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Maryland Choral Educators Association
Michelle Searle Kim, President
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MCEA News
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earest Friends and ColleaguesWelcome back to another school year! I hope that you all had an amazing summer filled with relaxation, family, fun and rejuvenation. I also hope you are as excited as I am to begin this new school year and to make meaningful connections with teachers and students alike. As I start my second and final year as MCEA president, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my fellow MCEA and MMEA Board members who have been so vital in keeping this organization running strong. As I evaluate my first year, I am in awe of the behind-the-scenes work of so many people, on a volunteer basis, for our organization. It is truly humbling, and I am honored to be a part of it. I would like to especially thank my President-Elect, Katie Meloro. Katie is a phenomenal teacher and leader who is doing exceptional work at Atholton High School. She is extremely talented, has many new ideas, and I am ecstatic to have her as my partner. Important Topics In the past few months, there has been such turmoil in our world that it is difficult to comprehend. This has been a challenging year to say the least, and we music educators play such an important role in the lives of our students, ensuring they have a safe space to come to daily where their needs will be met. Through music, students have a chance to express the many feelings they may be holding on to and struggling with. Trust me when I say that you do make a difference, even when you are emotionally drained, and you feel completely isolated. Know that what you do is life-changing. We are continuing to increase conversations about the topic of gender as it relates to choral classrooms. Our charge as music educators is to include and welcome students of all races, religious backgrounds, cultures, and genders and introduce them to the wonderful world of choral singing in a safe, accepting environment. We have incorporated this Fall 2018
topic into many of our sessions for the upcoming year and we are excited to learn from some outstanding guest clinicians. Fall Conference This year, the Fall In-Service Day was on October 19 at Long Reach High School in Howard County. We were excited to have an excellent lineup, which included the High School Tenor/Bass Demonstration Chorus under the direction of Nathan Carns from Perryville High School in Cecil County. We offered Elementary, Middle, and High School Music Reading sessions with Carla Wardell, Angela Pope and Diana Sáez, as well as a session on vowels in the choir by Chris Fox and Laurel Wacyk. In addition, we were pleased to have Dr. Kathryn Evans from Towson University present sessions on “Universal Design for Learning”, in which participants explored strategies for implementing UDL; and “Music that Moves You - DOK ”, in which participants explored a variety of strategies incorporating elements of Dalcroze, Orff, and Kodály (D-O-K) to energize and engage their students. February Conference This year, the MMEA Annual In-Service Conference is February 1-3. These dates are much earlier than at last year’s conference, but in booking these dates, we are again able to host both the All State Senior Choirs at the Hilton Baltimore Hotel, which is connected to the Baltimore Convention Center. We are happy that both those All State groups will again be back in the same hotel. We are delighted to welcome as conference clinicians Dr. Deanna Joseph, Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at the Georgia State University School of Music, and Dr. Joshua Palkki, who serves on the faculty of the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University, Long Beach, as Assistant Professor of Vocal/Choral Music Education. We are also eager to have Dr. Edward Maclary (University of Maryland) as the All Maryland Music Educator
State Senior Mixed Chorus Conductor; Mrs. Mary Jane Pagenstecher (recently retired from Holton-Arms School in Bethesda, now at Waynflete School, Portland, Maine) as the All State Senior Treble Chorus Conductor; and Mr. Ken Berg (Music Director and Resident Composer for the Birmingham Boys Choir) as our All State Junior Chorus Conductor. We also welcome Julie Culotta (Artistic Director of the Deer Creek Youth Choir) as the Elementary Demonstration Chorus Conductor. All State Auditions Please mark your calendars for All State auditions, which are on Saturday, November 10 for Junior Chorus, at Urbana Middle School, Perry Hall Middle School, and Broadneck High School and Saturday, November 17 for Senior Choruses, at Urbana High School, Perry Hall Middle School, and Broadneck High School. The application deadlines were September 28th for Junior Chorus and October 5th for Senior Choruses. We are always in need of judges for our All State auditions and chaperones for our All State weekend. If you would like to be considered for either of these tasks or any other tasks, please contact me at michelle.searle@gmail.com. Final Thoughts As I begin this second year as MCEA President and start my 22nd year of teaching, I look forward to this school year and making an impact on choral music in the state of Maryland. I have had the opportunity to meet many new teachers and develop new friends and mentors and I am so thankful for those opportunities. I am continuously amazed by the wealth of knowledge and talent of the music teachers in our great state. I wish all of you an outstanding, fulfilling start of the school year and very much look forward to seeing all of you very soon.
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