OMEA President

Welcome to the 2014-2015 school year . I hope all of you found some time this summer to get away from your programs, relax, and recharge your batteries Stepping into the role of OMEA president, I am reminded of the many past presidents I have had the good fortune to work with, and am humbled by your vote of confidence

Recently, our executive directors asked me about my goals for OMEA during the next two years Honestly, because I was ending my duties as conference chair, this topic had not yet crossed my mind However, while reflecting on our board’s recent efforts to revise and update the association’s policies and procedures, I was struck by the need for us to have a clearly defined infrastructure I have begun this process by reviewing both our ensemble manager and district chair handbooks At our fall meeting, I went over these documents with our district chairs, and asked Branden Hansen, our 2015 conference chair, to do the same with the conference planning team

Over the course of the next several months, my intent is to have both documents revised and updated, and then begin the process of revising current descriptions for our association’s board positions By the end of my term as president, my vision is for us to have a set of documents that clearly define how our board positions function OMEA is an ever-changing group of individuals who have the freedom and ability to move the association in new and exciting directions, and this will allow movement to occur in a more seamless way

I am also looking at ways to increase membership in OMEA through considering how we could have a more direct impact on teachers To achieve this, I have been working with members of our national and regional offices on membership and advocacy ideas . It is no secret that I believe some advocacy arguments simply open the door for lip service by decision makers, and that we have to look at more concrete ways to

Tom Muller OMEA President

show the positive impact that successful K-12 music programs can have at the local, state, and national levels I believe this begins with convincing non-members that joining the association will provide them with information and opportunities that will help them be successful I am excited to announce that Stephen Fulks has stepped into the position of membership chair, and will be working at the state and regional level to address this issue I would also like to welcome Jennifer Mohr as our new advocacy chair Jennifer will work with both the OMEA board, and with a national campaign focused on developing effective advocacy strategies

At the end of the day however, this is YOUR association OMEA is you, not me, not the executive board, nor the board of control I have been part of the board for many years, and have been in many conversations about what is wrong with OMEA I encourage people to get off the sidelines and get in the game Every district has openings for members who want to get involved Contact your district chair to see how you can help out All of their contact information is provided at www oregonmusic org .

To members who are just starting out, I personally invite you to look at our available vacancies You are the future of this association and we look to you for our evolution Through your involvement in OMEA, you will have the opportunity to interact more closely with many of our experienced members, many of whom have served or are currently serving in leadership positions . Personally, I believe that individuals like these have had a profound impact on both my life and career, and my hope is that they will do the same for you