The President Speaks

Dr. Matthew Koperniak

Summer is almost here, and current GMEA officers and division chairs will conclude their terms on June 30, 2023. The future of GMEA is bright, and I have confidence our new officers and division chairs will continue to move our association in a positive direction. With the future in mind, I would like to reflect upon the 2021-2023 term. This time has been marked by change, yet strongly rooted in our mission and purpose guiding this period of transition.

A significant change was the shifting from unfamiliar to familiar, as we moved from virtual events in 2020-2021 back to our regular calendar of face-to-face events in 2021-2022. I continue to be grateful for the officers, staff, and volunteers who navigated GMEA through the difficult days of the pandemic, under the steadfast leadership of President Carl Rieke (20192021). When the current officers and division chairs began their terms on July 1, 2021, GMEA had held no face-to-face statewide events for the entire previous school year. Thank you to all GMEA members for your trust and support as we restarted statewide events during an uncertain time. The 2022 GMEA Conference was particularly memorable, and spirits were high after a year away from face-to-face events with colleagues and friends.

We also navigated our first executive director transition since 1996. The departure of Cecil Wilder from the GMEA staff was announced to the membership on February 19, 2022, and would take effect on June 30th of that year. In March 2022, the Executive committee reviewed and amended the Executive Transition Plan, followed by the posting of the Executive Director vacancy and job description. Applications were collected through April 30th. The search committee, consisting of the president, vice presidents, immediate past president, and president-elect, reviewed applications, and scheduled interviews to occur on Saturday, May 14th, immediately following the annual meeting of the GMEA Board of Directors in McDonough, GA. On May 24th, Alan Fowler was announced as our new executive director, and he officially started on July 1, 2022. Since that time, the executive committee has worked closely with our new executive director to establish priorities and initiatives to guide and structure the transition into the future.

A significant priority has been the budget. The first executive committee meeting with our new executive director was on August 6, 2022. Despite our excitement for the new school year, the mood was solemn. Each of the previous six fiscal years had ended in a loss, with expenses exceeding revenue. According to our calculations, if we were to continue along that unsustainable path, GMEA would no longer exist by 2024. The executive committee made the decision to approve a deficit budget based on event participation from the previous year. We also made the decision not to raise any fees, in order to encourage event participation. During fall 2022 district meetings, we shared budget concerns and asked every GMEA member to join together in maximizing our event participation. We promised transparency, which included an update to all members on December 17, 2022, regarding “GMEA+” and Helium LLC, as well as providing midyear budget updates to the division councils during February and March 2023.

As I type this column on April 1, 2023, our budget situation has improved due to careful spending, increased participation, and alternative revenue sources. Notably, GMEA received funds from the IRS under the Employee Retention Tax Credit in 2023, because we kept our staff fully employed during the height of the pandemic. Alternative funding sources, such as grants and development efforts, continue to be a significant priority.

It is our strong recommendation that GMEA continue to pursue alternative funding sources, remain transparent to the membership, and spend conservatively without sacrificing the quality of our events and services. If we continue along this path, there should come a time in the future in which GMEA has built back its operational reserve and the financial situation has stabilized. We implore all future officers to proceed cautiously. GMEA must be prepared to weather unexpected storms if we are to survive for years to come.

In 2022, we marked the 100th anniversary of music education being included in a Georgia conference program as a department of the Georgia Education Association (the “prehistory” to the founding of GMEA). I acknowledged this in the fall 2022 Georgia Music News, and marked the occasion during the

GMEA Music Program Leaders fall summit at the Woodruff Arts Center on September 16, 2022. Looking ahead, GMEA will have many opportunities to celebrate in the next decade, including the 100th anniversary of All-State Chorus (2031), Solo & Ensemble (2035), All-State Band (2037), Large Group Performance Evaluation – originally Festival (2037), and AllState Orchestra (2038). Mark your calendars for our centennial in 2038, when GMEA will celebrate the 100th anniversary of our official beginning as the Georgia Music Education Association.

Our committees have continued to move our collective work forward, to highlight just a few accomplishments that reflect our priority of increased access to music education for all students. GMEA received the NAfME Excellence in Advocacy award in 2022, a testament to the work of our Advocacy committee (Sara Womack, chair). This award reflects our commitment to the belief that advocacy is a responsibility of every GMEA member. The 2023 In-Service Conference included a highly attended HBCU reception, thanks to our DEIA committee (Gregory Denson, chair). We continue to focus on the Music Teacher Pipeline through a working research group (Martin Norgaard, research chair). We also rebranded the Future Music Educators Colloquium, launching the GMEA: High School Experience for the 2022 and 2023 conferences. This initiative quadrupled the participation of high school students who are interested in a career in music education. The 2022 and 2023 conferences also included several sessions focused on music and students with exceptionalities, thanks to the work of our

Exceptional Student Success committee (Amber Weldon-Stephens, chair). Additionally, the National Anthem for the 2023 conference was performed by exceptional elementary school students, reflecting our belief that all students can and should be involved in music.

I remain grateful for the work of countless volunteers throughout our state. Of note, it has been a distinct pleasure to serve alongside the members of the 2021-2023 executive committee: Vice President for Performance Evaluations Dion Muldrow, Vice President for All-State Events Sarah Ball, Immediate Past President Carl Rieke (2021-2022), President-Elect Neil Ruby (2022-2023), Past Presidents’ Council Representative Frank Folds, and Executive Director Alan Fowler. I continue to be amazed by the tireless work of our 2021-2023 Division Chairs: Travis Downs (Band), Scott Martin (Choral), Chester Phillips (College), Amie Schaff (Elementary), and Stephen Lawrence-Carroll (Orchestra), and our Interest Area Chairs: Heath Jones (Technology), Caryn Volk (Guitar), Martin Norgaard (Research), Annalisa Chang (CNAfME), and Richard Bell (Composition). Special thanks to Victoria Enloe for her continued leadership as Editor of Georgia Music News and to Jay Wucher for his wisdom as Ethics & Professional Standards chair. Finally, our GMEA staff are the backbone to our operations and provide consistency and stability. Thank you to Alan Fowler, Aleta Womack, Bernadette Scruggs, and Cindy Reed for your expertise, commitment, and dedication to our Association and music education.

There is no way to properly thank the multitude of GMEA volunteers around our state. District leadership, hosts, and organizers are the lifeblood of our association. Music education in Georgia is strong and brims with potential due to the efforts of each of you. Georgia is filled with amazing music educators, from Sky Valley to St. Marys, from Cairo to Chattanooga Valley, and everywhere in between. Thank you to music teachers across Georgia for your continued work to provide outstanding education and opportunities to your students. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of support in the years ahead.