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 Greetings! As we near the end of this school year it is a nice time to look both behind at the long and arduous road we have all travelled as well as the miles ahead for us and our students. The past two school years and all of the consequential abnormalities have seen us all make radical changes to our own practices and programs in the spirit of safety and preservation of the student’s valuable experiences making music in schools. You will likely not be thanked or appreciated enough for just how much you have done over the course of this pandemic but know that in this shared experience across many, many band rooms in our state and beyond that your work has and will continue to matter a great deal for your students and your communities. I commend you for your dedication to your band throughout these two incredible years - your students are lucky to have you! What lies ahead? Although we can never know for sure what the future may bring, I am hopeful that next year brings us more stability and support for our students to make music safely and happily. At this time, NJMEA is planning on returning to an ordinary All State Band event schedule in February 2023 including one reading rehearsal, weekend rehearsals and overnight housing in Atlantic City, and culminating with a concert at NJPAC. You can find the 2022/2023 All State Band Solo list in this issue of Tempo Magazine so that you may begin preparing with your students. Let’s hope that our school concerts, festivals, and shows of 2022/2023 can also be planned with a familiar and predictable approach! Finally, this will be my last report as the band performance chair for NJMEA. I want to thank NJMEA for the privilege of serving in this volunteer position for this wonderful state organization for four special years. My successor will have the great honor of working with both the board of directors and the All State Band Committee and I look forward to all of the great happenings that await New Jersey bands in the coming years! I wish you and your students wonderful Spring concert performances and a joyful finish to this incredible school year. Be well, and see you soon!
Retired Members/Mentorship Kathleen Spadafino kspadeb[at]aol.com NJRMEA had a very successful meeting at the NJMEA convention in February. We had several new members sign up, and we all enjoyed a presentation by Libby Gopal, who talked about programs to boost All-State and Region participation by Title I schools. She will contact us with more details so we can help in this effort. Our president Ron Dolce has worked very hard to increase our membership, and will send out more emails this spring. Our next General Membership meeting is Wednesday, May 18 at the Asbury Park Music Foundation. We will have a short meeting followed by a tour of the building and recording studios. We will provide breakfast, but after our tour we can all go out to lunch at a nearby restaurant. This is a great day out at the Jersey Shore! Please email Ron at Rdolce561[at]aol.com with any questions. We hope to see you there! TEMPO
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MAY 2022
