professionals in the music business.

- Alyssa Koval, Parliamentarian

What are you looking forward to, once you graduate with your music education degree?

I am looking forward to being able to help change student’s lives.

Even if I have students that do not want to participate in music, I hope I can change other aspects in their lives and give my students a role model to look up to. I hope to give my students a welcoming environment and to be able to give my students inspiration. I want my students to come to my class and know that I care for each and every single one of them. I am also eager to learn from my students as well, since teachers do not know everything and we can always learn from anyone.

- Charlotte “Charlie” Brollini, Treasurer Once I graduate from SDSU with my music education degree and complete the credential program, I look forward to hopefully working in San Diego as an elementary general music teacher. I am so excited to take everything I have learned from my amazing professors at SDSU and apply these skills to my very own classroom. I look forward to coming up with my own creative lesson plans and instilling future generations with a love for music. - Erica Schwartz, Vice President I am looking forward to obtaining my credential and moving somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. After working for a few years, I want to go back to school to get my Masters in Music Theory. My long term goal is to teach collegiate music theory, as I am passionate about higher education.

- Alyssa Koval, Parliamentarian I’m looking forward to getting the opportunity to go out and teach, which means getting ready to learn, make mistakes and understand that we will have to accept our failures to be able to learn how to do better next time. We all want to be the best teachers for our students and give them our all in the classroom.

That is what I’m excited to do with my degree whether it be in a general elementary classroom, a high school band program, etc.

We don’t always get what we want at first but we do what we have to do and make the best out of it.

- Elizabeth Villanueva, Secretary

How does/will the SDSU NAfME Collegiate Chapter help you become a music educator?

The NAfME Collegiate Chapter has helped me achieve my goals of becoming a music educator because it has given me many opportunities to learn about music education. CASMEC really opened my eyes and showed me the importance of music education in the K-12 school systems. I learned different outsidethe-box ideas to implement into my classrooms and how to give a welcoming environment for my future students. I also learned the music department is a community that I want to always be a part of. I have been able to meet other inspiring music educators through NAfME and I am honored to have these opportunities.

I hope to be one of these inspiring teachers as I become a music educator. - Charlotte “Charlie” Brollini, Treasurer I would like to teach at the college level at some point in the future, and the Collegiate Chapter helps bring some ideas to what kinds of opportunities collegiate level music students are looking for, and how I might implement these for college level students, or even K-12 students in the future. - Christian Arroyo, President The SDSU NAfME Collegiate Chapter has helped me become a far more confident music educator. My primary focus is voice and elementary general music, however, our NAfME Collegiate Chapter has allowed me to grow in areas where I do not feel as confident. Because of our Collegiate Chapter, I was able to improve my conducting and teaching in the instrumental areas, which allowed myself to grow into a well-rounded music educator.

- Erica Schwartz, Vice President

What chapter project made an impact on you?

One of the projects that I’ve participated in as a member would have to be our band reading. This is an incredible event that we held last semester that gives fellow music education students the chance to practice working in a large ensemble, as well as getting the opportunity to conduct the group to practice their conducting skills. For someone like me, being a pianist and never getting the chance to work in an ensemble, this is huge and has given me comfort in being able to participate.

- Elizabeth Villanueva, Secretary One project that has made an impact was with the San Diego Symphony and their Learning and Community Engagement department, namely with their various Family Concerts. It gives us, as student volunteers, a taste of what it is like to host a major event, for various schools, with multiple activities happening at once. It also made me realize there are opportunities for music in the community that are available and accessible that should be used. The interaction with the children and parents at the events, along with working with the San Diego Symphony, made for a collaboration that I hope only grows in strength in the future.

- Christian Arroyo, President The Choral, Orchestra, and Band readings the SDSU NAfME Collegiate Chapter hosted, allowed myself and other music educators the opportunity to conduct a large ensemble in a

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positive and constructive environment. My first time conducting a large ensemble was through these readings, which allowed me to get conducting experience, as well as practice my gesture in a safe environment.

- Erica Schwartz, Vice President Congratulations to the San Diego State University Collegiate NAfME Chapter on their continued growth and successes!

These collegiates are truly inspiring with their vision for music education and their collective drive and effort to support music in their communities. The future of music education is in great hands!

The CMEA Collegiate Council information is found: https://www.calmusiced.com/index.php/cmea/collegiate

Or follow San Diego State Collegiate NAfME Chapter on Facebook

If you are interested in creating or joining a NAfME Collegiate Council, please email: collegiate@nafme.org.

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by Bruce Lengacher

A

s the school year winds down, it’s usually nice to look back and celebrate all of the successes, but this time of the year is nothing like any of us have ever seen. We can still celebrate what we accomplished and learned in the fall, but our musical communities have been scattered like leaves being blown from a tree. We have cancelled all of our remaining festivals. Our schools, at this time, will be closed for 10 weeks. Tours, musicals, and concerts all cancelled. The list is endless. We’ve had to go to plan b, c, d, . . . . q to try to figure out how to take our performance-based classes online.

by Taylor Sabado

am always flattered when I hear one of my students is planning to major in music in college.

I think, “I must have done something right with that student, that they value music so much to pursue it as a career!”

I do realize there are far more factors than my own influence in a student’s life that lead to this decision, but it feels affirming nonetheless.

We definitely need young folks to continue to enter the music profession.

We need passionate teachers, performers, composers, and more. However, I now think equally as important, we need young folks who aren’t planning to do music as a career, but who still love music and plan to continue to make music throughout their adult lives.

Musicologist Christopher Small coined the term musicking to emphasize the

processes and many facets of making music, rather than focusing on music as a product. I want my students to become adults who musick for the rest of their lives, regardless of career.

I have a very talented student who, by all means, would have a fantastic career in music if he so chose--but he isn’t planning to do that. He is planning to major in biophysics and eventually get his Ph.D. and be a professor. I found this fascinating, because often (and I’d say even usually) the students in my program who display the greatest commitment and success in their musical pursuits are the ones who go on to pursue music as a career. Not so with this student, and thinking about it for a while, I’ve decided this is a wonderful thing.

I had an opportunity on one of our

I

We rarely hear the inward music, but we’re all dancing to it nevertheless directed by the one who teaches us, the pure joy of the sun, our music master.

-Rumi

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Capitol Section

Capitol Section Update

through many venues—Facebook groups like “Music Educators Creating Online Learning” and “Choir Director - closed schools teaching online forum” along with CMEA, NAMM, NAfME and many more. We’ve all learned new things, new platforms and new pedagogies that will serve us and our students well into the future.

I miss my students more than I imagined and our Zoom meetings by ensemble are the highlights of my week.

I feel badly for the seniors who will miss out on all the “last times” and may not even get to walk in a graduation ceremony. It’s not fair and not in anyone’s control to change.

I know we all are looking forward to things returning to normal, but don’t forget to value the new things you learned during this bizarre chain of events. Try to incorporate them into your teaching next Fall. Stay Safe and Be Well.

Here is the Poem my advanced students are setting:

Bay Section

Bay Section Update

Less than a week into our school closure, when it became apparent that our Spring Concert was not going to happen, I came to the realization that it was pointless, and perhaps selfish, to have my students submit recordings of themselves singing portions of a repertoire that probably won’t be performed this year. So I scrapped all of those ideas and strategies and went in an entirely different direction.

I decided that in this particular set of circumstances, it was more useful for students to create something that was meaningful to them. Something they could own. I gave my advanced students a Rumi poem. We’re working together to create the melody and then each section will collaborate online to write their respective parts. My beginning and intermediate students are working on collaborative composition projects using Soundtrap and all are doing daily sight singing exercises on Sight Reading Factory. It doesn’t replace working together on music, taking the journey of process from beginning to end, but it does give them the opportunity to experience a different process and to develop a different community. One better suited to our situation.

There is a silver lining to our situation. We have an amazing community of Arts Educators who openly communicate with each other

many honor band trips this year to ask this student about what led him to where he is today. I hoped to get some insight into the recipe that results in a student like this, as he is not only a fine musician, but a lovely person in many ways. To be sure, there are lots of things out of our control as music educators, things I think if we each had a magic wand we would grant to every one of our students if we could--supportive family, adequate personal finances, happy childhoods. This particular student I think was fortunate to have all these things, but these alone do not create a musicking adult, nor do I think it is impossible to create a musicking adult in the absence of these--though perhaps it is more challenging.

In the hopes of getting a better picture of the musicking adult “recipe,” I asked my student about his various teachers, experiences, and thoughts on music education. Below are a few snippets of some of his answers. A few of you in our section may be able to guess which teachers he may even be talking about! I hope his words may give you some food for thought, some affirmation, and some inspiration as you continue the very valuable work of preparing young people for lives full of musicking.

Tell me about all the different music teachers you’ve had.

Mr. M, 4th/5th and 7th/8th grade He was supportive and encouraging.

Mr. W, 6th grade - He was super supportive and enthusiastic. He made me feel cool to play tuba. He liked kids and would spend a class period just telling stories. He got the passion in me.

Mr. S, high school - Awesome, very different than anything I’d had. I don’t know if you can put into words Mr. S. He kicked my butt and it hurt, but it was good... I realized I suck, but it was a good way. He did that on a number of occasions with different things. He toughened me up to my softness. He really promoted honor band. High school honor band was mind blowing, and other talented kids there studied with Mr. W and that’s how I heard about him. I never looked at band the same way, I never knew people I played with could play that good.

Mr. W, private lessons - Mr. W kicked

my butt ten times harder after Mr. S. He was great, especially the first handful of lessons. He’d say if he had a dollar for every time he said his grandma could play better than me, and I believe his grandma was dead! Mr. S also prepped me--he would get mad at you but he wouldn’t hold grudges and you knew the next day it’d be fine, so Mr. W could say whatever he wanted and it’d be fine.

Ms. G, youth symphony - She would help me and if I did something well she would say “good,” but if I did something bad she wouldn’t point me out--at that age that was good, but now I like when people point out specifics.

Ms. Z, youth band - That was awesome, she’s the sweetest lady, very personable. We’d talk with her and she wanted to get to know us. She was super encouraging, supportive and super believed in me.

Mr. N, youth symphony - He expects professionalism out of us. He’ll stop sometimes and have like a “Mr. N” moment that’s almost cliche wisdom, but it’s true. He would say you can come in here with all the wrong notes, but you can’t come in and play with no emotion.

I’m especially impressed by someone his age working with kids for 40 years and being invested and caring about his kids.

He’s always had confidence in me. An older person who loves youth and has faith in the future because of our generation is really great to see.

Mr. E, community jazz band - Seeing his mastery of being able to direct and lead a band of adults was great. The mix of his respect as a musician and his subtlety, he was never like, “Do this it’ll be better, trust me, I know,” it’s more like, “Hey, let’s try this; do this; how do you think that is?”

Decentralizing the classroom and allowing the students to lead themselves--he’s a really good mediator.

Is anyone else in your family a musician?

My mom’s dad, a physics professor who worked at NASA, he played piano all the time and he could have done the piano route but chose physics. He always believed you could still get the full enjoyment of music just doing it on the side. There were tons of guys he taught

with at MIT who he’d get together on the weekend and play instruments with. I learned from him it’s ok to like something and not feel like to have to put the other stuff you like away. He was a phenomenal piano player, and he’s my inspiration.

What obstacles do you know of that other students have experienced in their music education?

Money is obviously a factor, and I know a lot of kids don’t have that. How people in your life view music makes a difference. If you’re trying to do music outside of school it’s harder; if you have music in school there’s at least a group of people you see everyday that think it’s cool, whereas you could feel isolated or not see the magnitude or have perspective on your journey with peer feedback.

I know you’re not planning to be a music major or do music as a career--why invest in music all these years?

To sum it up, I like it. I’m not pursuing playing my instrument, what I am pursuing is all the things I’ve learned because of my involvement in music. It kind of feels like I still am pursuing music, but just without the physical music. Music without the music.

What’s something you wish music teachers knew or could hear?

My dad’s done a lot of coaching and parents always liked his coaching. He said a really good coach/teacher knows when to give their student a kick in the butt or a pat on the back. Be able to look at your students individually. If you’re trying to have an impact, put effort into how you’re approaching different students. I think you can have really negative impacts by blanket statementing things. One person can have a great influence on me.

Tell me about your experience at summer music camp.

It was life-changing, it was also the first time I’d gone to play with other people who were really excited. It was

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really cool to be around people who loved playing their instrument. It was cool how much you rehearse. You realize that when you don’t have your phone or other distractions you can rehearse for like 5 or 6 hours a day and still have a huge day. During free/rec time I’d just sit outdoors and practice, and a lot of people do that. There’s always music going around. Everyone who works at camp in any position, even the kitchen, everyone’s a musician. You’d just walk around and you’d hear something. I remember walking by and hearing the most beautiful sound when I was 12, and the nurse was playing and so absorbed in his music. Where else do you see that? It’s an atmosphere that there’s always music happening. The

atmosphere of being able to go outside and play in the forest is cool. The other stuff you’re doing like your elective is all genuine, like sports, or practicing, composition, drum circle, chamber music...meals where you’re hanging out with your unit. Evening activity, could be games, campfire night.

In everyday life we forget the idea of opportunity cost--in a sports game if you’re at the end and it’s tied up and someone misses a freethrow people will say, “We lost because he missed the freethrow,” but really there were probably lots of other opportunities earlier in the game to get points, it wasn’t just that one thing. So often people think they’re so busy they can’t do this one thing, but then

Greetings from the Central Section!

by Steve McKeithen

As we all are experiencing, these are certainly odd and challenging times to be a music educator. It is in these moments that we have the opportunity to adapt and grow beyond our comfort zones to change our paradigm, and to turn this adversity into a new way to reach our students as individuals.

I know for my part, I have talked with a number of music educators around the country that are coming up with many new and creative ways to engage kids. These non-traditional approaches, while not nearly as satisfying as the group or ensemble experience, offer the opportunity for us to really reach students on a much more personal

1. Have your students record themselves on a platform such as Flip Grid performing scales, slowly, focusing on a beautiful tone and a steady tempo. One or two scales per week are plenty, as part of a broader assessment. Should a student accelerate on their own, start assigning them minor forms as well.

2. Chromatic scales, broken up into different ranges and starting on different notes, is a great way to make sure students have control of their embouchures and air, while engaging the instrument in a pedagogically sound manner. As with scales, slow and steady, with a beautiful tone, lays the foundation for faster, later.

3. Tuning charts are a great way to teach students the tendencies of their instruments and to map those tendencies for their mindful manipulation. After a thorough warmup, and fundamental tuning, have students start on their lowest,

practical note. Play each pitch for eight beats and have their partner use a tuner to record how sharp, or flat, each note sits.

4. Tuning challenges – Using the Tonal Energy app, or another tuning app, have your students sustain certain concert pitches of your choosing for 8-12 beats, at a slow tempo, in tune.

Get them to figure out how it “feels” and sounds to sustain a variety of pitch centers in tune.

5. Investing time and energy into sight reading can reap huge benefits while our students are stuck at home. There is a website called Sight Reading Factory that can generate all sorts of short, approachable sight reading materials that are perfectly suited for whatever grade level you teach. Make it a game to see what level your kids can pass off by creating a virtual leaderboard and celebrate their successes!

I certainly could go on and on as the possibilities are endless for having students perform fundamental skills, but in an incremental way that is not stressful for them. Given these uncertain times, we do not want to “test them to death!”

Aside from assessment, we should also provide our students with musically satisfying experiences that are “judgment free.” I suggest using chamber music as a vehicle to get students performing in their homes. From your library at

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Central Section

and individualized level, in a way that we would not have considered before. Here are some ideas that you may consider in this new, virtual environment: Assessing Fundamentals – This is a perfect opportunity to have your students record themselves performing all sorts of small, achievable, and incremental skills that are so vital to their growth. Here are a few that can easily be implemented:

they’ll spend an hour on Instagram, so it’s cool at camp all that little trivial stuff goes away so your day is full of playing your instrument, making friends, genuine stuff. The days feel long and the week feels short. Realistically you only do like four things in a day, but they’re so much more satisfying. It’s different than having like 18 different things to do in a day, you just have a few. It’s a similar experience as an honor band--the connections you make are astonishing, and you’ll go places and see people from that community and it makes it feel small in a good way. It decentralizes school music. In my head, my music doesn’t revolve around school music, it’s a thing I do that has music in it.

Central Coast Section

school, or using online resources, provide each instrument or voice in your program with a short solo piece, or an excerpt from a solo for them to prepare and then to record for you to offer suggestions on improved musicianship. One might even go steps further and host an online solo and ensemble experience for all of your students to perform for each other, celebrating their accomplishments. In fact, CMEA is hosting a Virtual Solo

and Ensemble that would be a fantastic opportunity for your kids to explore.

Should you have a group of students that really wanted to get crazy, assign a duet, trio, or quartet that could rehearse with each other online and then perform for an online recital series.

In closing, it is important to our students that we respond to the challenges we face in a manner that is positive and that opens doors to alternatives we may

Central Coast Section Happenings....

Or Not

by Maria Carney

N

ormally, this would be the time where I would let everyone know about all the normal events that are going on in the Central Coast Section; however, we are clearly in an unusual time. Instead, I will share some stories about what has happened in the Central Coast Section, what is not happening, and what we are doing to adapt our social, collaborative education systems to a world that requires social distancing.

The year started out normally. We had traditional professional development opportunities for our section members, and our students were able to participate in our traditional high quality honors events. Many elementary and middle school students took part in our annual Young Ensemble Showcase (YES!), which has exploded in popularity

making this year’s the biggest YES! event ever. Local teachers worked hard to prepare their students for our traditional large ensemble festivals, which were filled to capacity. Students were also prepared for our Solo/Ensemble festival and our Young Composers Showcase.

Unfortunately, like other sections, that’s where the story changes from the typical year.

Our first festival of the season was to take place on Wednesday, March 11th. Over twenty ensembles, including concert bands, orchestras, jazz ensembles, and choirs registered to attend the brand new festival at Monterey Peninsula College. In the week before the festival, tensions began running high among teachers who worried about the spread of the COVID-19 virus. How would districts react to students going to the festival?

Colleges around the state were starting to move online, but Monterey Peninsula College had not yet made that move.

Santa Cruz had a few confirmed cases already, but most of the Santa Cruz schools were registered for the Santa Cruz festival to take place in April.

On March 11th, some schools were not able to attend due to recent district policies against field trips, but most of the ensembles did attend the festival.

Though there were a few minor hiccups, to be expected at a new event, the festival was running smoothly. Students, teachers, judges, MPC students, and MPC staff were all working hard and having a great day of music education until around 2:30pm when the unthinkable happened‌ The festival was hampered, not by disease, but

have not considered before. For however long this change lasts, we have time to really invest our attention into each and every individual student, either through the ways I mentioned above, or simply in a one-on-one lesson each week. Letting our students know that we are here for them and that we are not going to let these impediments get in the way of their growth might be the very best way to help them through this experience. electricity. The lights went out across the city. While choirs continued performing in the dark, the band and orchestra portion of the festival enjoyed waving phone lights while singing together until everyone was required to evacuate.

We were told that the lights would not return for a long time, and that everyone was required to evacuate the campus immediately. At 6 PM that day MPC began moving classes online.

That Saturday, our Solo/Ensemble festival took place at Pacific Grove High School with some added social distancing, only possible at that type of festival. The following week, Pacific Grove moved online. Like others, CCS officially cancelled all events for the rest of the school year the following week, but we added a digital professional development event which took place near the end of March.

Teachers from all over the section have been connecting to share ideas and resources for digital education. Now, more than ever, we need each other.

Our skills, knowledge, companionship, and support of each other will get us all through this difficult time. Like students singing in the darkness, music education will not stop in the face of obstacles. The Central Coast Section will be hosting monthly digital professional development until the day when we can all be together again. Until then, keep making music!

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CMEA Magazine

Opportunity Amid Adversity

by Holly MacDonell

Northern Section Update

by Todd Filpula,

W

ithout doubt, the events of the last few weeks have brought a heightened sense of apprehension, uncertainty and loss. Our educational landscape has been turned upside down through no fault of our own.

As Covid-19 tightens its grip on our nation, the expectations and realities we had for our programs have invariably taken another direction. In order to serve our students, and ensure that their

to learn. It will be these tiny bonuses, like having the time to practice my instrument, that keep my mind on the positive side of our situation: this leap in digital learning pedagogy (that, under ‘normal’ circumstances, was taking too long).

Educators are now required to be student-centered, required to long distance teach and learn, and required to adapt. But we, as music educators, are already good at these skills. Now let’s polish our skills, add some resources to our toolboxes, and inject our teaching with a digital boost. If you need me, I’ll be on my tablet, focusing on my students.

educational continuum is disrupted in the least way possible, we have but one choice: let go of the tried and true, and instead adapt to a brand new (and maybe a bit wild!) ride until things return somewhat to normal.

This will certainly force us to step out of our comfort zone, and may pose a number of challenges that we have never faced in our educational careers.

I confess, the whole idea of distance learning was at first daunting to an old relic like me, but over the last few days and weeks it has become increasingly intriguing. John Burn, our State President, stated quite aptly, “Don’t let a crisis go to waste.” In reconciling the changes that will take place over the next weeks and months, I take that to heart, and feel it may be a mantra that many of us can find inspiring!

For the last twenty-six years, I have been teaching music largely in ensemble settings. As this has become an impossibility, at least for the time being, the big question becomes, “what now?” Reflecting on the typical yearly goals I have for my students, there are undoubtedly some areas that get a little ‘shoved aside,’ or often derailed altogether in the wake of more timely aspirations. Three of the areas that I have earmarked for the next month, or even months, center around music

theory, music history, and leadership development.

Thanks to the incredible array of online resources and technology at our disposal, we will certainly be able to deliver quality music education to our students, albeit differently. Over the last week, numerous possibilities have presented themselves. Webinars and online tutorials have sparked new ideas and directions that one may take. Lists of resources and support services are almost endless, spanning all facets of music education curriculums. I look forward to implementing many of these, and am excited to see my students’ response and growth to these new challenges. If any of you are still looking for possibilities, I suggest looking to both the CMEA and NAFME websites. Many of us have colleagues that have resources and prior experience in this ‘brave new world,’ and even Facebook (the old people’s network!) has revealed a treasure trove of ideas. Who knows, maybe an old dog can be taught new tricks, and new technologies will find a permanent home in my annual planning! If you need help, or just want to talk in these trying times, do not hesitate to reach out. The music community is one of the most supportive and giving communities there is, and it is vital in serving our students that we equally take care of ourselves and each

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North coast Section Northern Section

W

e are all aware of and being affected by the current health situation.

While we all have different challenges, what I see around me are caring, proactive educators doing their best in a tough situation. One opportunity I am meeting head-on is how to play with a host of digital learning platforms.

While I am definitely a novice when it comes to digital learning, I am more than ready to troubleshoot my way through a few different programs.

I am registering for webinars, listening to podcasts, looking for professional development everywhere, and finding more than I ever thought existed. I definitely feel like a kid in a candy store.

And I feel that sense of exploration that I felt when I was in college, starting a new semester, choosing what I wanted

Southeastern Section

other.

On a somewhat more positive note, CASMEC 2020 was another success!

We saw the return of the honor choirs, and a plethora of sessions that proved both encompassing and inspirational. I want to take this opportunity to, again, congratulate Mitch Bahr, Alissa Aune, and Becky Stewart, our award winners from the Northern Section! All are outstanding

educators, and incredibly deserving of the recognition. If you have never attended CASMEC, it should definitely be a ‘must’ in your yearly planning. It is never too early to start talking with your administrators about funding for attendance next year!

It has been a pleasure to serve as your president for the last two years! I want to encourage all of you to contribute to and

The Power of AND

by Ryan Duckworth

O

n February 13, 2020, I hosted the 2nd annual CMEA Southeastern Section Choral “Tune-Up.” Our TuneUps are “works in progress” festivals. You bring whatever material you are working on in whatever state it is in and get feedback from an expert on how you can refine your performance. It is a different kind of experience than has been traditionally offered in our region and one that I would like to see expanded.

Our section hopes to add both a band and an orchestra “Tune-Up” next year.

The crux of our “Tune-Ups” is that it allows your ensembles to focus on the process of refining their performance, rather than on a polished and finished product. The California Arts Standards for Ensembles in the Performing Strand #6 asks the essential question: “When is a performance ready to present?” This is where so much of our time and energy as conductors is focused: developing the “perfect” performance with every detail in place. To be sure, there is great value and beauty in helping our students

achieve a performance par exsalonce—it may even be a life-altering, transcendent experience. Yet if we look at the educational process of learning a song for performance, the performance itself is a mere blip on the timeline.

Standard #5 in the Performing Strand asks a different essential question: “How do musicians improve the quality of their performance?” Here we find a more substantial portion of the artistic process. How do we instill in our students the tools to improve their own performances, whatever they may be? Do any performers ever truly finish refining their performances or is it a life’s work and an ongoing process that all artistic endeavors share? A “Works in Progress” Festival celebrates the journey. It allows our students to see that other musicians go through the same process, the same problems, they do. The expert’s advice can be applied immediately to improving the work and then continually rehearsed until the improvement becomes a natural part of the performance.

I am not advocating one over the other. I am advocating that both are important. That’s the power of “and.”

You do not always have to trade one thing for another. With thoughtful application, we can often find a way to do both. Next festival season consider bringing your students to a “Tune-Up” and then to a more traditional festival. I believe that your students will appreciate the differences in the experience. At the conclusion of our 2nd annual Choral Tune-Up Festival, I asked the students in attendance to reflect on what they had just experienced. Their words tell a better story of what they took away from the festival than anything.

Lindsay: “I’ll remember the

serve your professional organization at some point in your teaching career.

Many hands make light work!

different groups that were there and how supportive we were of each other. It’s hard to go up and perform with an unfinished song.

We were vulnerable in front of each other, but no one was judging, we all applauded and supported one another.”

Marisel: “I thought it was a great idea because it wasn’t like a festival where we all tried to compete with each other, but it was all of us supporting each other and giving helpful tips that not only one choir can have but all the other choirs can collect for themselves as well.”

Daisy: “I liked that we shared works in progress instead of polished performances because it shows that we’re not perfect. We are performers and learners and it takes hard work to put together a piece and present it beautifully.”

Kathleen: “It is definitely a learning experience. On the one hand, it is a little nerve-racking because you do have to show something that is not yet at its best. On the other, it allows us as musicians to be proud of the work that we are accomplishing and to know and see that others are learning and growing just as we are.”

Lyn: “I very much enjoyed this festival experience. Presenting works in progress instead of finished works allowed us a chance to learn how to improve our product before releasing it. Receiving advice instead of criticism, in my opinion, is a bit more pleasant, though both are still very important.”

I hope that you will consider either

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CMEA Magazine

hosting or bringing your students to a Tune-Up next year.

Four weeks after that festival, all of our lives got turned upside down by a virus.

Now as I write this, California’s music educators are scrambling (and succeeding) to figure out a path forward for our state’s music students. It is simultaneously frightening and exciting. The way things were has been pulled out from under us for a time forcing us to consider the way things could be.

Here again, I find that there is power in the word “and.” Can we continue to encourage our students to perform and also begin composing/creating? Can we find a way to review already acquired skills and take some time to really respond to music

in a meaningful way? I will be learning, experimenting, and sharing alongside all of you. Don’t forget that you are part of a community of music educators. You and your colleagues will get through this together.

NAfME and CMEA are providing amazing resources and creative opportunities through this tumultuous time. If there is any way that Southeastern Section, as your local association, can help you out, please do not hesitate to contact us. Our contact information is in the front of the magazine and also on our website at www.CMEAsoutheast.org.

Finally, we are also planning to offer a professional development opportunity on Saturday, June 6: a “Last Hurrah.”

by Dr. Jeff Malecki

T

hings are STILL good at the bottom of the state!

We are happy to have completed our Solo and Ensemble festival just before things began to shut down, allowing over 70 students an unanticipated capstone to their in-person musical semester. Thanks to

Thinking Differently

by Jessica Husselstein

Marc Dwyer and Correia Middle School for hosting!

As a section, we pride ourselves on knowing how to have fun. Let’s be frank, in our profession, networking with an abundance of dedicated colleagues is often what we need to stay fresh, or even sane. So as we deal with the new paradigm of education that has been thrust upon us, please take time to vent, collaborate, share, program, chat, share dog pics, and virtual happy hour with your amazing music education colleagues. We’re all in this together!

and new ways of sharing our musical ideas. We can build more independent musicianship while we are away from the ensemble experience. It is the perfect time to step back and reevaluate our personal philosophies of music education. Why do we teach music the way we do? Is it serving our students as best as it can? How can we use this opportunity to increase our program’s capacity to meet student needs?

In the many, many webinars available right now, here are some of the greatest pieces of advice I would like to pass along.

Manage your expectations. This is new territory we are negotiating. The jaw-dropping virtual ensembles you see have teams of tech-savvy staff putting

Spring Issue 2020

Southwestern

A

s I write this article on March 21, I chuckle wondering how much might be changed by the time you read it in early April. In a matter of five days, our entire way of being has flipped. Impressively, I see us keeping up beautifully, meeting the needs of our students with compassion, creativity, and community. Leave it to teachers - we can solve any crisis.

I believe that as we move forward, we have an opportunity to step up in the leadership of our programs. As we design new learning experiences, without the expectation of competition or performance, we can hone in on the humanity of our art. We have time to introduce composition, folk music,

Upcoming event: Last Hurrah, June 6, 2020.

Format/Location TBD.

Southern Border

Southern Border Section Update

Whether that event takes place in person or online is still unclear, but whatever the format, we look forward to sharing some ideas with you before your summer breaks to help you as you develop your plans for the following year. We will continue to explore the power of “and” as we hear from some experts about integrating composition into the large ensemble setting, reaching special learners within your program, and improving your communication with administrators and other policy-makers.

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them together. Start easy, try one of the great online platforms or apps, and build up from there.

Think like a leader and be a team player. Once you get settled with your district’s expectations for remote learning, begin planning for the future. Instrument, equipment, and uniform disinfection is on us. Recruiting for next year, adjusting expectations for travel and shows - and communicating those new norms to your stakeholders - will need support. Be prepared to make suggestions and work with your management to move forward safely. You are the expert - they have the resources. Be a team player.

Stay visible. Now is not the time

to stay in a bubble. Well, not as far as communication goes, anyway. Schedule 15 minutes a day to email/call/video chat your administration, other school staff, or post to a page for your stakeholder community. Music has been a worldwide tool for coping these last few weeks. Don’t let anybody forget it. Make sure everyone knows how much you are doing right now, and how many students you are reaching, especially the people who control your funding.

Remember, many of our students are food, housing, and family care insecure.

You may be the only person in a child’s life who provides a stable sense of security.

These students may need a phone call,

direction on how to access the local food bank, or connection with your school’s resources for mental health. To the extent you can, try to remember and reach out to them during this crisis.

Finally, be sure to take care of YOU. Connect with one another. Join us on our social media pages (CMEA Southwestern Section) for links to the amazing resources that have been shared. “Google-hang” with your local music educators. Take advantage of this time to access the community that is available to us virtually.

Be safe, friends. Stay healthy.

You’ve got this!!

T U R N I N G TA L E N T I N T O A R T I S T R Y

through mentoring and performance opportunities from day one.

With access to small classes, talented professors, quality academics, and the city of Portland, University of Portland’s nationally accredited music program and liberal arts curriculum will prepare students for the future they want.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

up.edu/music upmusic@up.edu 503.943.7228

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CMEA Magazine

mprove Your Playing by Keeping Your Clarinet or Saxophone Clean

by Phillip O. Paglialonga, D.M.A.

I

f you ask most good woodwind repair people, they will tell you a large amount of their day is spent simply cleaning instruments. Far too many people underestimate the importance of playing on a clean instrument. This article will provide a few simple ideas that can help keep your instrument playing it’s very best.

Cleaning the Mouthpiece

The shape of the mouthpiece is one of the most critically important areas on the instrument. As you play, calcium will build up on the rubber and become visible as offwhite deposits on the mouthpiece. Also, dirt and bacteria can easily accumulate on the inside of the mouthpiece which can cause the mouthpiece to lose efficiency of sound production.

The easiest way to clean a mouthpiece is using a cotton ball and/or q-tip and apple cider vinegar. I have been using apple cider vinegar for years now, after it was recommended to me by distinguished mouthpiece craftsman, Richard Hawkins. It is gentle, cheap, and does a nice job cleaning hard rubber mouthpieces.

I generally do not advocate swabbing the mouthpiece after each use because repetitive swabbing can slowly wear away the interior dimensions of the mouthpiece and, over time, change the way it plays.1 Instead I clean my mouthpiece regularly with apple cider vinegar.

First moisten the cotton ball or q-tip with apple cider vinegar. Gently wipe all surfaces of the mouthpiece avoiding contact with cork (always try to avoid allowing cork to get wet). Resist the temptation to use your fingernail to get rid of the calcium deposits; instead, patiently use a cotton ball and apple cider vinegar to remove the dirt. Be sure to clean both the inside and outside of the mouthpiece thoroughly.

When you are finished, rinse the mouthpiece using room temperature water being careful not to allow the cork to get wet. Do not use hot or extremely cold water as this may discolor the mouthpiece. After rinsing, gently dry the mouthpiece using a soft cotton cloth or something similar.

1. This is particularly true of modern, commercially produced mouthpieces which tend to use rubber that is quite soft.

Do not use a paper towel as this may scratch the mouthpiece.

I usually will gently run a swab through the mouthpiece after rinsing it out. This is the only time that I generally run a swab through the mouthpiece. When swabbing, try not to pull the swab forcefully against the window of the mouthpiece, but instead gently allow the swab through.

After cleaning the mouthpiece, if you see any remaining dirt or calcium, repeat the process again until it looks totally clean.

I generally like to keep my instruments super clean, so consequently, I will clean my mouthpiece once or twice a week. I admit this is a little obsessive, but cleaning it every two weeks or so should be more than sufficient.

Keeping the Keys Clean

On both clarinet and saxophone, dirt will quickly find its way into the key oil between the action on the keys.

When this happens, the key motion becomes sluggish, and in some cases can make the movement uneven or unpredictable.

The easiest way to keep the action on your instrument working its best is to get a soft makeup brush to gently brush away any visible dirt you notice every few days.

Be careful not to accidentally knock loose any springs, but do try to get between keys as best you can.

If you decide to remove keys to further clean your instrument, for whatever reason, be sure you are wiping away any oil carefully and then providing new oil.

It is also a good idea to keep a soft cloth in your case (in addition to your swab) to wipe down the instrument just before you put it away after each use. This simple habit will also help keep your keys looking nice for a much longer period.

Though you can use a silver polish rag to polish the keys, I would exercise caution. In many cases these cloths are treated with a chemical that slowly removes the plating from the keys in order to restore the shine. Though this will do the job, the plating on most instruments is rather thin, so eventually you might completely remove the plating.

I like to leave anti-tarnish sachets in my case to prevent the metal from tarnishing. I generally prefer the

Spring Issue 2020

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Gleam Anti-Tarnish Sachets for this purpose, but there are other brands available (such as 3M) which can work equally well. You can also find anti-tarnish strips, but I have found these to be less effective than the sachets.

Keep the Instrument Case Clean

If your case is dirty, eventually that dirt will find its way onto your instrument. Periodically, it is a good idea to take everything out of your case and vacuum it clean. Then, take the tape off a lint roller and use it to go over the interior of the case. I will do this quite often as the case tends to attract a good amount of dirt.

When you are not playing your instrument for more than a few minutes, return the instrument to its case and close it. When your instrument sits outside of the case it can easily become dirty or be knocked over and broken.

brand new. When you are done cleaning the ligature, use a fresh unused part of the white cotton cloth to remove any traces of the Flitz that may remain.

Use a high-quality key oil to lubricate the screw.2 Then re-insert the screw(s) into the ligature and work the oil in by moving the screw all the way in and out. Be sure the screw moves in and out with minimal effort. If it has been awhile since you lubricated the screw, you might have to add an additional drop of oil to the screw and work it in by moving the screw in and out of the socket.

Cleaning Clarinet Tone Holes

It is extremely important that the tone holes stay free of dirt. Most clarinets I see are caked with dirt in all of the tone holes, which adversely impacts both the tone and intonation.

To clean the tone holes, you will simply need some q-tips and a small cup of water. Dip the q-tip quickly in the water and shake the excess water off. Then, use the q-tip to wipe away the dirt. Only use each side of the q-tip for one hole. Once the q-tip is covered with dirt, you do not want to risk re-introducing that dirt to the other hole. Be sure the metal rings are clean and the top of the holes are also free of dirt.

My recommendation to you is to have your instrument serviced by a quality technician. Ask if they can thoroughly clean your instrument (even if it looks pretty clean to you) and then do your best to keep it that way. I promise your instrument will play significantly better if you keep it clean.

About the Author…

Cleaning Metal Ligatures

I have always been surprised how few people take the time to clean metal ligatures. Ligatures will often get covered in dirt, which can prevent vibrations that are generated when you play.

To clean a metal ligature, you will need a white cotton cloth, paper towel, latex gloves and Flitz Metal Polish Paste. Flitz is a metal polish that you can find at most hardware stores. It works quite well and is inexpensive.

First, remove the screws and use paper towel to remove any oil and dirt on the screw itself. Then, while wearing latex gloves, place a small amount of the Flitz silver polish on the white cotton cloth to polish the ligature. Buff the metal until it looks

Phillip O. Paglialonga currently serves as Associate Professor of Clarinet at the University of North Texas. He is a founding member of the PEN trio, which is a woodwind trio that tours extensively in the United States and abroad. His book Squeak Big: Practical Fundamentals for the Successful Clarinetist has garnered significant praise from leading clarinetists including prominent members of the orchestras in Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle, as well as stellar reviews in several major publications. Dr. Paglialonga is an artist for both Buffet Crampon and Gonzalez Reeds. More information about Dr. Paglialonga is available online at www.SqueakBig.com.

Phillip O. Paglialonga, D.M.A. Faculty • University of North Texas Tel: 215/435-6413 Clarinetist • PEN Trio (www.PENtrio.com) E-mail: phillip.paglialonga@unt.edu Artist • Buffet Crampon Web: music.unt.edu Artist • Gonzalez Reeds clarinet.music.unt.edu www.SqueakBig.com

2. I prefer to use Doctors Syntek Aerospace Key Oil, available from the Doctor’s Products.

This oil is high quality, and it comes with a good needle tip applicator which is helpful in applying the oil. Traditionally, a lot of people, including legendary clarinetist Robert Marcellus of the Cleveland Orchestra, preferred using Nye Clock Oil, which also can work quite well. To evaluate your key oil, put a small amount on your index finger and then rub the oil back and forth between your index finger and thumb. It should feel quite smooth, free of dirt and not sticky at all.

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CMEA Magazine

YOUR EYES WON’T BELIEVE YOUR EARS If you hear the new Yamaha SLB300 with your eyes closed, you’ll swear it's a vintage double bass, thanks to its rich vibrato and natural resonance. But unlike an acoustic upright, its slim body folds up and fits into a small case that you can easily carry from gig to gig.

Play it and you’ll become a believer.

THE NEW GENERATION YAMAHA SILENT BASS

www.yamaha.io/SLB3OOSK

eality Check-In

by Zach Pitt-Smith, CMEA Urban Schools Rep “You cannot e-learn concert band.

You cannot Zoom marching band.

You cannot conference-call drumline, or wind ensemble, or jazz band, or orchestra. We may be ushering in a new learning era, but the new era cannot include permanent eradication of fair and equal public school access to instrumental performing arts ensembles. We must understand the bulk of e-learning is temporary, or the rich and unique performing arts culture we have developed as a nation will become an activity only for the elite.”

- Tawnya Hicks-Letts (Advocate for Equitable Music Education)

W

ith the sudden changes in our lives that COVID-19 has brought comes a tectonic shift in our lives as educators. We now find ourselves scrambling to deliver content online that just weeks ago we were doing (and have done all our careers) in person, en ensemble. So much of what we do as music teachers is about the expression of humanity and community through collective sound making. Sure, there are wonderful apps and programs newly made free to educators that our students can use to stay engaged, be assessed, and be creative. But can all students access them?

As a teacher in an urban Title 1 middle school, I

am finding that less than half of my students have access to proper technology. While in the first days of our statemandated Shelter-in-Place, teachers at our sites worked tirelessly to hand deliver Chromebook computers to students who most need them, we find that there are other hurdles to creating an effective distance learning plan.

Many students lack consistent broadband internet access or a reliable device to complete homework. Additionally, any number of issues might be contributing to students’ inability to focus (or succeed) at working on school work at home. Many of my students struggle to know where their daily meals will come from, and others are home taking care of younger siblings with parents working, or worse, many are now out of a job.

I am finding the best thing to do is give students “offerings” of musical activities that are meaningful and enjoyable. We have attempted sectional rehearsals on Zoom each of the two weeks prior to Spring Break and those were a great success - if nothing else than to get to see each other and connect. I think this is a fundamental necessity in this time of isolation. (I have gotten very adept at the mute button!) One thing I have discovered is that I am surprised that the students who show up and seek the opportunity to connect in this strange new way might not be the same students who engaged in the classroom.

Additionally, we are moving to using online music apps like SmartMusic and Sight Reading Factory.

Our required semester concert reports have been moved to watching a YouTube archived video of a full concert.

We are in new territory here, colleagues! However, I am well aware of the issues of inequity in our community where many students lack the resources to make this type of curriculum viable. Like you, I yearn to be back in my beloved classroom again. Soon...

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CMEA Magazine

2020 CMEA State Virtual Solo Festival The festival is open to California music students, elementary-high school.

Registration Forms and Festival Guidelines available at: https://calmusiced.com/membership-services/state-festivals/

Special Thanks to our CMEA State Festival Premier Sponsor

Questions? Email cmea@calmusiced.com Special Thanks to our Additional Festival Sponsors

2020

Best Communities for Music Education Winners Announced The Best Communities for Music Education award acknowledges schools and districts across the United States for their commitment to and support of music education.

SEE WINNERS ON NAMMFOUNDATION.ORG #BestCommunitiesforMusicEducation

arent Advocacy Summit

by Scott Hedgecock, CMEA Immediate Past President

Purpose:

To inform, educate, and empower parents to be strong Advocates for Music Education

Presented by the CMEA Advocacy Team (positions at time of CASMEC): John Burn, CMEA President Armalyn De La O, CMEA President-Elect Scott Hedgecock, CMEA Immediate Past President Russ Sperling, CMEA Advocacy Representative Martha Zaragoza-Diaz, CMEA Legislative Advocate With guest presenters from the National Association for Music Education: Kathleen Sanz, NAfME President Lynn Tuttle, NAfME Director of Public Policy Sponsored through an Advocacy Grant from the Country Music Association Foundation (CMAF).

O

ver 120 parents registered for the 2nd Annual Parent Advocacy Summit, held at CASMEC on Saturday morning, February 21, 2020.

Beginning with 35 parents in 2019, the interest in how families can advocate for Music and Arts Education at the school and district level has grown tremendously.

The session began with attendees being provided a continental breakfast and time for table-talk sharing. The CMEA Advocacy team then led the group through six specific areas of information and ways in which they can be advocates for the music and arts education programs in their areas.

Scott Hedgecock, CMEA Immediate Past President, presented the first mini-session, or “lightning round” presentation, which covered two important areas.

Advocacy occurs at the local, state, and national levels. A brief look at what CMEA does at the state level, and what NAfME does at the national level were presented in later portions of the agenda.

Arts vs. Arts Education

The differences that the two terms mean and represent where discussed. All attendees where encouraged to always use “education” when talking about any of the arts areas in our schools, and to understand and share the definition of Arts Education.

ARTS EDUCATION is: • A course of study • Standards-based • Taught by a Credentialed Teacher (in an arts education discipline) • Accessed by ALL students during the school day

This change in vocabulary, definition, and common language use is occurring within CMEA Leadership and the other Professional Organizations within the Arts Education realm. Speaking in one voice, with a common vocabulary, is an important advocacy tool.

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CMEA Magazine

Armalyn De La O, CMEA President-Elect, presented a definition of Standards-based Education with updates on the new California Arts Framework that is in the final stages of development. The new Framework will complete the process that was started by CMEA with AB 2862 and the revision of our Standards in Arts Education.

Advocacy at the National level was presented by Kathleen Sanz, NAfME President, who was a guest at CASMEC, and Lynn Tuttle, Director of Public Policy for NAfME, who joined the session via Skype from the East Coast. President Sanz gave an overview of the work that NAfME does in Advocacy work, and Lynn Tuttle shared vital information about TITLE IV, Part A, and federal funds that are available to school districts and can be used for Arts Education.

Martha Zaragoza-Diaz, CMEA Legislative Advocate, presented current news from Sacramento. As our lobbyist in Sacramento, Ms. Zaragoza-Diaz is a recognizable face and voice within the Capitol, and the parents were eager to hear from her about recent updates to the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) and Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP).

Russ Sperling, CMEA Advocacy Representative, presented several suggestions for ways that parents can and should be supporting their local music educators. Mr. Sperling reiterated the need for using a common language when talking about Arts Education, and for establishing and maintaining a consistent presence with site administrators, district administrations, and school boards.

The Parent Advocacy Summit is provided by CMEA through a generous Advocacy Grant from the Country Music Association Foundation (CMAF) www.cmaworld.com/foundation/

Please visit the Parent Advocacy page on the new CMEA WEBSITE for links to vital ADVOCACY TOOLS referenced in this presentation that you can use in your community!! www.calmusiced.com

CMEA partners with the Professional Education Organizations from Dance, Theatre, and the Visual Arts in the 4Arts Education Organizations Coalition.

Resources:

California Art Education Association www.caea-arteducation.org

California Dance Education Association www.cdeadance.org

California Educational Theatre Association www.cetoweb.org

An update and invitation to all parents to participate in the 12th Annual Stand Up 4 Music Advocacy Day in Sacramento was shared by John Burn, CMEA President. Two major changes were planned for the event this year, which included moving it to March to coincide with Arts Education in our Schools Month and also to expand the event to include our partner organizations from Dance, Theatre, and the Visual Arts.

(Note: This event was unfortunately cancelled but discussions are already underway to expand on the plans for Stand Up 4 Arts Education 2021!).

A Question and Answer period concluded the 2nd Annual Parent Advocacy Summit at CASMEC.

All of the materials presented, including the Agenda, Power Point, and vital links shared are available on the CMEA website (www.calmusiced.com) under Advocacy – Stand Up 4 Music – Ideas 4 Parents. Please encourage the parents of your students to learn more about being advocates for your programs by visiting our website and also planning to attend future Parent Advocacy opportunities including the 3rd Annual Parent Advocacy Summit at CASMEC 2021!

California Music Educators Association www.calmusiced.com

National Association for Music Education https://nafme.org/advocacy/

Namm Foundation https://www.nammfoundation.org/

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wards CMEA Outstanding Administrator Award Kari Yist Principal, Covillaud Elementary School CMEA Northern Section President Todd Filpula; CMEA Outstanding Administrator of the Year Kari Yist, Principal, Covillaud Elementary School; CMEA Vice President Anne Fennell

Kari has been recognized as a true supporter of music education by refusing to remove students from music classes and programs if their grades slip. She maintains that music education is much more helpful to raising and maintaining good grades and goes out of her way to encourage and support each individual student. Kari helped to develop a music education program in a school district that had none. Now that district has 14 full time music educators with all of the school sites participating.

One of the people that nominated Kari stated: “Any time I wanted to have a lunch time concert, an overnight trip or any other event to give musical opportunities to the students, she always said ‘yes’ because she knew that music education was a vital part of their overall education. She was the first one to point out that trends like test scores going up coincided with bringing the music program back. And she’s a firm believer that that information is true! She credited all of that success to the music program.”

CMEA Outstanding Administrator Award Patt Haro Colton Joint Unified School District CMEA President-Elect Armalyn De La O; CMEA Outstanding Administrator of the Year Patt Haro, School Board Member, Colton Joint Unified School District

Patt Haro, school board member of Colton Joint Unified School District. Patt has been heard at every school board meeting championing the music education programs. She will announce upcoming performances and will relate recent successes of the programs. Patt will be present at as many concerts as possible, ranging from 3 high schools, 4 middle schools and 18 elementary schools. Her greatest achievement for music education, however, stems from her attendance at the Courageous Creativity Conference, where she learned of a plan that the district could implement to expand student access to music education. A three-year strategic plan was founded that provided quality instruments to at least 30 students at every elementary school, added choir classes at all the middle schools, expanded different band and recorder programs, and for the first time ever, fourth graders will receive music instruction from a highly qualified and credentialed music teacher. It was stated that: “Without her influence, these initial meetings would not have occurred and our district would have continued to attempt to build the music program with limited resources. Because of Mrs. Haro’s leadership, however, we are experiencing the biggest expansion of music education in over 20 years.”

*All awards photos provided by Kate Lancaster and Emily Lancaster of Lea On Location Photography 32

CMEA Magazine

Bay Section Oustanding Music Educator Award Todd Summers Henry M. Gunn High School, Palo Alto CMEA President John Burn; CMEA Bay Section Music Educator of the Year Todd Summers, Henry M. Gunn High School, Palo Alto; CMEA Bay Section President Bruce Lengacher

Todd Summers has been teaching instrumental music for 29 years and is currently in his 20th year as Director of Bands at Henry M. Gunn High School in Palo Alto. He has been quoted as being “professional, supportive, and a phenomenal music educator and is beyond deserving of state recognition.” His bands consistently receive US ratings at local and state CMEA festivals and due to this, Todd was recognized by Midwest Band Directors with the John Philip Sousa Award in 2019. His involvement in the school, however, goes beyond the music program. He is an active leader in the Annual “Not in Our Schools” Week events that highlight diversity and empathy on campus. He is also currently serving as the GSA Advisor and has been a member of the writing and leadership team for the school’s WASC report twice. Due to Todd Summers’ hard work and dedication, though, the band program at Gunn High School has been established as one of the best high school instrumental programs in the country.

Capitol Section Oustanding Music Educator Award Elaine Wersky Eureka Union School District, Granite Bay CMEA Capitol Section President Taylor Sabado; CMEA Capitol Section Music Educator of the Year Elaine Wersky, Eureka Union School District, Granite Bay; CMEA Immediate Past President Scott Hedgecock

Elaine Wersky’s involvement in music education knows no bounds. She is entering her 29th year teaching music, with this being her 25th year at Eureka Union School District. The music programs under her direction include: Concert Band, Jazz Band, Choir, and Symphonic Band. Beyond her school’s music programs, however, Elaine has been actively involved with the Donner Mine Music Camp in Emigrant Gap throughout its 30-year history. Just this summer, she retired as the Director of Music for the camp. She has also directed several honor bands and one honor choir, with the most recent being the Capitol Section 6th Grade Honor Band in Sacramento and the Northern Junior High Honor Band in Stockton, both taking place in January 2018. It was stated that “Elaine has impacted the lives of many students, student teachers, and colleagues in the Capitol Section through her excellence in teaching, passion, and care for her students.” Outside of music education, Elaine enjoys outdoor activities, such as swimming, biking, and backpacking. She also loves spending time with her husband and two sons.

Central Section Oustanding Music Educator Award Amanda Sproul Thompson Junior High School, Bakersfield CMEA Central Section President Steve McKeithen; CMEA Central Section Music Educator of the Year Amanda Sproul, Thompson Junior High School, Bakersfield; CMEA Vice President Anne Fennell

Amanda Sproul has been a music educator in the Panama Buena Vista School District for the past 15 years, the last 8 of which as the Director of Bands at Thompson Junior High. She has extensive experience teaching instrumental, vocal and classroom music and her bands at Thompson have consistently received superior ratings under her direction. She is also the co-director of the Kern County High School Honor Vocal Jazz Ensemble and serves on the board of the Kern County Music Educator’s Association as Scholarship Chair. Beyond teaching her students, Amanda enjoys mentoring new teachers, collaborating with colleagues, and leading professional development classes. She has received several accolades, including the Jim Burke Ford Teacher of the Year Award in 2011 and the KCMEA Outstanding Band Director for 2019. Amanda is married to another music educator, also in her district, and they enjoy their time together with their two children.

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Central Coast Section Oustanding Music Educator Award Jim Stewart Soquel High School, Soquel CMEA President-Elect Armalyn De La O; CMEA Central Coast Section President Maria Carney; CMEA Central Coast Section Music Educator of the Year Jim Stewart, Soquel High School, Soquel (not pictured)

Jim Stewart is the Director of Instrumental Music at Soquel High School and has been with this school since 1996. His program started with 25 students and now has over 150 musicians involved. His program includes three concert bands, 2 levels of jazz band, a guitar class, and a course in music technology. Jim’s concert and jazz bands have won numerous awards and competitions throughout California and Nevada, including the prestigious Reno Jazz Festival. But Jim not only teaches music – he has coached high school baseball, basketball and football, as well as playing drums professionally for 30 years. He also enjoys surfing and playing baseball competitively. He and his wife have been married for 33 years and have two adult children, one of whom is expecting his first grandchild.

North Coast Section Oustanding Music Educator Award Charles Young Eureka High School, Eureka CMEA North Coast Section President Holly MacDonell; CMEA North Coast Section Music Educator of the Year Charles Young, Eureka Senior High School, Eureka; CMEA President John Burn

Eureka High School boasts many music education classes, all of which have been taught by Charles Young during the course of his career. The classes include: Vocal Jazz, Instrumental Jazz, Guitar, String Orchestra, Concert Choir, SSAA Choir, Symphonic Bands, and AP Music Theory. Charles is also the Co-Department Chair of Visual and Performing Arts, as well as being the artistic director/conductor of the barbershop group, the Humboldt Harmonies. He earned his teaching degree at CSU Stanislaus and a degree in music at Chico State University, where he credits his instructors with learning how to run a focused and sound rehearsal. Charles would most like to thank his family, however, because “nothing is possible without the support of family. To them I am the most thankful for this honor.”

Northern Section Oustanding Music Educator Award Mitchell Bahr Foothill High School, Palo Cedro CMEA Northern Section President Todd Filpula; CMEA Northern Section Music Educator of the Year Mitchell Bahr, Foothill High School, Palo Cedro; CMEA Immediate Past President Scott Hedgecock

Mitchell Bahr is currently in his 18th year teaching music at Foothill High School in Palo Cedro, which is also his 23rd year teaching music overall. His programs at Foothill include: String Orchestra, Concert Band I, Symphonic Band II, the Jazz Cats (Jazz B), and the Club Cougar Orchestra (Jazz A). He also oversees the drum line, jazz combos, and many other small ensembles. Mitchell has been awarded Teacher of the Year by the state of California and by Shasta County, both in 2016.

He has been featured in several magazines and CMEA publications and is active in CMEA by participating in Stand Up 4 Music Day. Mitchell is also currently employed as an adjunct professor at Simpson University, and was also awarded the PBS Outstanding Educator Award in 2014. Beyond this, however, he loves spending time with his wife and two children, and also enjoys basketball, card games and watching the San Francisco Giants play.

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Southeastern Section Oustanding Music Educator Award Brian Gallagher Ramona School, Riverside CMEA Southeastern Section President Ryan Duckworth; CMEA Southeastern Section Music Educator of the Year Brian Gallagher, Ramona High School, Riverside; CMEA Vice President Anne Fennell

Brian Gallagher is quoted as being a “music education innovator – simultaneously maintaining an established program at Ramona High while also building a remarkable mariachi program that is renowned with his community.” Brian is in his 7th year as the Instrumental Music Director for the award winning Ramona High School in Riverside, 14th year overall teaching. His ensembles have become known as some of the absolute best in the state and country, winning numerous awards and traveling all over, from Hawaii to Florida to Illinois and most recently, in March 2019, the Ramona High School Wind Ensemble performed in Carnegie Hall in New York City. Brian has also received several accolades, including the NAfME 2018 Music Educator Innovator Award, presented in Dallas, Texas. One of his proudest accomplishments, though, is the creation of the newly formed Mariachi de la dinastia Ramona. Outside of teaching, Brian enjoys time with his wife and their two daughters.

Southern Border Section Oustanding Music Educator Award Amy Villanova Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego CMEA President-Elect Armalyn De La O; CMEA Southern Border Section Music Educator of the Year Amy Villanova, Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego; CMEA Southern Border Section President Jeff Malecki

Amy Villanova is in her 20th year of teaching and 15th year at Canyon Crest Academy. Her ensembles consistently perform at exceptional levels, including a production of Leonard Bernstein’s complete opera, “Candide,” with updated social commentary.

Recently, Amy was elected Vice President of High School Edcuation for SCSBOA and completed her first guest conducting experience in Cuba with the folkloric/jazz group, Los Hermanos Arango, and a local student orchestra. Amy also hosts her now-famous “First Friday” networking sessions, which encourage the community to socialize and collaborate on an informal level. She thanks CMEA and NAfME for providing solid support through mentoring, providing resources and materials, and assistance in educating her school community about the value of the core subject area.

Southwestern Section Oustanding Music Educator Award Dr. Tamara Thies California State University, Long Beach CMEA Southwestern Section President Jessica Husselstein; CMEA Southwestern Section Music Educator of the Year Dr. Tamara Thies, CSU Long Beach, Long Beach; CMEA Immediate Past President Scott Hedgecock

Tamara Thies joined the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at CSU Long Beach in the Fall of 2016, where she serves as the Director of Music Teacher Education for the music department and is the Single Subject Credential Program’s Music Coordinator in the College of Education. Tamara’s priorities in her career lie with helping pre-service music teachers to develop skills and personalities required for any K-12 music education setting. She also has given her time as the Technology Representative for CMEA, currently supervises the CSU Long Beach student chapter for NAfME, and annually presents at regional and state CMEA conferences. Before her career began at CSU Long Beach, she gained experience teaching junior high and high school bands in Iowa and South Georgia. This experience assists her in guiding future generations of music educators. As her nominator states: “Tamara is actively contributing to our profession at the highest levels… Tamara is doing it all and doing it well.”

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CMEA Elementary Music Specialist Award Kirsten Bersch Santa Monica - Malibu Unified School District CMEA Elementary Music Specialist of the Year Kirsten Bersch, from Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, Santa Monica; CMEA President John Burn

The CMEA Elementary Music Specialist Award is being presented to Kirsten Bersch. Her supervisor stated that: “She is the perfect balance of knowledgeable, passionate, intelligent, kind, team player, dedicated, and talented! She is beloved and respected by her students, parents, colleagues and administrators.” Kirsten is in her 17th year of teaching elementary music at Santa Monica – Malibu USD and works hard to prepare elementary students to continue in music in middle school and high school. She believes fully in a “music for all” program and is fully committed to seeing her students succeed in music and in life. She says: “My students’ enthusiasm and persistence on their musical journey is tremendous, and seeing their progress from learning how to just open their cases on day one to performing multi-line songs at the end of the year never gets old.”

CMEA Middle School Specialist Award Rebecca Stewart Yuba Gardens Intermediate School, Olivehurst CMEA Northern Section President Todd Filpula; CMEA Middle Music School Specialist of the Year Rebecca Stewart, Yuba Gardens Intermediate School, Olivehurst; CMEA Vice President Anne Fennell

Rebecca Stewart is this year’s recipient of the CMEA Middle School Music Specialist Award. Her nominator stated: “It is rare when one single teacher can impact an entire campus, especially when that campus is in a very low socioeconomic area, in which there has been generations of poverty and the students have had little to no education in music. However, this is exactly what Mrs. Stewart has done. Mrs. Stewart created a music program from nothing and embedded it into the culture of the school. Her passion for music and wanting students to be successful in everything they do shines like a beacon to hundreds of students in her program.” Her music program is becoming known as the heartbeat of her school, due to her dedication in seeing them succeed.

One of the highlights of her career was being able to bring Dr. Eric Hammer to the school two years ago. Rebecca attended the Pacific Music Camp when she was a junior in high school and Dr. Hammer gave her the opportunity to conduct the Wind Ensemble during rehearsal. He encouraged her to consider a career in music education, so being able to have Dr. Hammer conduct clinics with each ensemble and be able to see the impact he made on her, that is now being passed on to her students.

CMEA Peripole General Music Educator Award Valerie Vinnard Long Beach Unified School District CMEA President-Elect Armalyn De La O; Peripole, Inc. President Andrew Perry; CMEA Peripole General Music Educator of the Year Valerie Vinnard, Long Beach Unified School District, Long Beach

This year’s CMEA Peripole General Music Educator Award is being presented to Valerie Vinnard, Long Beach Unified School District. She has taught general music for the past 20 years in this district. Not only that, Valerie is an accomplished music education writer with “School News Roll Call,” and has also been published in a scholarly journal with an article entitled: “The Classroom Drum Circle Project: Creating Innovative Differentiation in Music Education.” One of the highlights of her career was taking her 4th and 5th grade chorus on a field trip to participate in a choral music exchange with Cal State Long Beach.

She is proud of this because no one in her school district had every done this. She also hopes to present at a future CMEA conference and states: “CMEA has supported and encouraged me as an educator in providing me with the latest music education information, news, useful links in regards to music education advocacy and ways of collaborating with other music educators.”

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CMEA Richard L. Levin Orchestra Educator Award Joni Swenson Santa Monica - Malibu Unified School District CMEA Richard L. Levin Orchestra Educator of the Year Joni Swenson, Santa Monica High School, Santa Monica; CMEA President John Burn

This award is being presented to Joni Swenson. Joni has been teaching music for the past 19 years in this district and has been quoted as “one of the finest teachers ever.” She has guest conducted honor orchestras throughout California and has presented sessions at CMEA and SCSBOA conferences, as well as serving as the Orchestra Representative in both CMEA Capitol and Bay Sections. In 2014, her orchestra was supposed to perform at the world renowned Concertgebouw in Amsterdam as part of a tour that included France and Belgium. The day before the departure, however, bombings occurred at the airport and train station in Brussels and the tour was understandably cancelled. The students, however, were adamant and resolved to perform and showcase their hard work. These students, led by Joni, put all of their efforts into performing at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and donated the proceeds of the concert to the American Red Cross to assist victims of violence all over the world.

CMEA Pearson/Silver Burdett Choral Educator Award Alissa Aune Enterprise High School, Redding CMEA Northern Section President Todd Filpula; CMEA Pearson/Scott Foresman/ Silver Burdett Choral Educator of the Year Alissa Aune, Enterprise High School, Redding; CMEA Immediate Past President Scott Hedgecock

Alissa Aune is quoted as “showing superior direction throughout her tenure at Enterprise High School in Redding” and that “her knowledge in classical, jazz, and show choir literature is unsurpassed.” Alissa is constantly seeking new ideas and inspiration from conferences and festivals to implement in her classroom. She says: “It’s easy to say that watching my students leave school and continue as music majors, minors, and beyond, including watching former students perform on Broadway as leads, are some of the best results that I can imagine. The things that truly make me smile on a regular basis, though, are watching the shy student, or the one that did not want to be in choir, evolve and grow in confidence and musicality throughout the years. When I see those students completely change due to the power of music, and the relationships that have been created with their fellow students in pursuit of excellence, I can’t smile brighter. They may not perform for the rest of their life, but they will support the arts and their future musicians for a lifetime.”

CMEA Paul Shaghoian Jazz Educator Award Craig Bryant Albany High School, Albany CMEA Bay Section President Bruce Lengacher; CMEA Paul A. Shagoian Jazz Educator of the Year Craig Bryant, Albany High School, Albany; CMEA Immediate Past President Scott Hedgecock

Since 2007, Craig has been the Director of Instrumental Music at Albany High School. He is known for leading a strong and diverse music program that is recognized for musical excellence. Under his direction, all of his ensembles have won various awards and top ratings at festivals. The Jazz Band performed at the CMEA State Conference and was selected as a finalist for the Next Generation Festival presented by the Monterrey Jazz Festival four times and the “Essentially Ellington” contest presented by Jazz at Lincoln Center in 2010. Craig served as Secretary for CAJ from 2011 – 2016, but also has served as a frequent adjudicator and clinician in the Bay Area. He serves as a regular conductor at Cazadero Music Camp and conducted the 2016 California All-State Junior High School Jazz Band. He was also awarded the NBC Sports Bay Area All-Star Teacher Award in 2018. Craig states: “One of my teaching highlights was growing the orchestra program at my school enough to successfully integrate winds/brass/ percussion to create a real Symphony Orchestra performance. The kids were so excited and proud of that experience.”

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CMEA Byron Hoyt/Don Schmeer Band Educator Award Duane Otani Rancho Bernardo High School, Rancho Bernardo CMEA Southern Border Section President Jeff Malecki; CMEA Byron Hoyt / Don Schmeer Band Educator of the Year Duane Otani, Rancho Bernardo High School, San Diego; CMEA President John Burn

Duane Otani is currently directing all bands at Rancho Bernardo High School, which includes a 230-member marching band, 3 concert ensembles, and overseeing the percussion, color guard, jazz, and orchestra programs. The person who nominated Duane says: “Duane Otani has established himself as one of the finest band educators in the state of California. Not only do his concert and marching ensembles consistently perform at the highest level, but they are given opportunities to showcase their education in a wide variety of experiences.” Those experiences include two performances at Carnegie Hall in New York City and one performance at the Kennedy Center for the Arts, as well as performing on tour throughout the state of California at prominent wind band festivals on a yearly basis. These concert ensembles also consistently earn Unanimous Superiors for their festival performances. Duane also volunteers his extra time in the music education industry by serving on several boards, including two for CMEA. “Duane uses his remarkable abilities for music education to produce the finest musicians, students, and young adults every single year.”

CMEA John Swain College/University Educator Award Dr. Daniel Alfonso California State University Stanislaus, Turlock CMEA President Armalyn De La O; CMEA John Swain / College / University Educator of the Year Dr. Daniel Alfonso, California State University Stanislaus, Turlock

Dr. Daniel Alfonso is currently the Coordinator of Choral and Vocal Studies at California State University Stanislaus and has had incredible success in his programs. It is said: “His students are excellent and the mutual respect they have for him (and he for them) is evident. He encourages excellence for the students and his irrepressible energy transfers to them and to everyone.”

One of his career highlights was teaching a student who joined choir as a junior, who was about to graduate with an art degree.

This student thought choir would be “just for fun,” but after participating in a recruitment tour and performing at several high schools in Northern California, he changed his major from art to music education. This student persevered, never failed a music class, and completed the degree, as well as just completing his master’s degree in Music Education. Daniel now calls this past student “a great colleague.”

CMEA Music Industry Leadership John Fitzgerald Remo, Inc., Santa Clarita CMEA Executive Administrator Trish Adams; CMEA Vice President Anne Fennell; CMEA Music Industry Leadership Award Recipient John Fitzgerald, Remo, Inc., Santa Clarita (not pictured)

John Fitzgerald is the manager for Remo, Inc. Through this organization, he educates and advocates for the use of rhythm for wellbeing and all of its benefits from formal music education to programs with therapeutic outcomes. He works with music educators, music therapists, counselors, and drum circle facilitators, as well as many others, to support their work and expand opportunities by facilitating workshops, giving presentations and talks, and nurturing partnerships. His main goal is to raise awareness about the benefits of active music making through drumming activities and programs. He states: “22 years goes very quickly when you are gifted with the opportunity to fulfill a mission and a vision so close to your own heart,” and thanks Remo D. Belli, founder of Remo, Inc., for helping make the vision a reality.

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Dr. Randi Carp Choral Music Education Scholarship Emma Holm Christopher High School, Gilroy CMEA Immediate Past President Scott Hedgecock; 2020 Dr. Randi Carp Choral Music Education Scholarship Recipient Emma Holm, Christopher High School, Gilroy; 2019 Dr. Randi Carp Choral Music Education Scholarship Recipient Abigail Sorber

Emma Holm has been under the tutelage of Kira Dixon for her entire four years in high school and Kira has nothing but great things to say about Emma. She states: “Emma’s dedication to singing is evident in daily rehearsals. As a section leader in two choirs, she has stepped into these positions with a very natural ability to lead others… Having a position of leadership amongst peers can be difficult for some, but Emma is thoughtful, kind, and honest.” Emma is consistently in the top 5% of students in the choral program at CHS and she has auditioned and qualified for Regional, All-State, and Western Division Honor Choir this year. Emma states that she has always known she wanted to be a teacher, but it was not until high school that she knew her career would be teaching choir. She says: “I know that I will always work hard for my students and build their leadership so that they could have the opportunity to become a music educator one day like myself. I have expressed great passion in music and cannot wait for my chance to show it.”

Collegiate Chapter of the Year California State University, Northridge

CMEA President-Elect Armalyn De La O; CMEA Collegiate Chapter of the Year California State University, Northridge: Stephen Crews, Secretary; Andrew Shousha, President; Sophia Cho, Vice President; Evann Carter, Immediate Vice President

CMEA is awarding the Collegiate Chapter of the Year Award to CSU Northridge, Chapter #404. Through a series of strategic informational programs, the use of social media and one-on-one contacts, they increased their participation in attendance at monthly meetings and events, as well as increasing the importance of the Collegiate Chapter within the Music Department.

Their primary focus was to reach out to ALL Music Majors, including Performance Majors, to show them the benefits of CMEA Chapter participation. CSU Northridge states that: “This is the beginning of a new ‘chapter’ of growth that will create an even stronger chapter here at CSUN. In addition, it will enable us to become a larger contributor to our local music community at large as we continue to grow participation within the chapter.”

CMEA Hall of Fame Award Stephen Luchs Crown Point Junior Music Academy and Sequoia Elementary School, San Diego San Diego Unified School District VAPA Department Director Russ Sperling; CMEA Southern Border Section Immediate Past President Laura Schiavo; CMEA Vice President Anne Fennell; CMEA Hall of Fame Award Recipient Stephen Luchs, Crown Point Junior Music Academy and Sequoia Elementary School, San Diego (not pictured)

Stephen Luchs arrived in San Diego in 1978 and as a violinist, earned seats with the San Diego Symphony, San Diego Chamber Orchestra, and the Starlight Orchestra. He has worked as an instructor at San Diego State University’s String Preparatory Academy, served on the board for the Suzuki Music Association of California, has been recognized as an exemplary educator by his peers in the San Diego Unified District (as the recipient of the David Paul Schuchman Award), as well as CMEA-SBS, has been honored by the California PTA for his service to our youth, and currently serves on the board for the Community Council for Music in the Schools. For more than a decade, though, Stephen has served as the founder and teacher of the music program at Crown Point. His nominator states: “Given his incredible teaching experience and breadth of influence on the community, it is entirely appropriate to honor Mr. Luchs for his service to music education… Through his ‘beautiful heart,’ Mr. Luchs has most certainly touched the hearts of others.”

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CMEA President’s Award Scott Hedgecock CMEA Immediate Past President, Retired CMEA President’s Award Recipient Scott Hedgecock; CMEA President John Burn

The CMEA President’s Award, Honoring Extraordinary Accomplishments in Music Education, went to Scott Hedgecock. Scott Hedgecock has spent nearly four decades teaching primarily choral ensembles at the junior high and high school level. He began teaching at Fullerton Union High School in 1990 where he created an award-winning Choral Music and Vocal Studies Program, and served as the Founding Director of the Fullerton Academy of the Arts. He served as President of the Southern California Vocal Association. When he retired last May, his final Spring concert with his students concluded with an emotional performance of “One Day More” from Les Miserable, then the next day over 100 alumni, coming from across the country, performed together in tribute to him.

Scott Hedgecock served as Choral Representative on the CMEA Board, then continued on the state board as President of CMEA’s Southern Section, then continued on the state board for two consecutive terms as CMEA Vice-President, then was elected CMEA President, 2 years as President-elect, 2 years as President, and this year completing his 2nd year as Immediate Past President, thus concluding 15 years of continued service on the CMEA state board.

When the rift between ACDA and CMEA happened many years ago, Scott Hedgecock was there, and he was heart-broken. Years later, sitting in the audience in Fresno at the Armenian church when the CSULB Chamber Choir performed the first ever Choral Concert at CASMEC, his heart was healed.

When CMEA was at risk of completely folding, Scott Hedgecock was there. Working with thenPresident Norm Dea, CMEA endured drastic measures and heart-wrenching decisions. When CMEA borrowed $100,000 from NAfME, he was there. When CMEA paid back the $100,000 in full, he was there.

When advocacy became a core element of CMEA and a small group of people, including Armalyn De La O and Russ Sperling, decided to go to Sacramento, Stand Up 4 Music was born, and he was there. When the decision was made to split the southern section into Southeastern and Southwestern, he was there. When our multi-year advocacy efforts resulted in our new California Arts Standards becoming law, he was there. As CMEA President, Scott Hedgecock led the board through the rewriting of our strategic plan through the lens of inclusion, diversity, equity and access. Three years later, NAfME paid Cook Ross to do a study determining that that’s what should be done.

Although our recipient has retired from his high school career, he is now an adjunct professor at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at CSU Long Beach, and although he leaves us on the state board after 15 years of consecutive service, he has been elected to serve as the President-elect of the Western Division of NAfME. So, there is no doubt he will continue to be there when many more great things happen in advancement of Music Education. Over these past few years, this man has become a role model. His dedication, passion, professionalism, and perseverance, even in the face of great personal tragedy, is a model for us all. According to John Burn, he is a class act and has great fashion sense when it comes to socks.

NAfME President, Kathy Sanz; CMEA Past President, Scott Hedgecock; CMEA Vice President, Anne Fennell

CMEA President’s Award Recipient Scott Hedgecock; CMEA President John Burn

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We are very grateful to the following organizations, individuals, and businesses who have given their time and talents, donated various items and opportunities, to our many events in the state of California:

World projects for being the premier sponsor of the CMEA State Virtual Solo Festival

Cosumnes River College for providing facilities for one evening of our Capitol Section High School Honor Band

Gottschalk Music Center for providing backline for the featured CAJ ensemble at the All-State Conference this year

Santa Maria Signs for donating Step and Repeat banner with CMEA/CMEF logos for banquet and exhibit hall booth

Sonoma State University, the Green Music Center Staff, and Dr. Jenny Bent for hosting the State CMEA Choral Festival on April 9.

Noteflight for donating three subscriptions for our CASMEC raffle at the CMEA booth

JW Pepper for being a sponsor of the CMEA State Virtual Solo Festival

Nick Rail Music for Orff Xylophone & chromatic bars, CMEA Southwestern Section Raffle

Perform International for being a CASMEC All-Conference Reception Sponsor

National Concerts for being an All-State Honor Choir Scholarship Sponsor

Manhattan Concert Productions for being a CASMEC All-Conference Reception Sponsor

ACFEA for being an All-State Honor Choir Scholarship Sponsor

University of San Diego and David Harnish, Chair, for hosting CMEA Casting a Wider Net Conference April 18, and several CMEA honors groups in the past

Resounding Achord for being an All-State Honor Choir Scholarship Sponsor

Bertrand’s Music for providing a ukulele for the raffle at CMEA Southwestern Section conference

Fresno State University Choral Department for being an All-State Honor Choir Rehearsal Site Host