THE NEW JERSEY MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION a federated state association of NATIONAL ASSOCIATION for MUSIC EDUCATION
News From Our Board of Directors Band Performance Nick Mossa nmossa16[at]gmail.com Congratulations to the students of the 2022 NJMEA All State Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble! It was such a joyful experience to see New Jersey’s talents on full display and to celebrate the tremendous work of New Jersey music educators and their students. The concert on February 26 at NJPAC was a thrilling success as the two bands put on stellar performances under the batons of Ray Cramer and Jay Gephart. New Jersey should be so proud to have such high quality student musicianship on display, especially as we emerge from such abnormal times in music education! Every year it takes many dedicated individuals to put together the All State Band experience for our students. We are grateful for our All State Band managers - Deb Knisely (who is also our auditions chair), Pamela Ferrali, and Joshua Oldham - who support our conductors and manage the day-to-day preparations to help the students get the most out of their time in the ensembles. I’d like to thank our rehearsal conductors - Dr. Todd Nichols and Dr. Bill Berz for preparing our students at their first rehearsals. Thank you to Joe Cantaffa for organizing our chaperones and for his leadership, expertise, and professionalism. The members of the All State Committee, led by committee chairperson Tyler Wiernusz, deserve many thanks for the myriad obstacles and hurdles that were overcome in order to ensure our students could have the best possible experience this year. Thank you to Scott Visco, our percussion coordinator, for always setting up our percussionists with everything they need and lastly, we are grateful for the two schools that graciously provided rehearsal and audition space - Bridgewater Raritan High School and JP Stevens High School. You can expect next year’s band solo list to be published in the next edition of TEMPO Magazine. It is not lost on me that most band teachers in the state do not have a student that they sponsored for New Jersey All State playing in their band at home. However, it is worth noting that each student that performed in the All State bands is a product of their entire music education including all the knowledge gained from all of their music teachers over the years. There is excellence in band rooms all over the state with students young and old, even if it is not on display within our All State Bands and our work as band directors has always been and remains so valuable for our students and communities - keep up the great work! Some of that great work was shared at the NJMEA conference in February, as well! I hope you found value in your time at the conference, which featured some great band performances and sessions. Each year, NJMEA seeks applications for clinicians, vendors, performing ensembles, and presenters to share growth and perspective over the course of our few days together. Please consider preparing your students or yourself to share a performance or a presentation offering for next year. Keep up to date with TEMPO Express, TEMPO magazine, and the NJMEA website for updates and information in the coming months if you may be interested in putting something together. Thank you, and I wish you and your students all the best in the coming (warmer) weeks ahead!
TEMPO
6
JANUARY 2022
