DIVISION NEWS_
georgia music news / winter 14-15
16
ORCHESTRA DIVISION Nicole Thompson Happy Fall! I hope your school year is going well so far and your students are practicing hard! I hope you were all pleased with your initial concerts and your students continue to grow under your leadership. As you read this article, District All-State auditions have been completed, final auditions are soon and our In Service Conference will be here before we know it. These events could never take place without the tireless efforts of many volunteers. Thank you to all of the GMEA District Chairs, event organizers, and hosts. As always we are especially thankful for the wonderful teachers and staff for going out of their way to accommodate us at Westminster for the final All-State auditions. They are wonderful hosts and I can’t thank them enough for all they do to help the auditions run smoothly. Our In Service Conference promises to be one of the best ever! I have spent this last year planning some exciting sessions for you. As you are filling in your busy calendars please add January 29-31 for our last conference in Savannah. The conference will open with a “New Music Reading” session. A big thank you to Georgia Ekonomou for presenting this session for so many years. This year, Georgia is passing the responsibilities to James Landreau. Thank you, James, for stepping up so that this popular and informative session will continue. Other sessions include: Nathan Lambert’s Conducting Workshop, Charles Laux’s Intonation improvement, Gail Barnes’ workshop on School Orchestra Literature, Christopher Selby- Habits of a Successful String Musician, Seth Gamba- Bass, and a workshop on Collaboration! Performances include: Dodgen Middle School,
Orchestra Reading Session
Johns Creek High School, Hillgrove High School, Creekland Middle School, and Lost Mountain Middle School. There was a record number of high quality applicants this year. Be sure to line up your substitutes early.
“OUR IN SERVICE CONFERENCE PROMISES TO BE ONE OF THE BEST EVER!”
We will continue the tradition of the ASTA Luncheon on Friday, so please get your tickets early to ensure you will be included in the event. Tickets are limited, so don’t wait. Speaking of ASTA, the fall workshop with Richard Meyer was incredibly inspiring. His presentation on “Giving Bach” was very uplifting and sent many teachers running to make a difference in their students lives and the lives of others by using music to give and show love to others. If you missed his wonderful workshop, I encourage you to talk with someone who was there or research his “Giving Bach” presentations online. I’ve already heard several stories from orchestra directors around town that they are putting his ideas into practice and their students are loving it. Keep up the great work! In closing, I would like to encourage you to read your GMEA handbook very carefully as you plan your events this year. It is very easy for any one of us to miss a slight change in rules, procedures, or LGPE lists (plus, who doesn’t like to read the handbook!). Thank you for making me proud to be an orchestra teacher in the State of Georgia. Please feel free to contact me anytime at thompsonnl@fultonschools.org. I look forward to seeing you in Savannah in January!