NorthByNorthwest

“Getting momentum going is the most difficult part of the job, and often taking the first step is enough to prompt you to make the best of your day.”—Robert

J. McKain

Momentum begins with the first step. I know it may seem obvious, but you can’t take the second step until you take the first. Once you get the ball rolling, though, you’ll find an increasing amount of energy carrying you forward.

Advocacy efforts are gaining momentum across the nation as MENC members make communities aware of the need for music education through the National Anthem Project. State, divisional, and national initiatives continue to take steps toward establishing mentorship, teacher recruitment, and retention programs. Members in our division are diving in to volunteer their service as managing chairs of the All-Northwest Honor Groups. (Please thank Sam Ormson, Mark Lane, Steve Kuske, Dan Wing, Joel Karn, Scott Davis, and Chris Bruya for taking on these important roles on our behalf.) Committees have completed work on honor group audition revisions that will allow for a more accurate and streamlined assessment process. Further steps are being taken to plan educational sessions for our biennial conference in 2007.

So what new challenge are you going to tackle? Will it be mentoring a new teacher? Will it be serving our profession on a board or committee? How about inspiring a student to become a music teacher? Or maybe it’s establishing a new record keeping system? Whatever “it” is, the answer to the question, “What’s it gonna take?” is simple—it’s small steps. Just keep taking small steps. And, start taking them now.