President’s Message

Ayear ago I wrote about how hopeful we were to get back into our classrooms, with our students, playing music. For most of the state this has returned, to some degree. However, we can all agree nothing is exactly how it was before. We are all navigating through new challenges and finding innovative ways to keep our students playing and involved in our programs. Although my program, like so many others, has shrunk in size, the joy I feel when playing music with my students again is larger than ever. Those students who “stuck it out” through the pandemic seem to have come back with more passion, more determination, and more energy. Although we are not out of the woods yet, I am hopeful for the direction we are heading. The board of the California Band Directors Association has been working diligently with our partner organizations to plan a safe and educational in-person conference in 2022. We are putting in some safety precautions to keep our students, directors, and exhibitors safe, while still allowing us to enjoy the live music we most enjoy. Ali Gilroy-Golden, Joseph Cargill, and Ryan Dirlam along with their teams are excited to welcome everyone back to Fresno this February. With some top notch all-state conductors, I know our students will again get to soak in the wonderful comments and suggestions from these experts in our field. We are beyond excited to debut our two Social Justice Consortium pieces with the High School Wind Symphony and Junior High School Symphonic Bands. These two pieces are beautifully composed by Kevin Day and Katajh Copely as a part of CBDA’s new Social Justice initiative. You can learn more about what the consortium was by visiting the CBDA website. Don’t miss out on the roundtable discussion with the composers and members of the curriculum committee during the Saturday Sessions at CASMEC If you haven’t done so already, I encourage you to register for the 2022 California All State Music Education Conference, we are excited to see you all back in person this year.

I hope that you can find some new ideas and strategies at CASMEC to help guide your program through this difficult time in Music Education.. I encourage you to continue to support one another in your schools, districts, areas, and our state. We are stronger together! Remember that everything you do matters, and you are making a difference in students’ lives every day by providing them with worthwhile experiences and education.

See you in February,

Jeff Detlefsen Director of Bands, Sierra Pacific HS President, California Band Directors Association