February Southwestern Musician

FEBRUARY 2021

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Contents VOLUME 89 ■ ISSUE 7 ■ FEBRUARY 2021

Features Finding Joy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 As we navigate the challenges of this year, we will continue to discover ways to help our students and ourselves find joy. [m er e d i t h r i gg s]

Honoring Their Worlds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 We can do more to foster learning environments founded on a sense of safety, community, and cross-cultural appreciation. [s a m u e l e s c a l a n t e]

Keep Making Music Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Learn some basics about virtual ensembles and help your students continue to experience music-making together, even from a distance. [c. f loy d r i c h m o n d]

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Distinguished Administrator Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 TMEA provides members the opportunity to recognize outstanding school administrators for their support. Read about five administrators who recently received this distinction.

With the response to the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing, information printed in this issue is subject to change. For the latest updates, visit www.tmea.org and other relevant websites.

Columns President’s Notes . . . . . . . . . 5 [br i a n

c o at n e y]

Executive Director’s Notes . .12 [r o b er t

Updates

f loy d]

Band Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 [da n a

p r a d e r va n d]

Join Your February 10 Region Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Celebrating Black History Month. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 About the Convention and Getting Started to Participate . . . . . . . . . . 10 Thank You, 2020–2021 TMEA Executive Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Convention Schedule and Getting CPE Credit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Be an Active Member of Your Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 2021 President’s Concert to feature VOCES8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Orchestra Notes . . . . . . . . . 42 [m ic h a el

s t r i n g er]

Vocal Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 [j e d

r ag s da l e]

Elementary Notes . . . . . . . . 72 [a b i g a i l

h aw es]

College Notes . . . . . . . . . . . 76

on the cover

Ifunanya Eke, now a senior at Clements HS, performs with the Clements HS Concert Chorale during the 2020 TMEA Clinic/Convention. Photo by Karen Cross.

[pau l

s i k es]

Southwestern Musician | February 2021

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Editor-in-Chief: Robert Floyd

rfloyd@tmea.org 512-452-0710, ext. 101

Managing Editor: Karen Cross kcross@tmea.org 512-452-0710, ext. 107

TMEA Executive Board President: Brian Coatney

Brian.Coatney@wylieisd.net 2550 West FM 544, Wylie, 75098 972-429-3111 – Wylie ISD

President-Elect: John Carroll

john.carroll@ectorcountyisd.org 1800 East 42nd Street, Odessa, 79762 432-553-2780 – Permian HS

Past-President: Joe Muñoz

munozj@pearlandisd.org 3775 South Main Street, Pearland, 77581 281-997-3219 – Pearland HS

Band Vice-President: Dana Pradervand

pradervandd@yahoo.com 8226 Lakeshore Villa Drive, Humble, 77346 713-743-3627 – University of Houston

Orchestra Vice-President: Michael Stringer

mstringe@aisd.net 1200 West Arkansas Lane (Annex 1), Arlington, 76013 682-867-7662 – Arlington ISD

Vocal Vice-President: Jed Ragsdale

jedragsdale@tomballisd.net 19100 Northpointe Ridge Lane, Tomball, 77377 281-357-3230, ext. 1106 – Memorial HS

Elementary Vice-President: Abigail Hawes

abigail.hawes@cfisd.net 13734 Lakewood Forest Drive, Houston, 77070 281-370-4040 – Moore Elementary

Join Your February 10 Region Meeting On February 10, attend your Region meeting online to get updated on TMEA business in your Region. Be part of the future of your association!

Register in advance to join your meeting Go to www.tmea.org/regionmeetings and find your Region’s schedule based on your 2020–2022 alignment. Click on the link to log in to your TMEA account. If you don’t know your password, you can reset it at that point.

Once you log in, click on the appropriate Zoom meeting link to join at the scheduled time.

Do I need to download Zoom?

plsikes@txwes.edu 8554 Kensington Court, North Richland Hills, 76182 817-531-4971 – Texas Wesleyan University

It is best to download the Zoom software to participate, especially because you will need it on your device to vote (via Zoom polls). This doesn’t mean you need to sign up for a Zoom account to join the meeting with the link provided.

TMEA Staff

Questions?

College Vice-President: Paul Sikes

Executive Director: Robert Floyd | rfloyd@tmea.org Deputy Director: Frank Coachman | fcoachman@tmea.org Administrative Director: Kay Vanlandingham | kvanlandingham@tmea.org Advertising/Exhibits Manager: Zachary Gersch | zgersch@tmea.org Membership Manager: Susan Daugherty | susand@tmea.org

Email your Region President if you have questions about your Region meetings.

www .tmea .org/regionmeetings

Communications Manager: Karen Cross | kcross@tmea.org Financial Manager: Cristin Gaffney | cgaffney@tmea.org Information Technologist: Andrew Denman-Tidline | adenman@tmea.org Administrative Assistant: Rita Ellinger | rellinger@tmea.org

TMEA Office Mailing Address: P.O. Box 140465, Austin, 78714-0465 Physical Address: 7900 Centre Park Drive, Austin, 78754 Phone: 512-452-0710 Website: www.tmea.org Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. (remotely via email)

2021 TMEA Clinic/Convention • Online • February 11–13

Southwestern Musician (ISSN 0162-380X) (USPS 508-340) is published monthly except March, June, and July by Texas Music Educators Association, 7900 Centre Park Drive, Austin, TX 78754.

Subscription rates: One Year – $20; Single copies $3.00. Periodical postage paid at Austin, TX, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Southwestern Musician, P.O. Box 140465, Austin, TX 78714-0465. Southwestern Musician was founded in 1915 by A.L. Harper. Renamed in 1934 and published by Dr. Clyde Jay Garrett. Published 1941–47 by Dr. Stella Owsley.

Incorporated in 1948 as National by Harlan-Bell Publishers, Inc. Published 1947–54 by Dr. H. Grady Harlan. Purchased in 1954 by D.O. Wiley. Texas Music Educator was founded in 1936 by Richard J. Dunn and given to the Texas Music Educators Association, whose official publication it has been since 1938. In 1954, the two magazines were merged using the name Southwestern Musician combined with the Texas Music Educator under the editorship of D.O. Wiley, who continued to serve as editor until his retirement in 1963. At that time ownership of both magazines was assumed by TMEA. In August 2004 the TMEA Executive Board changed the name of the publication to Southwestern Musician.

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Southwestern Musician | February 2021

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B Y

B R I A N

C O A T N E Y

PRESIDENT’S NOTES

Onward through the fog

W

check www.tmea .org for updates

February—Renew your membership and register for the convention.

February 10, 7 p.m.—Attend your TMEA Region meeting (see page 2).

February 11–13, 2021—TMEA Clinic/ Convention, held virtually.

February 11, 6 p.m.—Attend the TMEA First General Session.

February 12, 8 p.m.—Attend the TMEA Second General Session.

February 13, 4 p.m.—Attend your TMEA Division business meeting.

hat a difference a year makes! About this time a year ago, I nervously took over as TMEA President, following an exceptional celebration of our centennial at the 2020 TMEA Clinic/Convention led by the amazing Joe Muñoz. I still remember participating in my first Board meeting three years earlier, when Joe discussed the importance of making our centennial celebration special. This forward thinking is just one of the numerous qualities that makes him an extraordinary leader. I am extremely grateful I had the honor and privilege to observe Dinah Menger’s, Andy Sealy’s, Robert Horton’s, and Joe’s incredible leadership as TMEA Presidents. Thanks go to them for showing me the way—I will forever be indebted for the knowledge they bestowed upon me.

One of my favorite podcasts is Hidden Brain, produced and hosted by Shankar Vedantem. In a recent episode, he talked about gratitude and where it gets you. The most profound statement was that if we build a habit to cultivate gratitude, it will play out in many domains that provide a better living. In other words, cultivating gratitude will help us value the future more than the present.

Hearing this made me realize that I need to practice more gratitude. While this year has most definitely been stressful and full of disappointments, we still have so much to be grateful for.

I am grateful you allowed and trusted me to lead TMEA through the difficult challenges we faced this year. I am grateful for the remarkable Board

There is no better position than that of a teacher to have subtle and monumental impact on the long-term quality of life for our young people.

Southwestern Musician | February 2021

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members I have had the honor of serving with over the past four years. Their dedication and commitment to TMEA and music education is inspiring. We spend hours discussing ideas and topics that will affect thousands of music students and educators. It has been an honor and pleasure to work with them all and I am grateful for the fond memories. I would especially like to acknowledge our current Board not only for putting up with me but also for going above and beyond navigating through this pandemic. I hope you also join me in gratitude for the work of our amazing staff members. They are the unsung heroes of TMEA. Our association is financially healthy, and the advocacy this staff is constantly doing continues to benefit us, and at times it has saved our profession. Our thanks go to them for their commitment and hard work and for always going beyond expectations to make TMEA the example for other music educator associations.

One of the daunting tasks of serving on the Board is writing these monthly columns. We submit them two months in advance, they need to be a certain length,

and they should focus on pedagogical topics. It is hard to believe that this is my 25th article, bringing my total word count to 34,259. Luckily in my case, we have an incredible staff who have edited my work so it can be presented as professionally as possible. This being my last, I thought it would be fun to reflect on some of my past articles. Maybe all my friends who lovingly tell me they never read my articles will read this one.

My first article as president was entitled “It starts with you,” and it focused on the direction the Board envisioned for TMEA. I am glad to say that even with a pandemic, we were still able to keep many of these topics at the forefront. One of my personal goals on the Board is finding ways to make our mentor program more robust and farreaching. I believe we should continue our discussions about enhancing our mentor program, as this program is becoming a priority not only to help with retaining music educators but also for recruiting more diversity to our great profession. The current Board has also considered how we can better support private lesson instructors and collegiate studio professors. These

educators are instrumental in a student’s music education, and I can see many mutual benefits if we could partner with these groups to improve that support and encourage these educators to become more involved with TMEA. My most controversial column was published last September as I was reflecting on my perception and personal experience of being white after reading Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility. After rereading that column, I understand how some of my words might have bothered some members, especially past leadership. I hope these members understand I did not intend to reflect negatively on their contributions to our association. My focus was to consider how TMEA could move forward and improve from our current state. The other purpose was to let our members of color know TMEA is committed to a more concerted effort of supporting greater diversity in our profession. While there is always work to do, I would also offer that TMEA has been forward-thinking in its efforts toward inclusion and equity.

Through the diligence and work of past leaders, we ensure students aren’t excluded

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Southwestern Musician | February 2021

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Texas Summer Flute Symposium SUNDAY-FRIDAY, JUNE 13-18 Dr. Julee Kim Walker – Texas A&M University-Commerce

Mimi Stillman – International Concert Soloist Conor Nelson – Powell Flutes Artist

Marching Arts Director Symposium

2021 SUMMER MUSIC CAMP SERIES

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21-23 Interactive masterclasses from leaders in the drum & bugle corps, college and high school marching band activities.

Take your teaching and ensembles to the next level.

CPE Credit up to 16 hours available

Leadership, Drum Major & Colorguard Camp SUNDAY-THURSDAY, JUNE 20-24 Frank Troyka – Conn-Selmer, System Blue Director of Education

Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser – Attitude Concepts for Today, Conn-Selmer Koji Mori – Harrison High School (Georgia), Music For All Drum Major Institute

The TAMUC Summer Music Camp Series is proceeding at this time with face-to-face, overnight camps in accordance with CDC, State of Texas and Texas A&M University System guidelines.

In the event that safety protocols will not allow for in-person events, we will proceed with a virtual camp experience.

In partnership with System Blue and the 19-Time World Champion Blue Devils

Blast of Brass SUNDAY-SATURDAY, JULY 11-17 Patrick Sheridan – International Tuba Artist

Online registration now open:

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Rex Richardson – Jazz Trumpet Artist

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from TMEA opportunities. Where I see us continuing to do the hard work is in better supporting diversity in our classrooms and profession. I am grateful this is one of our main discussion topics with the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. The committee has been working to provide members information and resources to help us understand and support all students and teach respect of all cultures through music education. The committee is also discussing ways to encourage people of color to join this prestigious profession and motivate these members to serve in leadership positions. The conversations have been challenging and inspiring, and I look forward to many more to come.

My favorite column was when I reviewed Brené Brown’s podcast about “Terrible First Times.” I wish I could say we are through our pandemic terrible first time, but we will continue to experience its effects as we navigate the rebuilding of our programs and establishing our new normal. I experienced a weird epiphany when I attended the Region 25 UIL Marching Contest this year. On one hand, I saw bands perform a typical Texas marching band show at a high level in full uniforms. I was moved and amazed that high school students could prepare and perform a show at that level, let alone during a pandemic. I then watched several bands perform an atypical show in jeans and polos. It was awesome to see students entertaining the audience and having fun while doing it. They were less concerned about perfection, and you could tell they were excited to be performing together.

The epiphany was witnessing the dichotomy of those approaches and the effects of competition. Each approach has merit, and you could see all the students were enjoying their performance and proud of their work. This made me think about our Honor Band and Orchestra competitions we hosted for so many years until this pandemic caused us to press pause on each. In recent years, I believe the Honor Band and Honor Orchestra pendulum had swung too far to the competitive side. And now, it will take several years to rebuild to where we were prior to the pandemic with regard to numbers and quality. As we rebuild, I hope we don’t lose the insight we gained during this pandemic. My hope is that the new normal will involve healthy competitions that raise the level of performance and emphasis on music-making but that 8

Southwestern Musician | February 2021

don’t lose sight of the fun and entertaining side of rehearsing and performing.

I don’t know what is in store for us this year, but I know we will get through it together. We are in great hands with the current Board, our new President John Carroll, and the incredible TMEA staff.

Thank you again for entrusting me to lead and serve as President. I am honored to be part of this incredible association and will continue to serve as much as possible.

If you ask my wife, she will tell you I am a man of few words, so I thought I would close this last article with advice from my best friend, Hoss.

Hoss is a two-year-old, 85-pound Olde English Bulldogge who makes me laugh every day.

He told me I should quote his favorite story “If a dog were your teacher” by an unknown author.

When it’s in your best interest, practice obedience.

Let others know when they’ve invaded your territory.

Take naps and stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

If a dog were your teacher, these are some of the lessons you might learn . . .

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

Thrive on attention and let people (socially distanced) touch you.

Avoid biting, when a simple growl will do.

On warm days stop to lie on your back on the grass.

On hot days drink lots of water and lay under a shady tree.

When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

No matter how often you’re scolded, don’t buy into the guilt thing and pout.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.

Stop when you have had enough.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something you’re not.

Thank you TMEA for all that you’ve given me. As our illustrious Executive Director always says, “Onward through the fog.” 0

Notice: New Business Requests According to the TMEA Constitution, new business, in the form of a motion or resolution, and any appeals of decisions of the State Board of Directors or Executive Board for the consideration of TMEA’s general membership shall be submitted to the Agenda Committee not later than the close of registration on the day prior to the time designated for the First General Session of the annual Clinic/Convention. Upon adoption at the First General Session, the report of the Agenda Committee becomes the New Business Section of the Agenda for the Second General Session. Voting members present shall constitute a quorum.

How to Submit: By 11:59 p.m. on February 10, email rfloyd@tmea.org to submit your request to the Agenda Committee.

First General Session: February 11, 6 p.m.

Second General Session: February 12, 8 p.m.

You must be registered for the convention to join these sessions in the online convention platform.

WWW.TMEA.ORG/REGISTER

Throughout the year, our standard music curriculum should expose all students to the history and influence of a diverse collection of musicians. Additionally, February offers a special time to spotlight African-American musicians and composers as part of your commemoration of Black History Month.

Scott Joplin

Florence Price

William Grant Still

Duke Ellington

Teach music from Scott Joplin, Florence Price, William Grant Still, and Duke Ellington to André J. Thomas, William Owens, Rosaphayne Powell, Omar Thomas, and countless more. Share their music and their stories. Inspire your students to develop a deeper understanding of the contributions of African-American musicians and composers to our history, culture, and society.

Get Started! Resources for music educators at every level continue to expand online. From lists of books for elementary students to searchable databases of diverse composers, you won’t have to look far to gain valuable resources for instruction.

Utilize TMEA’s Resources: Find helpful resources on TMEA’s repository, www.tmea.org/resources.

Enter “diversity” in the search field to return resources within multiple topics. If you have valuable resources to use in February and every other month, recommend them on that webpage.

Scott Joplin, William Grant Still, and Duke Ellington images are in the public domain. Florence Price image is courtesy of University of Arkansas libraries: Florence Price Papers (MC 988) Box 1, Folder 12, Item 1. Special Collections, University of Arkansas Libraries, Fayetteville.

Southwestern Musician | February 2021

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2021 TMEA Clinic/Convention F E B R U A R Y 11 –13 , 2 0 2 1 • A V I R T U A L E V E N T

JUST A FEW DAYS AWAY! CLINICS

PERFORMANCES

EXHIBITS

Attend clinics by master teachers on strategies and methods you can put to use the next day. In this virtual environment, you no longer have to miss a clinic that’s scheduled concurrently with another you wanted to attend. Recorded clinics will continue to be available.

Over 30 ensembles have been invited to perform for our convention!

Concerts will rejuvenate and inspire you as you look forward to your ensembles’ future performances.

As soon as the convention platform is available, be sure to add them to your schedule!

In the convention schedule, you will have designated times to peruse the exhibits. Schedule video meetings with exhibitors or text chat online. As always, our music industry partners will be there for you. They will bring their best offers to our attendees!

Register Now to Ensure You Have Access!

• TMEA Members: $80 • Out-of-State Attendees: $130 • College Students: $0 • Retired TMEA Members: $20 Included in $25 membership.

Make Connections!

10 Southwestern Musician | February 2021

Connect with music educators from around the state and world in our virtual convention platform—during the event and beyond! Use messaging and video meetings to take your networking and connections to the next level!

Getting Started!

As soon as the online convention platform is available (by February 1):

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Log in at https://2021convention .tmea .org Complete Your Profile Make updates and upload your profile picture.

Create Your Agenda Review the schedule and click

on events of interest.

Check Your Notifications Click the bell icon whenever you see an indicator.

3

Explore and Connect With over 200 clinics and concerts, exhibitors, and thousands of attendees, you have much to discover!

Southwestern Musician | February 2021 11

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S NOTES

B Y

R O B E R T

F L O Y D

87th session begins

A

s the 87th legislative session gets underway, there is still much speculation about what the session will look like during this pandemic.

While Governor Abbott released a statement on December 22 opening the capitol to the public and to visitors, his statement also conveyed that each chamber will vote on their respective rules and protocols governing safety at the start of the legislative session.

Despite this expansion in access, the public, citizens who testify on thousands of bills, lobbyists, schoolchildren, and music ensembles that perform almost daily in the rotunda could still be affected by COVID-19 protocols.

Certainly, this could alter the normal political process where decisions are based on input from Texas citizens and those who represent them.

So how might such limitations impact education in general and fine arts in particular? That is a great question mostly unclear currently. TMEA lobbyists and staff have usually been present practically every day throughout the session, and especially in the final 90 or so of the 140 days, when most of the business is transacted. As a reminder, the first 30–45 days are spent on the House side electing a Speaker, appointing committee chairs and committee members, and beginning to schedule bill hearings. While the leader of the Senate, the lieutenant governor, is already in place, committee chairs and members must still be appointed in that chamber as well.

No one has to do everything, but everyone has to do something.

12 Southwestern Musician | February 2021

check www.tmea .org for updates

February—Renew your membership and register for the convention.

February 10, 7 p.m.—Attend your TMEA Region meeting (see page 2).

February 11–13, 2021—TMEA Clinic/ Convention, held virtually.

February 11, 6 p.m.—Attend the TMEA First General Session.

February 12, 8 p.m.—Attend the TMEA Second General Session.

February 13, 4 p.m.—Attend your TMEA Division business meeting.

During a legislative session, much of one’s success in moving legislation forward or getting language included in a bill that supports your agenda or cause is accomplished by the relationships you build with legislative staff. If our access in the capitol hallways and offices is limited, how can those relationships be fostered? That’s yet another unanswered question. For many reelected incumbents, those relationships are a carryover from the previous session, but there are always new hires and, for those members recently elected for their inaugural term, entirely new staffs.

With this limited access to legislators and their staff members, how do we successfully build these relationships? First and foremost, rather than go into the session in a defensive position, pushing back against one bill at a time, our plan is to create a campaign for fine arts education that will make any legislator or association think twice about filing a bill that could harm or limit fine arts programs. Our advocacy message must be stronger than ever. TMEA will provide you that message, but it is incumbent upon you to tell your story, and the stories of your students,

regarding rigorous arts study and how it positively touches students’ lives.

A possible part of our plan is to file two or three bills to keep us on the radar. This is another opportunity where you come into play. As I have previously written, the most powerful and influential lobby voice we have comes from the voters in the districts where legislators reside. This year, more than ever before, that voice will be crucial!

So what can you do to make an impact?

• Go to wrm.capitol.texas.gov and identify your Senator and House member and make a point to reach out to them. Especially in the House where there are 150 members, you may know them already, you may go to church with them, or their children and yours may play youth sports or sing in the choir together. They may even be your next-door neighbor. Expand that relationship!

• Deliver a personal message asking legislators to support legislation we file and bills we believe will have a positive impact on protecting and supporting arts education.

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14 Southwestern Musician | February 2021

• It has never been more important to have your superintendent be supportive of your program and knowledgeable of bills that might harm arts education. When critical votes come up at the capitol on education issues, legislators often reach out to their superintendents, especially of their largest school districts in their legislative districts, to know how to vote.

• Be willing to keep your music parents advised of the role they can play in affecting legislation. TMEA will provide the information you need and suggestions for accomplishing this task. It will be your responsibility to follow through with that communication. Prior to COVID-19, we had over 1.9 million students enrolled in a fine arts course in secondary schools, grades 6–12. Over 600,000 of those students were engaged in music in some capacity. That can be a most effective lobby base when together we reach out to our legislators to deliver the same message.

As Matt Matthews, our lobbyist for the last 15 years, always says, “Legislators want to do the right thing but need direction.” Or put another way, “I am their leader . . . Where did they go?” In most cases they will carry the flag for the constituents in their community if they know what to do. We must convince them that support for arts education is the right thing to do for children—for their personal well-being, for their social and emotional health, and for preparing them for the workforce.

Stay tuned for further information on a special section on the TMEA website as plans develop. The potential limited access to the halls of the capitol makes your participation and support more important than ever. Our success throughout this session depends on the involvement of us all. As Matthews also says, “No one has to do everything, but everyone has to do 0 something.”

2020–2021 TMEA EXECUTIVE BOARD TMEA Board members dedicate countless hours deliberating the business of our association, supporting our members, and guiding programs that foster the pursuit of musical excellence by students at every level.

This year, just like in their roles as music educators, their work on the TMEA Board has been met with unexpected challenges demanding sound leadership.

We thank each Board member for their dedication to ensuring every student experiences the joy of music-making that leads to a lifelong love of music. We hope you join us in gratitude for our past leaders who shaped our association and for these current Board members who have steered us through a most difficult year.

President-Elect John Carroll

President Brian Coatney

Past-President Joe MuĂąoz

Divisional Vice-Presidents

Band Dana Pradervand

Orchestra Michael Stringer

Vocal Jed Ragsdale

Elementary Abigail Hawes

College Paul Sikes

Thank you for your service!

Southwestern Musician | February 2021 15

Finding Joy

by Meredith Riggs

First grader Zalayah loves participating in her elementary music class.

Editor’s Note: This article appeared in the September/October issue of Texas School Business, published by the Texas Association of School Administrators. Each issue of that publication includes an article focused on fine arts education, and we were pleased to offer them this inspiring message about the importance of music education.

L

ast spring, I delighted in watching the videos of my students’ families as they played handclap games and laughed joyfully when mistakes were made. While some might see them just as silly games, what I see is my students beautifully achieving the very goals I have for them: singing together, working together, finding delight in mistakes that can lead to growth.

In the fall, as I headed into my 14th year of teaching, I began reflecting on how what I’ve learned and changed throughout the 16 Southwestern Musician | February 2021

years has affected my students. Some of the biggest changes have resulted in my students expressing more joy and laughter as well as being more reflective of their learning.

Focus on Self-Awareness The first shift was incorporating social and emotional learning into the music space—it’s a most natural inclusion, given how inherently social and emotional music-making is. Yet, while inherent, it does require intentional implementation. Taking time for student-led mindful movement at the beginning of class helps

ensure smooth transitions—an aspect of elementary music classes that can be difficult for some. It also allows for students to try on leadership roles in a safe way.

Another SEL strategy I use is having students check in with their bodies when they complete something successfully. It’s easy for us to remember our failings, so calling attention to the feelings of success and having my students describe those feelings helps them seek it out more. They can carry this practice with them throughout their lives.

I’ve also taught my students simple mindfulness methods to help them in

with

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moments of frustration, because frustration is often a part of learning. With simple breathing or touch strategies, students can navigate those moments and come out of them with a feeling of growth. When I notice a student is stuck on something, I ask them what strategies they can use.

“Finger tracing!” “Hot cocoa!” And away we go!

While I’ve witnessed how SEL strategies help every student, Talia especially comes to mind. She started the year like any other student, but as academic pressures grew, she frequently became physically agitated.

She often interrupted class with random noises or outbursts. I knew not to take her behavior personally, so I had private conversations with her to learn what she was feeling in those moments and to determine what she needed to stay focused.

With her classroom teacher, counselor,

and administrator, we worked together to help Talia incorporate breathing exercises and self-reminders. While things were never perfect, issues were more quickly resolved, and Talia became more aware of her triggers and ways to recover. It’s important to acknowledge that we all have strong emotions at times, but we can use mindfulness to recognize the cause and effect and then move forward.

more concrete feedback on what they did and how it helped them be successful. The most meaningful result of this change is evident when students begin identifying those things themselves!

This language shift is similarly transformative when applied to classroom management as students can identify how their behaviors affect their learning and relationships with others.

How We Say It Matters Another important shift in my teaching has been in the language I use with my students. In college, I wasn’t taught about how significantly my words would affect my students’ view of themselves. Instead of “Great job on singing,” say “I noticed you were thinking ahead to the next part of the song and were able to remember all the lyrics and pitches.” This gives students

Music Is Movement Movement has always been present in the form of musical games and moving to music. It’s always everyone’s favorite part of class—it’s a natural reaction to hearing music. Yet, I discovered a greater impact to student success when I began incorporating more of it into the learning of music literacy.

Previously, I created parameters for our

z z Ja

Camp Southwestern Musician | February 2021 19

Meredith Riggs teaches a music lesson at Blackshear Elementary. literacy-based movement, but in the past two years, I stepped back and allowed students to be more creative and collaborative in those activities. When students create their own interpretation of the melodic shape of a phrase, there is so much experimentation and laughter. I love hearing their conversations with each other about how things worked or didn’t and what they

can change to make it more interesting or silly or athletic. When engaged in these fun movement activities, students don’t even realize they’re learning important music lessons and developing a deeper creative self—something that transfers to all aspects of learning. Moments like these reveal what’s amazing about music learning—through our academic disci-

pline of developing music literacy and skills, we experience the joy of making music with our friends and opportunities for self-expression, risk-taking, and confidence-building.

While most of my reflections have centered on in-person activities, many of these things were easily adapted for distance learning. We may have lost a little of the collaboration between peers, but watching siblings teach each other and work together in video submissions was joyful and offered a whole new level of learning. In the spring I lost the studentled movement piece, but all summer I looked forward to seeing it return in student submissions to be shared (with parental consent, of course).

We’re all learning and growing through this uncharted territory, and as we navigate it, we will continue to discover ways to help our students and ourselves find joy. 0 Meredith Riggs is an Elementary Music Specialist at Blackshear Elementary School in Austin ISD. She is certified in Kodály levels I–IV and Orff levels I & II and has completed Dalcroze coursework. Learn more about Meredith and her elementary music students in the video “Music Makes Me Happy” at www.tmea.org/happy.

20 Southwestern Musician | February 2021

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2021 TMEA Clinic/Convention • Online • February 11–13

W W W. T M E A . O R G / C O N V E N T I O N

REGISTER TODAY! Register now to gain access to all the 2021 TMEA Clinic/Convention has to offer!

www .tmea .org/register Can’t Attend Feb . 11–13?

No Problem!

While it will be more engaging to participate in our convention when you know tens of thousands are online with you, our convention platform won’t disappear on February 14.

If you simply can’t participate during our event dates, you should still register now. Then, when you have time in your schedule, watch any of the clinic recordings. You can even schedule video meetings with other attendees after the event!

Understand that because of licensing limitations, concerts will be available only during the event dates.

Getting CPE Credit

Build Your Agenda When the convention platform is available, please log in and start building your schedule of events that you want to join (called My Agenda).

This step helps ensure we have planned appropriately sized virtual rooms to accommodate all who want to attend. The size of a virtual room influences its cost, and we have worked to set up right-sized virtual rooms for each clinic. Help us confirm that by setting up your schedule.

When choosing what to attend at the scheduled time, know that clinics include a live Q&A segment where your questions can be addressed. That might influence which clinics you attend when they’re scheduled and which you save for later.

Starting February 18, go to www.tmea.org/cpe and log in to your TMEA record. Only Active TMEA member attendees (not College Student or Retired) and Out-of-State attendees are eligible for CPE credit. Document the sessions you attended to completion and print your CPE certificate to submit to your district. Be sure to print an extra copy for your records.

22 Southwestern Musician | February 2021

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BAND NOTES

B Y

D A N A

P R A D E R V A N D

In Memoriam Melvin Lawrence Cowan August 23, 1943–November 30, 2020

Where do you find inspiration?

W

e have made it through the fall semester, enjoyed the holidays, and are beginning to tackle the challenges of a new year. Let’s face it! We can all use a little inspiration, especially now. The question is: where do we find that needed inspiration? In pondering this, I did what many of you would do: I turned to Google.

Inspiration, my search revealed, is the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially having to do with creativity. My next question for Google was where to find inspiration. Google answered, and I was led down a rabbit hole of research articles.

There are countless sites you can explore where you will find endless lists of motivational platitudes (“Excellence Is a Choice!”) and overused nuggets of inspiration (“Better Never Stops!”). And you can find articles that offer anywhere from 5 to 100 ways to find inspiration.

I spent the better part of an afternoon reading in an attempt to narrow the focus of my question. I was hoping to provide us with a concise how-to guide for finding inspiration. As you begin 2021, with a renewed sense of purpose and

Much about our profession is challenging, but few others can finish each day knowing they are shaping the future and have made a difference in the world!

24 Southwestern Musician | February 2021

check www.tmea .org for updates

February—Renew your membership and register for the convention.

February 10, 7 p.m.—Attend your TMEA Region meeting (see page 2).

February 11–13, 2021—TMEA Clinic/ Convention, held virtually.

February 11, 6 p.m.—Attend the TMEA First General Session.

February 12, 8 p.m.—Attend the TMEA Second General Session.

February 13, 4 p.m.—Attend your TMEA Division business meeting.

direction, I hope the following can help you find multiple sources for inspiration! #10: Teach someone to do something.

Find inspiration in the very fact that you are a teacher and are inspiring your students, your school, and your community every day! What you do on a daily basis matters! Music matters! Be very proud of that. Much about our profession is challenging, but few others can finish each day knowing they are shaping the future and have made a difference in the world! #9: Do what pushes you to your edge.

Find inspiration in the awesome job you

have done for your students in tackling and overcoming all the challenges of teaching band during a pandemic. Just as we motivate our students to push themselves through the learning process, we must also push ourselves. We have definitely lived outside our comfort zones for some time now. While that’s been distressing, I believe we also have learned that when we get to our edge, we often must become more creative and discover new (sometimes better) ways of working. #8: See your work as a craft! Find inspiration in the creative freedom we have in being able to teach music! It is limitless!

Reflect on the theme of our association’s centennial that we celebrated just one year ago: It Starts With Music. That message reminds us that our work enriches our students and prepares them for any path in life they choose, because music contributes to lifelong success. #7: Get out of the office—or in many cases out of the Zoom classroom—and invest in your personal growth. Register to attend the 2021 TMEA Clinic/Convention.

Not only will you have a great variety of clinics to join and performances to be inspired by, but you’ll also have the opportunity to find other attendees like you and exchange ideas through messaging or video chats. And don’t forget to complete your CPE credit documentation after the event at www.tmea.org/cpe. #6: Join a mastermind group. Find inspiration in your colleagues and being

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a part of the Band Division of TMEA. Do you belong to Facebook groups of professionals like yourself? There are plenty of online opportunities for connecting with others. Again, seek out convention attendees whose profiles include attributes you share or that you don’t share and want to get to know better. #5: Use technology to uplift, encourage, teach, and share. Find inspiration from our Band Division longtime friend Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser and featured clinician Gary Lewis. Engage with them in the live Q&A segments of their clinics. #4: Instill a new habit or learn some­ thing new. Find inspiration by attending one of the many fantastic clinics being presented by our colleagues. You can learn something new about instrument methods, rehearsal techniques, retention and recruiting, virtual teaching strategies, social emotional learning, health and wellness, and more. Realize that unlike our San Antonio events, you can learn from any clinic as all will remain available for view in the convention platform through June 30. #3: Listen to music that moves you.

Find inspiration by listening to the performances by our invited middle school and high school ensembles, the Texas Christian University Jazz Ensemble, and the University of North Texas One O’Clock Lab Band. We are so grateful that our Invited Performing Group directors and students found creative ways to offer

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their music-making to our attendees! Also, don’t miss the special performance by the Houston Symphony and our President’s Concert featuring VOCES8. #2: Associate with game changers and visionaries in our profession. We can surely expect to be inspired by TMEA keynote speaker Wynton Marsalis during the Second General Session and from several master educators who are legacies in our profession, like Richard Floyd and Eugene Corporon.

And the number-one way to find inspiration is simple! #1: Attend the 2021 TMEA Clinic/ Convention. I guarantee you will come away inspired and motivated. You simply cannot afford to miss it! I’ll see you online soon!

TMEA Clinic/Convention Update If you have not already done so, you can still register for the 2021 TMEA Clinic/ Convention. Even if you can’t attend during the event dates, register now as you’ll continue to have access after February 13.

When you log in to the convention online platform (available by February 1), you should start by completing your profile by adding information and your picture.

Then organize your personal agenda by adding all the events of interest. You can also begin to connect with other attendees and set up social and professional

meetings via the video messaging feature during and following the event dates. Go to www.tmea.org/register and begin your convention experience!

In Gratitude Thanks go to our 33 Region Band Chairs, middle school coordinators, adjudicators, and all volunteers who helped the virtual All-State audition process run so smoothly. In addition, the Band Division wants to thank Frank Coachman and Andrew Denman-Tidline for their incredible work managing the virtual All-State audition process.

Honor Band Suspended Given the continued impact of the pandemic on school music ensembles, the Honor Band and Honor Orchestra competitions will remain suspended for the 2021 year. Looking toward the 2022 TMEA Clinic/Convention, the Executive Board will provide a process to invite ensembles to be convention performing groups.

We hope that for 2022, we can witness those performances in person! More information, including updated application criteria and entry procedures, will be published online as soon as they are finalized.

Attend the Band Division business meeting during the convention to learn more about these possible changes.

0

40+ Band Division Events!

During the 2021 TMEA Clinic/Convention, the Band Division is hosting over 40 events!

Go Beyond! In addition to our Band Division events, be sure to review the full schedule for clinics hosted by other divisions that apply to you as well—there are many!

FOR ALL THINGS CONVENTION, GO TO WWW.TMEA.ORG/CONVENTION

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HONORING THEIR WORLDS Fostering Community and Self-Expression in Urban Schools

M

BY SAMUEL ESCALANTE

usic classes can provide a wealth of positive, identityaffirming experiences for students. Yet, teaching music to youth of color in urban schools, particularly Black and Latinx students, sometimes carries negative perceptions based on a misunderstanding or disconnect from the ways that youth of color navigate their worlds. Historically, these students’ classroom experiences often haven’t reflected their modes of expression, their motivations for learning, or their cultures. In response, music teachers in urban schools have turned to more culturally responsive ways to foster learning environments founded on a sense of safety, community, and cross-cultural appreciation. However, achieving this is not always straightforward, especially when you don’t necessarily share a close relation to the cultures, histories, and backgrounds of your students.

Why has this been such an ongoing challenge, particularly in urban schools? In his popular book For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood . . . and the Rest of Y’all Too, Dr. Christopher Emdin provides a useful framework for understanding how it is that we came to the common negative framing around education in urban schools and how we can instead empower youth of color through his concept of “reality pedagogy.” In short, Emdin argues that too often schools and teachers do not meaningfully appreciate and incorporate the particular “ways of being” and “ways of knowing” common among youth of color in urban schools. Since schooling is often based on the norms of affluent, often majority-white, suburban schools, educators may implicitly communicate that ways of being and knowing outside those norms have less value.

Reality pedagogy is an approach that seeks to ensure every child is seen, heard, and valued, even when the ways students express themselves do not reflect the traditional norms of schooling. Emdin writes: Reality pedagogy . . . has a primary goal of meeting each student on his or her own cultural and emotional turf. . . . It posits that while the teacher is the person charged with delivering the 30 Southwestern Musician | February 2021

content, the student is the person who shapes how best to teach that content. . . . In a reality-pedagogy-based classroom, every individual is perceived as having a distinct perspective and is given the opportunity to express that in the classroom.

Reality pedagogy moves beyond seeing students as equal to their cultural identities; the teacher does not make assumptions about students based on preconceptions about their identities.

Instead, by fostering community and self-expression, teachers can encourage students’ individual expressions to be shared, appreciated, honored, and valued. While I draw primarily from my experience as a middle and high school instrumental music director in urban schools, Title I schools, and schools with predominantly Black and Latinx students, the following approaches can apply to other music classroom settings as well.

The following ideas are not intended to be self-contained units.

I offer them in a way that I hope provides flexibility to be applied with your classrooms and students.

Creating Community School is often a place in which youth of color have traditionally been discouraged to be their most authentic selves. Emdin writes: Urban youth distinguish themselves from the larger culture through their dress, their music, their creativity in nonacademic endeavors, and their artistic output. In much public discourse, the ways in which they express themselves creatively are denigrated. . . . They learn quickly that they are expected to divorce themselves from their culture in order to be academically successful.

We have read many compelling examples and personal accounts about how our music classrooms are a place where students feel most comfortable being themselves—where they feel seen, heard, understood, and valued. However, if we do not actively cultivate a caring culture of community with and among our students, we can perpetuate the same conditions that discourage students to be

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By implementing projects that allow students to create, teach, learn, and work collaboratively, you can engage in student-centered approaches to learning and encourage relationships that might otherwise be challenging to establish using traditional, teacher-centered approaches.

their most authentic selves.

To facilitate this caring community, we can start with bringing an authentic expression of ourselves to the class.

Students should get to know you as a whole person with personality, hobbies, values, traditions, and a life outside the classroom.

Consider drafting your autobiography and teaching statement explaining what led you to teach music. Before the school year begins, share this story with your classes— offering it as a video can be an effective way to start making meaningful connec-

tions with them. Include music, images, and relevant artifacts from your life, but go deeper than simply showing photos of your pets. Share your favorite artists and why you “vibe” with them, share what hobbies or topics you like to “geek out on,” discuss a meaningful challenge in your life and how you overcame it, and more. Continue this dialogue throughout the year by creating a private class page, such as through Google Classroom, where you can curate and share content with your students directly. Your students won’t always con-

nect with what you’re about, but they will better engage with a teacher who they see as a whole human being and not strictly an authority figure.

Creating community in the classroom includes fostering bonds between students.

By implementing projects that allow students to create, teach, learn, and work collaboratively, you can engage in student-centered approaches to learning and encourage relationships that might otherwise be challenging to establish using traditional, teacher-centered approaches. Composition, arrangement, or songwriting activities, for example, need not be solitary endeavors.

Students could create music and teach it to a group of peers, or they could each bring separate parts into a larger group composition and teach parts to one another. Projects could include lyrics, visuals, poetry, or choreography, and students can divide the labor to tap into their respective talents, sensibilities, and areas of strength. Of course, these projects must center on the musical tastes and music-making practices of your students. To familiarize ourselves with these, we must give students a safe platform to express and affirm who they are.

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Supporting Self-Expression and Affirmation It is critical that we foster students’ artistic and creative output in ways that honor and incorporate their cultures, knowledge, skills, interests, and musical worlds. In keeping with the aims of reality pedagogy and creating community, I encourage teachers implementing these projects also to produce their own projects, either ahead of or alongside their students’ work. By exploring activities like these, you can develop a mutual partnership with your students that enables new modes of creativity and self-expression that honor the ways they engage with music and the world.

Social Media Projects: Social media can be a powerful tool for identity affirmation for youth of color. Through videos, memes, and images in popular apps, students commonly create and share content that affirms who they are. Similarly, you can enable students to express themselves authentically by implementing projects that incorporate videos, memes, or images in styles similar to those common on social media platforms. These projects can showcase students’ talents in music, create connections between music and other subjects, connect music to issues important in their lives, or be used as novel ways to present students’ musical and academic knowledge. For example, students could create

Urban Music Education Clinics Nine urban music education clinics will be presented during the 2021 TMEA Clinic/Convention. Attend and learn more!

Register today at www.tmea.org/register.

TikTok style videos in which they differentiate between varied musical styles. Often, humor is a big part of social media content and should be encouraged.

Composing, Arranging, and Songwrit­ ing: Projects that allow students to create their own music, whether completely original or borrowing elements from others, are essential to making music classes student-centered. To tap into the knowledge and passions of youth of color in urban schools, expand their opportunities beyond Western music notation common to classical literature. With smart devices, apps, and the Internet, in addition to the music-making tools already present in the classroom, students can create music more easily than ever. Additionally, teachers don’t need to be expert composers to support this activity. Rather than teaching composition, the goal of this project should be facilitating organic exploration (including the learning of apps and other technology that might be new to you as well).

By incorporating more than notation and sounds, students can bring more of themselves to the music they create. Their music can incorporate sung lyrics, spoken word poetry, or rap lyrics. Students can

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include images and videos, either original or borrowed, that convey ideas and messages important to them. Such projects can range from very short segments to larger, multilevel projects that span days or weeks. The goal is to create and express, not just practice composition skills. With that in mind, projects should focus on what matters most to students. Consider making music in the styles of students’ favorite artists, composing music for hypothetical movies, books, or video games, or composing music inspired by issues in their own lives.

THE

UNIVERSITY

Playlist Projects Playlists are a popular way that youth curate and share their musical worlds and experience those of others. Consider how students could use the power of playlists to engage with music on a deeper level.

Music identity project: In this project I learned about from my colleague Brent Talbot, students curate a playlist of songs; each expresses important aspects of their identity. From their hobbies and personality to their faith, family life, favorite foods, or dream careers, students use the playlist of songs to share important aspects of

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themselves with the class. This activity can be perfect for the beginning of the school year and it has the added benefit of helping teachers identify not only what music is culturally relevant to students but also how and why.

Music supervisor projects: Students curate a playlist in the same way a music supervisor would curate music for a piece of media. Students create playlists to “score” sections of their favorite shows, movies, books, and important events in the world or in their life. Students could also create themed playlists relevant to assigned repertoire. For example, if a theme in a piece of repertoire is “the hero’s journey,” students could pull from other songs and works that may express emotions or ideas related to a hero’s journey. In this creative project, avoid applying too many parameters on music selection; the music simply needs to be meaningful to your students.

Consider adding creative elements to the project such as storyboards or theatrical demonstrations that can tap into students’ talents outside of music and allow them to bring more of themselves into the project.

Musical elements projects: Students curate a playlist that exemplifies musical elements (timbre, dynamic contrasts, motifs, instrumentation, rhythmic figures, etc.). Students present selections that showcase these elements and analyze how such elements are being used. The teacher could assign musical elements being addressed in the repertoire they are studying, such as music in a particular time signature or key.

By doing so, students can bridge the gap between the music of their choosing and musical elements being taught, thus creating culturally relevant connections with academic objectives.

When through our lessons and activities we are intentional in respecting and celebrating individual student’s cultures and interests, we can succeed in our goal of fostering learning environments founded on a sense of safety, community, and crosscultural appreciation.

0 Samuel Escalante is Senior Lecturer of Music Education at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Reference

MUSIC.UNM.EDU

Talbot, Brent C. “The music identity project.” Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education 12, no. 2 (2013).

BAY L OR U N I V E R SIT Y SCHOOL OF MUSIC

VISIT Email our professors to schedule a sample lesson or virtual visit.

Contact information available at baylor.edu/music/directory

AUDITION PROCESS 1. Complete the Baylor University application at baylor.edu/gobaylor 2. Complete and submit the School of Music application and your video recorded audition at app.getacceptd.com/baylormusic Subscribe to our newsletter or receive School of Music concert information and updates at baylor.edu/music/subscribe

For more information, visit baylor.edu/music Email Mary Sage at Mary_Sage@baylor.edu or Music_Admit@baylor.edu ďż˝ baylormusic

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Baylor University admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin, sex, age, disability, or veteran status.

Be an Active Member in Your Association!

February 10, 7 pm: Region Meetings The day before our convention begins, attend your Region meeting held over Zoom to get updated on TMEA business in your Region. Be part of TMEA’s future!

Go to www.tmea.org/regionmeetings and find your Region’s schedule based on your 2020–2022 alignment. Click on the link to log in to your TMEA account. If you don’t know your password, you can reset it at that point.

Once you log in, click on the appropriate Zoom meeting link to join at its scheduled time.

February 11, 6 pm: First General Session In the First General Session, you’ll get important updates and our President-Elect nominations will close.

Following this short business meeting, enjoy an amazing keynote presentation created by award-winning, extraordinary songwriters/ producers Benj Pasek & Justin Paul.

Thanks go to iTheatrics and GIA Publications for making Benj Pasek & Justin Paul's appearance possible.

February 12, 8 pm: Second General Session During our Second General Session, we’ll announce our next President-Elect and conduct a little more business.

Then, we’ll turn our attention to world-renowned musician and arts advocate Wynton Marsalis, who will bring us an inspiring keynote address.

Thanks go to the Education Department of Jazz at Lincoln Center for making Wynton Marsalis's appearance possible.

February 13, 4 pm: Division Business Meeting Attend this annual meeting of your TMEA division. In addition to important business and updates for all, members in the Orchestra, Vocal, and Elementary Divisions will elect their next Vice-President (learn more at www.tmea.org/election).

Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of your division’s future!

38 Southwestern Musician | February 2021

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ORCHESTRA NOTES

B Y

M I C H A E L

S T R I N G E R

The state of the division

A

s my time as the Orchestra Division VicePresident comes to a close, I thought it would be good to take a closer look at how our division has changed over the past two years and give some ideas for how we can continue to move forward in orchestral education. As we have wrapped up what is possibly the most difficult two semesters in recent history, we have accomplished many things that are worthy of celebration.

Accomplishments One of the accomplishments of which I have been most proud is the formation and naming of the first Texas All-State Mariachi Ensemble. While the creation of this ensemble has been a goal of the Executive Board for years, it finally came to fruition at our June meeting in 2019. With assistance from President Coatney and a wonderful committee, the groundwork was laid for how a full, streamlined audition process would work. As soon as the Board voted to begin the ensemble and place it under the orchestra division, I asked

When we were all dealing with the most challenging times of our teaching careers, it was amazing to sit back and learn from our colleagues. The best resource we have is one another.

42 Southwestern Musician | February 2021

check www.tmea .org for updates

February—Renew your membership and register for the convention.

February 10, 7 p.m.—Attend your TMEA Region meeting (see page 2).

February 11–13, 2021—TMEA Clinic/ Convention, held virtually.

February 11, 6 p.m.—Attend the TMEA First General Session.

February 12, 8 p.m.—Attend the TMEA Second General Session.

February 13, 4 p.m.—Attend your TMEA Division business meeting.

PERFORMANCE PA S S I O N PRIDE A Member of the Texas A&M University System

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Ramon Niño of Fort Worth ISD to help coordinate all aspects and lead the charge that would see us through the first Area audition. From contacting composers for repertoire to determining how the different pieces would work, Ramon went above and beyond for our division. We owe him a debt of gratitude and can never offer enough thanks. One of the highlights of my professional career was hearing the absolute joy from mariachi educators across our state as we finished our judges’ meeting in November, knowing that the very first ensemble would be named by day’s

end. It was truly an amazing moment!

Another significant accomplishment in our division was the restructuring of our Orchestra All-Region and All-State process. In July 2019, a committee that represented every area of our state met in Austin to review every policy and procedure of TMEA’s All-State Orchestra process. This was a huge undertaking and one I was not sure could be accomplished in two days’ worth of work.

The committee worked incredibly hard to fulfill the charge that I had been given at the TMEA Orchestra Division business meeting when I was elected. In the end, we came up with a process we believed was fair and equitable to each geographic area of the state and one that corrected many concerns about the length of time that was spent learning All-State material.

As we left Austin, we were confident this new system would address the concerns raised by our membership and would create a more streamlined process for all involved. Having completed this process in 2020, I believe it has accomplished the committee’s intent. Data shows that in almost every section, audition entry numbers were up and there were areas of the state represented more equitably on the All-State rosters.

Finally, I believe that perhaps our

greatest accomplishment was reflected in the new TMEA Connections program.

Through these virtual meetings, we have been able to connect, share, and learn.

While we were all dealing with the most challenging times of our teaching careers, it was amazing to sit back and learn from our colleagues. It was even more powerful to learn that others were facing the same challenges I was, and, together, we came up with solutions to almost every concern presented. I was completely blown away by the creative solutions to issues we thought we would never have. It reminded me that the best resource we have is one another.

I want to say a huge thank-you to anyone who offered a word of encouragement or a morsel of input. You may never know how you helped someone else, but, I assure you, your words helped and made a difference in the lives of many students around our state!

Continued Work While we have accomplished so much in the past few years, there is still much to be done to help our division move forward.

It is my belief there is still much work to be done to better reflect our membership through our selection of clinics, presenters, and literature. As Frank Diaz (our 2020 featured clinician) pointed out in one of

30+ Orchestra Division Events!

During the 2021 TMEA Clinic/Convention, the Orchestra Division is hosting over 30 events!

Go Beyond! In addition to our Orchestra Division events, be sure to review the full schedule for clinics hosted by other divisions that apply to you as well—there are many!

FOR ALL THINGS CONVENTION, GO TO WWW.TMEA.ORG/CONVENTION

44 Southwestern Musician | February 2021

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his sessions, all it takes is to be intentional to have more equal representation in all these areas. I sincerely believe that TMEA can and will continue to focus on giving all students the absolute best music education that we can give. This includes helping our students learn different genres of music and understand how different cultures create and react to music. We must give our students experiences they would not have if it were not for music education.

While our new audition process, for both orchestra and mariachi, worked very well in the first year of implementation, that does not mean they were perfect by any means. We should continue to examine them and find ways to continue to improve the system, from the selection of music through the process of naming Region, Area, and All-State musicians.

division into the next decade of orchestral education. Of course, many have pitched in, helped out, and offered advice, and I owe them my undying gratitude. I wish I could list everyone by name, but the list would simply be too long for this column, or I would, inadvertently, leave someone out. Just know that this position relies on our amazing membership to help focus and guide the work of the division, and, like all of those who have come before me, I could not have done it without each member of the division. I will be grateful for the rest of my life for the opportunity to serve our membership and appreciate your faith, trust, and love more than you can know. It is my sincere hope that you will continue to be blessed, have good health, and be inspired by this great organization and each other!

In Gratitude Finally, thanks go to each of you for putting your trust in me to lead the Orchestra Division these past two years. It has been the greatest honor of my career to represent all the fine educators of our division, and I have been humbled to lead our

TMEA Clinic/Convention As of February 1, our convention platform will be available! Please log in, build your profile, and create your agenda.

If you haven’t registered yet, it is not too late! Go to www.tmea.org/register to register for this wonderful time of learning,

networking, and celebration. I know you will not be disappointed—our convention always offers us the most applicable professional development. Year after year, I return from the convention and have so many new ideas and instructional strategies to try. This year you can have all of that from the comfort of your home (in your pajamas if you choose!). I can’t wait to connect with you there!

Honor Orchestra Suspended Given the continued impact of the pandemic on school music ensembles, the Honor Orchestra and Honor Band competitions will remain suspended for the 2021 year. Looking toward the 2022 TMEA Clinic/Convention, the Executive Board will provide a process to invite ensembles to be convention performing groups.

We hope that for 2022, we can witness those performances in person! More information, including updated application criteria and entry procedures, will be published online as soon as they are finalized.

Attend the Orchestra Division business meeting during the convention to learn more about these possible changes.

0

Southwestern Musician | February 2021 47

TMEA 2021 President’s Concert This extraordinary performance will be presented during the 2021 TMEA Clinic/Convention at no additional charge to convention registrants.

S AT U R D AY, F E B R U A R Y 13 • 7 P M The British vocal ensemble VOCES8 is proud to inspire people through music and share the joy of singing. Touring globally, the group performs an extensive repertory both in its a cappella concerts and in collaborations with leading orchestras, conductors, and soloists. VOCES8 is passionate about music education. VOCES8’s commitment to inspiring people through music includes their unique educational programs, choral scholarships, summer school, and London music education hub.

48 Southwestern Musician | February 2021

TEXAS LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MUSIC

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Saturday, April 17, 2021 | 1-3 p.m.

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Beth Bronk Director of Bands bbronk@tlu.edu

For specific qualifications for each award, visit

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Shaaron Conoly Director of Vocal Studies sconoly@tlu.edu Eric Daub Director of Piano Studies edaub@tlu.edu Liliana Guerrero Asst. Professor, Voice lguerrero@tlu.edu Eliza Jeffords Director of Strings ejeffords@tlu.edu

Kurt Moede Instructor, Horn Nicole Narboni Asst. Professor, Piano Sung-Eun Park Asst. Professor, Collaborative Pianist Carlos Quesada Asst. Professor, Collaborative Pianist Keith Robinson Instructor, Tuba & Music Education Jill Rodriguez Instructor, General Music Mikio Sasaki Instructor, Trumpet

Mark Ackerman Instructor, Oboe Michele Aichele Asst. Professor, Music History Adam Bedell Instructor, Percussion Carol Chambers Instructor, Music Education Paula Corley Instructor, Clarinet Gilbert Garza Asst. Professor, Saxophone

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Individual audition dates may be requested if necessary.

Scott McDonald Instructor, Saxophone & Jazz Band

Chad Ibison Asst. Professor, Guitar Hilary Janysek Asst. Professor, Flute & Music History

Eric Siu Asst. Professor, Violin Bryce Turner Instructor, Percussion Shareen Vader Instructor, Piano Sophie Verhaeghe Instructor, Violin Steven Vogel Instructor, Trombone & Euphonium Ryan Wilkins Instructor, Bassoon Simeng Wu Asst. Professor, Piano

www.tlu.edu/music

2021

50 Southwestern Musician | February 2021

2021 TMEA Clinic/Convention • Over 180 clinics led by master educators • More than 35 invited performing ensembles • Connect online with attendees and exhibitors • Attend the President’s Concert: VOCES8 • Vote for your future TMEA leaders

W W W.T M E A .O R G / C O N V E N T I O N Thank You, Convention Sponsors!

Southwestern Musician | February 2021 51

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E

ric Whitacre, Grammy Award–winning composer, gained worldwide fame by writing for and producing exceptional performances for virtual ensembles. His most famous works include Lux Aurumque, Sleep, and most recently Sing Gently, all of which can be found online. Each featuring thousands of singers, these professional productions set what seemed an unreachable bar for virtual ensembles. Since last spring, however, we have witnessed elementary through college music educators sharing their remote ensemble adventures through virtual ensembles of their own making.

While watching these virtual ensembles is always inspiring, some music educators have struggled to manage their administrators’ or community’s expectations born from seeing the most polished virtual ensembles shared on social media and featured on news stories.

Some have even suggested ensembles be put on hold in this difficult time, perhaps substituting other music study. While much is to be gained in music appreciation, music history, theory, technology, or any of the subdisciplines of music, ensemble directors would be hard-pressed to achieve in those classes what happens in ensemble music-making. Students learn to listen to one another, to play together, to cooperate with each another, to balance and blend, and to practice until they have mastered the technical difficulties in their pieces. Despite the challenges of distance, I believe we should seek any opportunity for students to continue this learning experience.

What I offer isn’t a charge to create a virtual ensemble, as it does necessitate additional time and technological resources. However, if you are interested in trying it yourself, I believe it can be a meaningful endeavor for you and your students, and you can start simply and still offer a significant experience.

Below are the steps I have used to create virtual ensembles using two common approaches: (1) manually or (2) with a dedicated application. The manual process permits greater customization of the final product, accommodates more performers, and supports higher-quality results. Using a dedicated app makes several steps easier, but it also limits the number of participants, and it may require in-app purchases. Consider each approach to determine which best supports the goals you have for your project.

Virtual Ensemble—The Manual Process Whether you are working with a choir or instrumental group, the process outlined here will apply. The Dona Nobis Pacem sample project I reference in this article (pictured on the next page) was created for choir, but because it is a round, it could easily be adapted for instrumentalists.

Select Repertoire: Because a common goal for a virtual ensemble is to publish on YouTube and social media, teachers must conform to their guidelines, especially regarding copyright and the video-recording of minors. To avoid many potential issues, have your students create every sound recorded or used in the video.

Students’ parents should also grant permission allowing photos and videos of their children to be used and shared online. As for the repertoire, if this is your first project, start simply. Select a short piece that doesn’t change tempo and is accessible by all your students. I recommend choosing a work that’s in the public domain (to avoid issues with copyright).

Distribute Music: Distribute music to students and give them time to practice. Give students access to all the materials for download on your school’s learning management system (LMS).

Notation programs make it easy to create and distribute such materials. For this introductory look into virtual ensembles, I Southwestern Musician | February 2021 53

recommend a choral project featuring Dona Nobis Pacem. It’s an excellent work for a practice run.

Create and Distribute Scratch Tracks: Ultimately serving as the students’ inear metronome and guide, you can create a scratch track (click track) in a Digital Audio Workstation (Logic, Pro Tools, GarageBand, Audacity, Ableton, etc.) and export it as an MP3 file. In most programs, you set your tempo, turn on your metronome (make sure you are not using headphones), and record yourself playing piano and singing with the metronome, including the count-off.

The quality of the scratch track will define dynamics, expression, and style for students as they practice and record.

To hear the scratch track for the Dona Nobis Pacem project go to www.tmea.org/ donascratch.

Students Practice and Record: Students should match their style and dynamics with the scratch track while recording. For an example on how to record audio with a phone, while also listening to the scratch track and looking at the music, go to www​ .tmea.org/virtualrecord. While this video shows how to do it all from a phone, students will find it more convenient to print the music.

Once students have practiced and mastered their parts, they record themselves using the best technology they have. Direct them to record in a quiet environment, listening to the scratch track in headphones. They must use headphones while recording, so that only their performance is recorded. Students can make reasonably good recordings with mobile devices using their camera app. This permits them to capture audio and video in one pass (although recording audio separately will generally allow better quality).

If available, for better results, consider using handheld audio recorders (like the Zoom H1N) or USB microphones (such as the AT2020) that can be used with Audacity (free) on a computer.

Students Upload Recordings: Have students upload their recordings to a shared space. Assuming all students are in the same class, a file-upload assignment in their LMS would be effective. If students are not in the same class, other services such as Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, or iCloud could be used. With those services, there are two approaches: (1) students upload to their shared drives, 54 Southwestern Musician | February 2021

Dona Nobis Pacem Traditional Round

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set permissions, and share with the teacher or (2) the teacher creates a shared drive and gives students upload permissions.

The advantage of the teacher providing a place for students to upload is that all files are collected in a single place. The process for creating shared folders is usually as simple as navigating to the site, logging in, creating a new folder, and setting the sharing permissions. File sharing services and LMSs may be used by students from a phone camera app, by tapping the share button from the video (icon with a box with an arrow pointing from it or icon with three dots connected at an angle ). On computers, the students would usually upload to the services from a browser window.

Teacher Does a Quality Check and Addresses Issues: The teacher downloads and does a quality check of the students’ performances. Unusable tracks are discarded or rerecorded. Some people doing virtual ensembles have students submit two recordings and then choose the better of the two (or mix and match). First-part musicians may be asked to record a second or third part, if needed.

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As part of the quality-control process, I suggest you identify and label the best of each part submitted. Band scores often have up to 34 independent parts and a varied level of performance quality will be received. The best performances should receive the greatest emphasis.

Teacher Aligns and Mixes Audio Tracks: Next, student files are loaded into a modern digital audio workstation (DAW), such as Logic or Pro Tools, for alignment and mixing. Everything is combined into a stereo performance. Many modern DAWs can load 60 or 120 tracks, but few can mix that many tracks with effects. Mixing in subgroups may be necessary. The best tracks will be prioritized, but sections of instruments or vocalists should sound like sections, and not like a single performer.

For large ensembles, few effects can be applied to each track (instead, apply them to the mix); therefore, good source materials are essential. By panning the instruments, you can place their sound in the same area where they would be seated for a live performance, then mix for balance in good quality headphones or monitors.

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BALANCING YOUR "FLEX" ENSEMBLE: BEST PRACTICES FOR SCORING Saturday, 2/13/21 5:00 - 5:45 PM Presented by Dr. Andrew Hunter

THE REMEDIAL TOOLBOX: A HOW-TO GUIDE FOR FIXING TECHNIQUE Saturday, 2/13/2021 5:00-5:45 PM Presented by: Dr. Stephen Nordstrom Co-presenter: Dr. Kevin Nordstrom

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT EL PASO CHORALE CONCERT Director: Dr. Elisa Wilson Saturday, 2/13/2021 6:00 - 6:20 PM

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eos on screen at a time, you may want to explore the Acapella app or ask for help from a friend who has Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro. Teacher Uploads the Completed Video for View: Once finished, upload to YouTube or Facebook. Each of these services automatically checks for copyrighted materials, so using compositions that are in the public domain is wise. Much public domain repertoire is available at no cost from the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP). This could also be a good opportunity to feature original works by students, faculty, and composers known to them. It may be a good time to commission new works, specifically written for your virtual ensemble project.

Using Virtual Ensemble Apps While you have more control and flexibility by following the steps mentioned above, there are also apps available that can be used to build virtual ensembles.

Acapella is a popular app used for this purpose, and WunTwun and Mixound offer similar features. You’ve likely seen individuals using Acappella to create ensembles that feature one person on

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There will be a strong temptation to correct issues with each track (pitch, rhythm, expression), and that might be necessary at times, but that level of correction will be practical only with smaller ensembles.

At this stage, the importance of having students submit quality performances becomes even clearer.

Teacher Masters the Audio Tracks: After mixing the audio track, do a mastering pass. Trim the tracks to eliminate silence. Adjust the compression, equalization (EQ), and reverb for the entire mixed track, and then bounce (save) the track.

Teacher Completes the Video Production: Video production will be a separate pass, but the mixed audio track should be the soundtrack for the video. If not done previously, students will upload their photos or videos, and you will combine those using video editing software such as Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro. iMovie isn’t easily used to create panels of hundreds of pictures for large ensembles, but it can show the photo or video of one or two performers at a time. The pictures will be bigger, and although possibly shown more briefly, students would be better able to see themselves. If you need more vid-

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multiple instruments or voice parts. It can be used collaboratively as well, with multiple students. The same suggestions for repertoire selection and posting found above still apply. Typically, in each of these virtual ensemble apps, the steps are as follows: • Run the app and create a new project.

• Select a template into which you will record. The program will have a number of attractive options with different arrangements of performers (different sizes of windows and patterns).

• Indicate the number of players to be used at this point. These apps typically limit the number of performers, so if there will be more than nine, the manual process detailed above is likely more suitable. Also, the number of performers cannot easily be changed without starting the project over.

• Next, move to the template and click on each blank spot for video. At that point, the camera will be active and ready to record. Performers can hear each previous performance and a metronome, if desired, but it will take some practice to get the synchronization and precision correct.

• After recording each track, add effects to each individual track (EQ, reverb, etc.).

• Continue to click on each blank spot for video and record until the project is complete.

• When the project is complete, additional mastering effects can be applied if desired (EQ, reverb, etc.). Now it can be shared to the camera roll, and from there, it can be uploaded to YouTube, social media, etc.

While the initial steps for creating a virtual ensemble are simple, the complexity and time involved expand as you reach the aligning, mixing, and mastering stages. Teachers who enjoy this work will find it fulfilling. Some may find it frustrating. Keep in mind that your students with technical expertise may be willing to assist.

And, if financially feasible, you could work with local audio and video professionals or college students in a music business or audio engineering program.

Like most new adventures, if you want to work on your first virtual ensemble, remember to start small. Include just a few students (or simply record yourself singing/playing various parts). Step through

the process with a small number of recordings so that you can get familiar with the process itself and work through technical issues. Once you master a small project, you can take on larger numbers of students.

While we all yearn for a return to large in-person ensemble rehearsals and performances, giving your students the opportunity to share their music-making with their community can be achieved with virtual ensembles. They can also be used in this important time of recruiting students to your programs for next fall.

Whether this is a project for you and your students or not, I hope you find opportunities like this to give students and yourself some sense of community through music-making.

0 C. Floyd Richmond is a member of the music faculty at Tarleton State University where he is the Music Area Coordinator and oversees the bachelor’s in music business.

The headline image is from the Duncanville HS Choir Virtual Winter Concert on December 20, 2020.

Learn More About Music Education Technology The 2021 TMEA Clinic/Convention features the following clinics on music technology.

You can also join a preconference hosted by Technology in Music Education (TI:ME) held February 9 and 10 evenings. Learn more and register for this TI:ME event at www.ti-me.org.

Changing Face-to-Face Lessons to Successful Virtual Lessons

This Tech Sparks Joy: Decluttering the Technology Ecosystem

Simple Solutions for Virtual Performances

Air on a G Suite: Google Tools for Music Education

Technology to Support Elementary Music

Meaningful Assessment with Technology

Free Technology Resources and How to Use Them with #Elmused

An Integrated Approach to the Yamaha Harmony Director

Teaching Music Fundamentals Online: Tips for Success Remote Collaboration: Creating Online Music Interaction Lemons into Lemonade: Global Connection and Collaboration

Individualize Instruction with Google Forms Rocking the Virtual and Hybrid Music Classroom Recording Techniques at Home or in the Classroom Develop Performance Skills Remotely with Cloud Software Music Education Software Integrations for Google Classroom

F O R A L L T H I N G S C O N V E N T I O N , G O T O W W W.T M E A . O R G / C O N V E N T I O N Southwestern Musician | February 2021 59

VOCAL NOTES

B Y

J E D

R A G S D A L E

In Memoriam Gerald Burnett Sr. August 4, 1979–January 3, 2021

Getting ready for an uncertain future

L

ast spring, I was disappointed not to have the usual opportunities for meaningful talks with our high school graduates. Like many of you, we left for spring break and didn’t return until August.

Others still haven’t set foot on their campuses. Our 2020 class was a special group of students to me. They were the first freshmen I taught at Tomball Memorial HS. As freshman, they didn’t really know the traditions of the program, tucked into their own choir period away from upperclassmen. They didn’t understand exactly what they were buying into, yet they went along with what was being sold to them. Hard work is what leads to success. Luck may lead to fame, but fame is mostly temporary.

For these students, needs improvement means exactly what it says—it needs improvement and fast. Fair needs to become pretty good, pretty good needs to get better, and better needs to lead to outstanding. This class of 2020 laid a foundation of solid work ethic, student leadership, and musicianship. In the previous ten years, only two members had qualified for an All-State Choir.

The class of 2020 alone had four All-State Choir members participating in the convention as we celebrated TMEA’s Centennial. Several members of this class were also in the chamber choirs that received two “Performance of Distinction” awards in a row at the American Classics Madrigal Festival, the second of which was their last official event as a student of TMHS.

I hope we can look back on this moment with pride that despite the difficult journey, we kept moving forward, seeking new and creative ways to paint a beautiful masterpiece.

60 Southwestern Musician | February 2021

check www.tmea .org for updates

February—Renew your membership and register for the convention.

February 10, 7 p.m.—Attend your TMEA Region meeting (see page 2).

February 11–13, 2021—TMEA Clinic/ Convention, held virtually.

February 11, 6 p.m.—Attend the TMEA First General Session.

February 12, 8 p.m.—Attend the TMEA Second General Session.

February 13, 4 p.m.—Attend your TMEA Division business meeting.

ALL-STATE CHOIR CAMP

The in-person camp is proceeding contingently in accordance with CDC, State of Texas and Texas A&M University System guidelines.

JULY 7-10, 2021 LARGE SCHOOL AND SMALL SCHOOL TRACKS Early Registration $225 deadline May 1

Late Registration $250 after May 1

Group Registration $199 Groups of 10 or more, deadline June 15

Commuter $149 All-State Member $99

REGISTER: TAMUC.EDU/MUSIC 903.886.5303

FOLLOW US!

@ TAMUCMusic

@ TAMUCChoirs

For you and your seniors, last spring’s semester was such a difficult stretch. They couldn’t have a prom or a spring trip, and they missed out on the annual UIL Concert and Sightreading Evaluation.

This group who worked so hard for three and a half years didn’t get the finish they were looking forward to. They didn’t get another chance to perform as a team and I didn’t get to offer words of encouragement—my “Jed Talks.”

Had I been able to have more of those conversations, I likely would have talked with them about dealing with uncertainty.

Life, and many situations along our journey through it, begins like a blank canvas. You must first decide you don’t want to leave it blank. Then, before you choose a paint, you must learn to use the tools.

Before you apply paint to the canvas, you must have a concept for what you want to achieve. Often taking these steps that represent our beginnings are the most challenging. It’s similar to writing any major paper or, for me, a column for Southwestern Musician. What shall the first paint stroke (sentence) be? What do you want to convey to the world? Often, you’ll discover the answers to these initial

62 Southwestern Musician | February 2021

questions by simply taking the first step forward. You could try asking someone else, but they can’t fully answer the questions you have within your soul.

When you have an idea, however, you can begin anything. Once a single drop of paint touches the canvas, it’s no longer blank. While the journey has begun with determination, something along the way may need to shift. Perhaps you need a change of color or become inspired to add a new element. The journey takes on a new adventure. Sometimes, the final product doesn’t even look like you envisioned. Other times, it’s exactly as imagined. Regardless, it’s your creation and you will have learned from it. When the next project or chapter in your life begins, you’ll face another blank canvas. But this time, having more experience, you’ll be able to add to your life’s collection with greater confidence and creativity.

Like our 2020 class, our current class of 2021 isn’t quite having the year they anticipated since kindergarten. What will they add to their canvas?

Keep Moving Recently, I had a conversation with

someone who was talking about how their situation was so tough, how tired they were, and how they just wanted to walk away. Sometimes you just want to close your eyes and drift, as if you were tubing down the river. However, if you’re not careful, you’ll end up two miles beyond your exit point, perhaps entering some rapids you didn’t anticipate or prepare for. Attempting to paddle upstream, you won’t get far, and you’ll quickly become exhausted. Walking away during a difficult situation will only take you farther from your desired destination. Prepare for the rapids, because just as 2020 showed us, life is full of them. My hope for each of us is that this time next year, we can look back on this moment with pride that despite the difficult journey, we kept moving forward, seeking new and creative ways to paint a beautiful masterpiece.

In Thanks It has been an incredible pleasure and a tremendous honor serving as the Vocal Division Vice-President and State Chair. Thank you for granting me this opportunity.

I hope that you will join me for the Vocal

SAM

HOUSTON

STATE

S C H O O L

UNIVERSITY

O F

M U S I C

2021 AUDITIONS AND WORKSHOPS

AUDITIONS NOVEMBER 14, 2020

VOICE & ALL INSTRUMENTS (with the exception of guitar, percussion, & piano)

JANUARY 30, 2021

VOICE & ALL INSTRUMENTS (with the exception of guitar, percussion, & piano)

FEBRUARY 20, 2021

VOICE & ALL INSTRUMENTS (with the exception of guitar)

MARCH 6, 2021

VOICE & ALL INSTRUMENTS (with the exception of harp)

APRIL 12, 2021

VOICE ONLY (not for scholarship consideration)

W O R KS H O P S JUNE 7TH – 10TH, 2021

TEACHING THE MIDDLE SCHOOL BAND

JUNE 14TH – 16TH, 2021

THE ART OF TEACHING MUSIC

JUNE 21ST – 23RD, 2021

STRING PEDAGOGY WORKSHOP FOR MUSIC EDUCATORS

JUNE 28TH – 30TH, 2021

CHORAL EDUCATORS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP

Please continue to check the SHSU School of Music website for further details.

936-294-1360 1751 Ave. I, Suite 225 Huntsville, TX 77340

Fo r more information v isit shsu.edu/music

Division business meeting on Saturday, February 13, at 4 p.m. This meeting will be hosted from the online convention platform, so just like being at our annual meeting in San Antonio, you must be registered for the convention to attend. In addition to our General Sessions, this meeting offers

you the opportunity to stay informed and play an active role in the future of our association. You will also vote to elect our next Vocal Division Vice-President.

Learn more about the three candidates at www.tmea.org/candidates.

30+ Vocal Division Events!

During the 2021 TMEA Clinic/Convention, the Vocal Division is hosting over 30 events, including performances by 12 choirs!

Go Beyond! In addition to our Vocal Division events, be sure to review the full schedule for clinics hosted by other divisions that apply to you as well—there are many!

FOR ALL THINGS CONVENTION, GO TO WWW.TMEA.ORG/CONVENTION

Register Today!

If you haven’t yet, be sure to register.

When the platform becomes available, log in, build your profile, and create your personal agenda. Even if you can’t attend our virtual event during its specified dates of February 11–13, you should still register to have access to the amazing content.

All clinics will continue to be available following those dates, so you have many opportunities to learn during and after.

Understand, however, that because of rights limitations, concerts can be viewed in the platform only during the event dates.

Thus, a performance will be available from its scheduled time until 10 p.m. Saturday, February 13.

President’s Concert: VOCES8 On Saturday, February 13, at 7 p.m., enjoy the closing of our amazing virtual event with the 2021 President’s Concert featuring VOCES8. Their concert is a special performance exclusively for our convention. TMEA is offering this inspiring event at no additional charge to convention registrants—yet another reason to register!

Learn more about this incredible British a cappella group at www.voces8.com.

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tmea distinguished a dm inistr ator spotlight The TMEA Distinguished Administrator Award program recognizes school administrators whose support has been critical to the music program successes in schools across our state. TMEA has recognized over 300 deserving administrators through this program. When TMEA honors an administrator with this designation, the nominating TMEA member is sent a certificate to present their administrator. To nominate your administrator, go to www.tmea.org/adminaward.

Bobby Fryar, Superintendent Reagan County ISD Nominated by: Chris Cooper, Reagan County HS Like many administrators, Bobby Fryar is a former coach. As such, when he came to Reagan County, I had my concerns about the support we might get. However, I wasn’t just relieved—I was overjoyed by the level of support our program has experienced from Mr. Fryar and his administrative team.

At the conclusion of my first year as the high school band director, Mr. Fryar approved an $18,000 budget increase that allowed us to send our school-owned wind instruments in for summer repair, maintenance, and cleaning. Since we provide instruments to every student, this was critical. Our decaying inventory came back in good condition, and our students were far more successful on their instruments simply because they worked properly.

When we arrived at UIL marching contest, one of the contest staff pointed out our trailer had a tire that was literally falling off. After a mechanic declared it was the age and mileage of the trailer that caused it, Mr. Fryar approved the purchase of a box truck. This major purchase will provide plenty of storage for our

Nominate your outstanding administrator for a TMEA Distinguished Administrator Award.

Through this recognition program, TMEA has the opportunity at the state level to thank these individuals for their dedication and support. At the local level, this offers you another opportunity to share your success story with the community. Nominate your campus or district upper-level school administrator by completing an online nomination.

www.tmea.org/adminaward 66 Southwestern Musician | February 2021

instruments, uniforms, and more. It will allow us to travel safely to games, concerts, and contests. He also approved the purchase of new uniforms, which was sorely needed—our old uniforms were damaged, had missing pieces, and didn’t even match our school colors.

Mr. Fryar has attended several of our contests and concerts in the past two years. He’s also visited our classes to vocalize his support directly to the students. Further, he has always treated me with dignity and respect. When he is unable to support something, he is up front about it and has an understandable reason. He is a person of integrity and high character whom I fully trust as a professional. Every school band director and their students would be very fortunate to have a superintendent like him.

Julie Cronkhite, Principal Danville MS/Comal ISD Nominated by: Nichele Rios, Danville MS I would like to start off by saying that Julie Cronkhite is an advocate for the arts. Whenever we need assistance, she is always just a text or phone call away. Early on during this pandemic, she reached out to ensure we had a safe environment as well as the needed space for instruction. Mrs. Cronkhite is a listener; there have been numerous times when we went to her office to just bounce ideas or express our emotions around teaching music this year. She has been nothing but supportive and a helpful guide for each of us.

She is one of the hardest working principals I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. She is at the school early in the morning and stays as late to support teachers, attend events, and plan for what is needed next. Initially, we decided not to have our middle school band/choir/dance night at the high school, but Mrs. Cronkhite pushed for it to happen, helping us navigate the logistics and more.

She knew how important it was to build a foundation for the new high school and, with all her hard work, we are now able to have a middle school night for the fine arts. She is a collaborator who considers our thoughts and ideas before making decisions for the music department. Whenever possible, she includes the fine arts

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in every school event and makes it a point to plan with us to make sure we are successful in any performance.

Mrs. Cronkhite is our biggest fan; she is always at concerts and events and cheers us on 100% of the way. I feel valued and safe at my campus under her leadership. I believe that if I were at a different school during this pandemic I might not have had as good of an experience as I have at Danville MS. Dr. Wes Cunningham, Chief Academic Officer Frisco ISD Nominated by: Robert Draper, Frisco ISD Coordinator of Fine Arts In this time of upheaval and uncertainty Dr. Cunningham, and the entire Curriculum and Instruction team under his leadership, were adamant about ensuring that fine arts was a necessary component to every plan put in place in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Not only did he recognize the importance of Fine Arts education from an academic standpoint, but he also recognized the significant social emotional learning impact that fine arts courses and teachers have on students and went out of his way to ensure that the FISD Fine Arts Department was highly involved in every decision being made by the district.

Frisco ISD has an enrollment of approximately 65,000 students, with approximately 45,000 of those involved in fine arts programs.

In seeing the impact and recognizing the value of fine arts education, Dr. Cunningham ensured that our programs would remain vital and viable. He provided opportunities and resources for

fine arts teachers to design a complete K–12 Fine Arts Virtual Academy, where real teaching and real interactions take place.

He recognized what we do in the fine arts is not just valuable, but essential in the lives of our students and in the eyes of our community.

Penny Rosson, Principal River Road MS, Amarillo ISD Nominated by: Chance Houston, River Road MS Penny Rosson has been a crucial part in rebuilding the band program at River Road MS. When I began teaching, she asked how she could help me build our numbers. Every step of the way, she has helped me grow the program and guided me to become a better teacher and music educator. I truly do not believe I would still be teaching if it were not for the guidance and support I have received from her.

Ms. Rosson has gone out of her way on multiple occasions to set our band program up with extra rehearsals during the school day, including an ideal yearlong schedule that allows both directors to work with as many students as possible and through conflicting grade-level schedules. She is always available when the band staff has a question or a need that we cannot figure out on our own.

Ms. Rosson always has the school’s best interests at heart when making a decision. She has always included the band program in any major changes made when times have been difficult, before and during the pandemic.

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Mark Micallef, Principal Edinburg North HS Nominated by: Chad Dempsey, Edinburg North HS In 2013, when Mark Micallef took over the reins at Edinburg North HS, little did we know how great a supporter and advocate for our music and fine arts programs we had gained!

Mr. Micallef’s support for all fine arts has been tremendous for the students and their programs. Every year when walking off UIL evaluation stage or standing in the sightreading room, there is our principal, supporting the band, choir, orchestra, and mariachi. He attends marching contests, concerts, banquets—no matter the event, he works hard to be there to support the students’ performances. He always finds a way to show his support and enthusiasm.

A few times, he has gone above and beyond to promote the arts and our student achievements. When first attending a UIL sightreading event, he was fascinated and impressed with the evaluation process. To promote and share the experience, he invited three other campus department heads, the head coach, and head counselor to attend the next round. He really wanted them to experience the sightreading segment, as it places a high demand on the instructor and students to have a working terminology, system, and teamwork to work through the explanation period and performance.

With financial and many other challenges that administrators face, he has continually found a reason and purpose to allow our fine arts students to thrive. His willingness to become involved extends beyond the purchase of new instruments, such as ensuring

THANK YOU! TMEA thanks all school administrators who have been champions for music education, especially during this most challenging year!

students are fed at events. Under his guidance, he has allowed the students to travel nationally and internationally and supported their efforts the entire time. During a graduation ceremony, Mr. Micallef even featured a recording of our mariachi group’s performance in Argentina. It was shared with the entire audience, and he recognized the seniors participating in that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The Edinburg North HS community is blessed to have such a strong and supportive administrator. His efforts extend beyond the fine arts groups, as he is at many athletic events and promotes a successful academic program. He was recently recognized as the Region 1 High School Principal of the Year and greatly deserves this honor.

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MINISTRY DRIVEN Southwestern Musician | February 2021 71

ELEMENTARY NOTES

B Y

A B I G A I L

H A W E S

New beginnings

B

ass bars will always remind me of endings.

In what seems like just a few years ago, I discovered bass bars. I know, I know. Bass bars really aren’t anything new. But, to this elementary music teacher, at that particular TMEA convention, they were. I was instantly enthralled.

Walking into an Elementary Division ballroom, I found a beautiful instrumentarium, equipped with every bit of classroom percussion imaginable—it was exhilarating! A few friends and I would take our seats on the front row, positioned so that at the moment the clinician invited attendees to be instrumentalists, we could literally race over and settle in behind our instruments of choice. And bass bars? You guessed it—they were quickly one of my personal favorites.

But how on earth did I ever begin to associate bass bars with endings?

Making one final pass through the exhibit hall on Saturday that same year, I came upon a collection of beautiful bass bars yet again, and I couldn’t help myself. Indulging my inner elementary student one final time, I grabbed the nearest oversized, yarn-covered mallet and gave it a final closing thud. I relished the resonant reverberations that ensued.

“There,” I remember thinking. “Now, it’s time to go home.”

And thus was born a tradition that, to this day, I have observed on the final day of our convention. It’s pretty simple, actually, and it’s just my way of marking the end of another memorable TMEA convention.

Now, if there were only some giant, magical bass bar to sound that would put an end to this pandemic—wouldn’t that be something? Wishful thinking, I know.

But that time is indeed coming! I sincerely hope that, despite this school year’s unprecedented challenges, you are still finding ways to share the joy of music with your students. As difficult as it might be to imagine, we’ll be on the

I hope that our upcoming virtual convention might still serve as a lighthouse of sorts in these stormy times, providing guidance and inspiration.

72 Southwestern Musician | February 2021

check www.tmea .org for updates

February—Renew your membership and register for the convention.

February 10, 7 p.m.—Attend your TMEA Region meeting (see page 2).

February 11–13, 2021—TMEA Clinic/ Convention, held virtually.

February 11, 6 p.m.—Attend the TMEA First General Session.

February 12, 8 p.m.—Attend the TMEA Second General Session.

February 13, 4 p.m.—Attend your TMEA Division business meeting.

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other side of this soon.

In the meantime, we must continue to navigate these uncharted waters as best we can. Some days arrive, bringing with them fair winds and following seas, while others blow ashore with hurricane force winds and a storm surge to boot. In a typical school year, February finds each of us a little storm weary and ready for a recharge, and this year is certainly no exception.

While the format is most certainly different, I hope that our upcoming virtual convention might still serve as a lighthouse of sorts in these stormy times, pro-

74 Southwestern Musician | February 2021

viding guidance and inspiration. It might also offer you the life vest of encouragement you need to stay afloat through the remainder of the school year.

Although we won’t share a meal on the Riverwalk, partner up in a singing game demonstration, or find each other in the convention center’s sea of faces, this year’s event, aptly themed “MUSIConnects,” will offer many opportunities for attendees to do just that. While connecting with others might sound like a challenge, considering we’ll all be online instead of walking into the convention center, there will still be many chances to connect!

You can connect with presenters from across the state and nation, including our two Elementary Division Featured clinicians, Amy Abbott and Paul Cribari, as they share their experience and expertise.

During any clinic, enter your questions in the Poll tab and then join with other attendees and the clinician for live Q&A time after the clinic presentation. If you still have a question, you can find clinicians in the convention platform and message them or you could request a video meeting.

An important step in your online attendance is building your profile on the convention platform. With a complete profile, other attendees will have an easier time finding you, and vice versa. Connect with other attendees who share similar interests and those who don’t. Perhaps someone’s question or post in the chat of a clinic piques your interest. In this environment, you can click on that attendee’s name and reach out to make a connection.

Visit with exhibitors in the virtual exhibit hall and make plans to attend concerts by our TMEA Invited Performing Groups. Please note that, unlike clinics, our concert sessions will be available only from their scheduled time to the end of our event. If you must choose, join the concert now and attend the clinic later. Attend the First and Second General Sessions, where you’ll be inspired by keynote presentations by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul (awardwinning songwriters/producers) and world-renowned musician and arts advocate Wynton Marsalis. At the close of our event, be part of the audience as VOCES8 takes the stage for our President’s Concert on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Finally, be sure you’re present to

connect with other Elementary Division members on Saturday at our division business meeting at 4 p.m. Come hear the latest in division news, TCDA updates, a special message from Graham Hepburn, and— most importantly—cast your vote for the next Elementary Division Vice-President.

Your presence and participation is vital to the future of our division. Please attend and let your voice be heard!

Indeed, the arrival of an election marks the end of my term as Division VicePresident. And what a term it has been!

From the thrill of our centennial celebration to the unprecedented challenges of a pandemic, my journey as a member of the Executive Board has been a roller coaster ride with plot twists galore.

Truly, it’s a ride I’ll never forget and will remain humbled to have been invited and entrusted to take. As I prepare to disembark and sound the bass bar marking the end of my term, I offer the TMEA staff, my fellow Board members, past Elementary Division Vice-Presidents, Region Chairs, and countless others who have been along for this ride my deepest, heartfelt gratitude. It has been an honor to serve alongside you.

For every ending, however, there’s also a new beginning.

Moving forward, I sincerely hope you’ll consider what role you might play as we usher in the next 100 years of our association’s history. Whether you look forward to serving as a Region Chair, a volunteer at convention, a TMEA mentor, or on the Executive Board, I assure you it’s a commitment you won’t regret.

With hopeful expectation for the remainder of the school year, I look forward to seeing you virtually in just a few days!

And, just maybe, when we can all be together in San Antonio again, we’ll race each other to the nearest bass bar.

Haven’t Registered?

Go to www.tmea.org/register to complete your online registration now. Even if you aren’t able to take advantage of all the content during our February 11–13 event dates, know that all clinics will remain available through June 30. If you register, you can continue learning long after the official event closes.

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COLLEGE NOTES

B Y

P A U L

S I K E S

A new year of creativity & opportunity

I

believe I speak for most when I say that it’s good to have 2020 now be in the past. The pandemic and its associated challenges have required us to pause working toward many of our goals and aspirations. Some students took time off from college. Professors had to suspend performances and research projects. Some have gotten off track from their personal plans, such as financial and health goals. These delays and changes can be frustrating. They have been and continue to be frustrating for me, personally.

I am reminded, however, of a conversation I had with Will Strieder when I was an undergraduate student at Texas Tech. Professor Strieder, who was professor of trumpet, listened to me as I bemoaned the fact that my trombone chops were out of shape. I complained that I couldn’t make my horn do what I wanted it to do because I had taken too much time off from playing over the winter break. I was mad because my response was poor, I was mad because I kept splitting notes, but most of all, I was mad at myself for getting off track and letting myself get into that position in the first place. He listened patiently and said he understood my frustration and that I was right; I had lost some of my ability because of my long break. He also pointed out that the situation wasn’t all bad. He explained that while I had indeed forgotten some of the good things I was doing before, I had also forgotten some of the bad things. I had forgotten both good and bad habits. This, he said, gave me an opportunity. He suggested I should reevaluate my playing and focus on those areas where I had developed

As our professional and personal goals have been put on hold, this time away gives us a chance to reevaluate our plans, our projects, and our goals.

76 Southwestern Musician | February 2021

check www.tmea .org for updates

February—Renew your membership and register for the convention.

February 10, 7 p.m.—Attend your TMEA Region meeting (see page 2).

February 11–13, 2021—TMEA Clinic/ Convention, held virtually.

February 11, 6 p.m.—Attend the TMEA First General Session.

February 12, 8 p.m.—Attend the TMEA Second General Session.

February 13, 4 p.m.—Attend your TMEA Division business meeting.

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2021 SUMMER MUSIC

Camps & Workshops VOICE INSTITUTE • JUNE 2-4 COREY TRAHAN, JAMES RODRIGUEZ PERCUSSION CAMP • JUNE 8&9 BRIAN WEST SAXOPHONE WORKSHOP • JUNE 11&12 JOE ECKERT BAND CAMP • JUNE 14-19 BOBBY FRANCIS FLUTE WORKSHOP • JUNE 21&22 SHAUNA THOMPSON CLARINET WORKSHOP • JUNE 23&24 COREY MACKEY JOHN WILLIAMS AND THE MUSIC OF STAR WARS • JUNE 28-JULY 1 PAUL CORTESE HARP WORKSHOP • JULY 7-9 MALLORY MCHENRY ALL-STATE CHOIR CAMP • JULY 11-17 SHERI NEILL, CHRISTOPHER ASPAAS

FOR REGISTRATION INFO*, PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT MUSIC.TCU.EDU/SMI.ASP OR CALL 817-257-7132 *ALL EVENTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19

bad habits because the long pause allowed me to fix those problems more easily than it would have been otherwise. He encouraged me to adjust my practicing to focus on these areas as well as set new goals based on where I was at that point.

Interestingly, research has also supported the importance of breaks and pauses in our work. In his seminal book Creativity: the Psychology of Discovery and Invention, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes how individuals who develop truly creative ideas and solutions use time away from their work as a catalyst for discovery. He highlights individuals who worked and toiled through their research, problems, or ideas for months and years. Then, after those long periods of hard work, those individuals took time away from their efforts. It was during these pauses that individuals often had the epiphany of a new and creative insight, solution, or idea. It appears that time away from their projects allowed them to connect their work to other areas, to somewhat cross-pollinate with other domains.

For creative people, time away from projects seems to be an essential element to

developing their insights.

To be clear, I do not consider the pandemic as a sort of break for most people.

On the contrary, most of us have been working even harder, trying to figure out new ways of doing our daily work and living our lives. It has been this additional workload as well as the limitations placed on us by the pandemic that have led to the delays in moving toward our goals. Still, I believe there are opportunities to be found this year. As our professional and personal goals have been put on hold, this time away gives us a chance to reevaluate our plans, our projects, and our goals.

In the spirit of Professor Strieder’s advice, we can let go of some of the bad habits that were holding us back and refocus our efforts in a slightly new direction built on our strengths—which might not have been possible otherwise. Additionally, like the creative individuals in Csikszentmihalyi’s work, this time allows us to see our work in a new way. We can now take our old ideas, solutions, and work methods and crosspollinate them with the new knowledge and skills we have acquired. I believe we are on the cusp of a revolution in music

education, one where teachers and students let go of their old habits and embrace new ideas and new ways of working.

For TMEA, these opportunities and creative solutions are already manifesting themselves into ideas and products that are benefiting our students and members now and will continue to benefit them in the future. An example of this is our Connections meetings. These meetings are held in each TMEA division and provide an opportunity to share and learn from each other at the same time across great distances. I have no doubt that we will maintain these Connections as a way of learning from each other and advancing music education. Other examples of new ways of accomplishing our work are our virtual Region meetings, the virtual auditions, and the ability of our different boards and committees to work effectively and efficiently to meet the changed needs of our students and members.

Of course, one of the great opportunities we have is our upcoming virtual convention. When the convention platform is available (by February 1), log in and build your personal profile. Your

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profile will help you connect with other members who share the same challenges and interests you have so that you can work collaboratively to meet your shared goals.

You can connect with those individuals via messaging and even video meetings during the convention and beyond. You can also look through the schedule and build your own personal agenda, remembering that if two clinics interest you, choose the one you have more interest in being there for the live Q&A portion, as all clinics will remain available for viewing after their scheduled time.

The virtual format is allowing us to bring in individuals, near and far, to share their thoughts and insights, people who we would not have been able to learn from otherwise. An example will be the inspiring keynote presentations during our First and Second General Sessions by extraordinary songwriters/producers Benj Pasek & Justin Paul and world-renowned musician and arts advocate Wynton Marsalis.

Also, while our event has a state focus, the virtual format allows us to showcase our work to a worldwide audience. We expect people from around the globe to attend

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our convention who would otherwise not be able to experience the amazing work that our Texas music students and educators do every day.

We can’t be sure which of the new formats or ways of working will continue into the new year or how they will evolve. I am sure, however, that the leadership and membership of TMEA will evaluate these and other ideas to help us better meet the needs of our students and members in the future. I believe that when we return to work in an in-person environment, our work will have changed for the better.

I am also sure that you and your colleagues will use the time away from your projects, research, and performances as a springboard to new and creative solutions to current and future challenges. You will use this opportunity to reach more people and share the joy and benefits of music.

Because of your hard work and ingenuity, I believe the future of music education in Texas and beyond is brighter than ever, and I look forward to experiencing it.

Welcome to a new year of creativity and opportunity!

College Division Business Meeting Be sure to join colleagues from our division for our annual business meeting on Saturday, February 13, at 4 p.m. This meeting will be hosted from the online convention platform, so just like being at our annual meeting in San Antonio, you must be registered for the convention to attend.

In addition to our General Sessions, this meeting offers you the opportunity to stay informed and play an active role in the future of our association. I hope you’ll join me for the meeting!

Register for the Convention Even if you can’t attend our virtual event during the event dates of February 11–13, you can still register to have access to the amazing content. All clinics will continue to be available following those dates, so you have many opportunities to learn during and after. Understand, however, that because of rights limitations, concerts can be viewed in the platform only during the event dates. Thus, a performance will be available as of its scheduled time until 10 p.m. Saturday, February 13.

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SOUTHWESTERN MUSICIAN

FEBRUARY 2021