north By northwest

Connect with Music in Portland—2003

Our MENC Northwest Division Conference in Portland is just around the corner. If you have not already received an application in the mail for registration, you can register online at www. menc.org or call 1.800.828.0229 for registration and housing information.

These events are possible only with the help of dedicated volunteers. Just in case you missed the names of the Honor Group Managers in the previous issue of your state journal, they are Debbie Glaze, Mixed Choir; Karen Bohart, Women’s Choir; Kevin Egan, Band; Jeff Cumpston, Jazz Band; Candice Seidle, Jazz Choir; and Rob Rayfield. Oregon State Screeners are Dave Matthys, band; Vance Sele, choir; and David DeRoest, Orchestra. I encourage you to let these individuals know how much you appreciate the time and energy they gave in order for your students to participate.

Also, I ask you to honor the people who are serving in any capacity in Oregon and the Northwest Division. Trust that they are doing the very best they can. Often they have information that is not available to you and must make difficult choices in order to respect the entire division. Caring music teachers who volunteer to run the honor groups, screen tapes, and develop education sessions, etc., do everything possible to make consistent and fair decisions.

Another quick reminder: conference keynote speakers are Willie Hill, MENC National President; and Mary Luehrsen, who is with the National Association of Music Merchants. Headliner performing groups include Boston Brass and Billy’s Brass Band. You can also attend events such as late night jazz, the Community Drum Circle, and Get America Singing. Collegiate students can look forward to a CMENC reception and special sessions presented by Willie Hill; Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser; and Mel Clayton, National

MENC Past President. Don’t forget the education sessions for each curriculum area and Music Industry Council sessions. Finally, concerts presented by talented performing groups range from elementary students to outstanding collegiate, military, and community ensembles. Register now to ensure your participation in Portland.

Conference Planning

Teachers in National MENC leadership positions make a concerted effort to open up the lines of communication among the membership, leadership, and staff. With this in mind, here is some background on how certain decisions are made during the planning stages for the Northwest Division Conferences.

Why do we hold the Northwest Conferences only in Portland, Spokane, and Bellevue? Each of these three cities has facilities large enough to house a conference of this nature. These cit-

Lynn Brinckmeyer northwest division President

ies are scheduled on a rotating basis in order to offer the conferences in various geographical locations. Even though some cities have conference sites (Boise, Missoula, Seattle, etc.), the Northwest Division Board agreed to utilize the current rotation of cities. Sites in Seattle appear to be too expensive for our delegates, and attendance was very low when the conferences were last held in Idaho and Montana. Your Northwest Division Board attempts to utilize the most cost-effective venues that can house all of the sessions, hotel rooms for attendees, honor groups, etc.

Why don’t you use a better venue for the honor group concert? In the past few months some music teachers have expressed thoughts regarding the rehearsal and performance venues for the Northwest Division Honor Groups. It is a well-known fact that a ballroom is a less desirable venue for music performances. Each city presents a variety of challenges for performances. Portland’s Keller Auditorium was unavailable on the dates of our conference. Even with a stage extension, the Schnitzer Concert Hall stage is too small to accommocontinued on page 6...