DIVISION NEWS BAND DIVISION Dr. Matt Koperniak Have you made your plans for our GMEA In-Service Conference? We have an outstanding program of concerts, clinics, and exhibitors in Athens, GA, January 25-27, 2018, along with lots of opportunities to network and share ideas with band directors from around our state. Work with your administration to secure leave for our annual, statewide professional learning. Align the clinics and concerts you plan to attend with TKES standards, and show your administrator the value of our conference to you and your students. We are excited to recognize our first year band directors during our Thursday evening concerts. At the Friday evening performances, we will recognize our recently-retired band directors and thank them for their service. Please RSVP to band@gmea.org if you are a first year or recently retired band director planning to attend the conference, so we can communicate additional information. What an amazing fall season of marching band shows! Thank you to every director who hosted a marching band contest—it is a tremendous undertaking and valuable service to our profession. We had over thirty-five marching band festivals and competitions in Georgia this year. I attended several of these contests, and every band displayed commendable pageantry and spirit. Congratulations to every marching band director in our state, and best wishes to all who are still attending football games. When the All-State Bands meet in Athens, March 1-3, 2018, we will hear the finest student musicians throughout Georgia. As we prepare for our first-round All-State auditions, thank you in advance to every organizer and host in our fourteen districts. If you registered students to audition, please remember it is your professional responsibility to attend and work auditions. Failure to do so results in an ethics letter to your principal. As you consider repertoire for Large Group Performance Evaluation, please note that the Band LGPE music list is published in a new format on the GMEA website. The Band Division no longer uses an Excel spreadsheet for our LGPE music list. All Excel spreadsheet versions of the list are out of date. When considering LGPE repertoire, do not refer to any old Excel spreadsheets that you have saved or printed. Band directors are the busiest teachers in the school, and it is easy to forget the lasting impact we have on our students. I recently had my semi-annual cleaning and check-up at my dentist’s office, where I had a new hygienist. Once she discovered I am a band director, she spent my entire cleaning telling me about her time as a clarinet player in middle
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georgia music news // winter 2017
and high school band in East Tennessee, over 30 years ago. Then, she told me all about her children’s experience in high school band and how much they enjoyed their time in band with their director, Rob Akridge. I wasn’t able to contribute much to the conversation (other than a couple of grunts and “mmmhhhmms”), but I was reminded how our work never stops when the school bell rings. Our students carry their band experiences for the rest of their lives. In my summer and fall columns, I highlighted a new teacher and will do so each issue. I close this column by highlighting first-year teacher, Corey Fair, the assistant band director and director of percussion at Woodland High School in Henry County (District VI). Corey joined the Woodland team in January, following the tragic passing of their beloved teacher and friend, Will Campbell. Corey speaks about his challenging experience in his first months on the job: “It was difficult walking into class every day and seeing the look in the students’ eyes, wishing they had their teacher back, but the support from my colleagues, mentors, and friends kept me going.” Like many first-year teachers throughout our state, Corey approached his day-to-day teaching with energy and a positive attitude, building small successes into larger ones, including 100% retention in his classes moving into the 2017-2018 school year. Let us continue to support and mentor all new teachers throughout this year. Support them in their challenges, and celebrate their successes. Best wishes to all for a wonderful winter!
CHORAL DIVISION Kim Eason Greetings! I hope the first half of your school year is going well! I cannot believe that it’s already time to start thinking about our annual In-Service Conference, but I am so excited about this year’s offerings. Our conference sessions and performances provide something for everyone! Whether you are looking for creative strategies to improve student sight-reading, ways to include technology more effectively, or fresh ideas to recruit and retain singers, you are sure to find something to take back to your classes on Monday! But while the information and practice are wonderful, for me the most valuable part is always the people. When most of us are the only choral director in our school building, spending a few days surrounded by supportive colleagues and talented young musicians is certainly the inspiration we all need to keep going in the middle of the year. In addition to educational sessions and local school concerts, the All-State Reading Chorus and the All-College Chorus will rehearse and perform during the In-Service Conference. Daniel Bara will conduct the Reading Chorus, and Kevin Fenton will lead the All College group. It is always a pleasure to see and hear the musicianship these student ensembles are able to demonstrate, and their performances are a great reminder of why we do what we do every day!