CELEBRATE MUSIC IN OUR SCHOOLS MONTH

TEMPO Editor - William McDevitt 300 W. Somerdale Road, STE C Voorhees, NJ 08043 Phone: 856-433-8512 e-mail: wmcdevittnjmea[at]gmail.com

Deadlines

October Issue - August 1

January Issue - November 1

March Issue - January 15

May Issue - March 15

All members should send address changes to: mbrserv[at]nafme.org or NAfME, 1806 Robert Fulton Drive Reston, VA 22091

Printed by: Mt. Royal Printing 1-717-569-3200

The New Jersey Music Educators Association is a state unit of the National Association for Music Education and an affiliate of the New Jersey Education Association. It is a nonprofit membership organization.

TEMPO (ISSN 0040-3016) is published four times during the school year: October, January, March and May.

It is the official publication of the New Jersey Music Educators Association.

The subscription rate for non-members is $20.00 per year. The subscription for members is included in the annual dues.

A copy of dues receipts (Subscriptions) is retained by the NJMEA Treasurer. Inquiries regarding advertising rate, closing dates, and the publication of original articles should be sent to the Editor.

Volume 77, No. 3, MARCH 2023

TEMPO Editor - William McDevitt C/O NJMEA, 300 W Somerdale Rd, STE C, Voorhees NJ 08043 Periodicals Postage Paid at Lakewood, NJ 08701 and additional entries

POSTMASTER: Please forward address changes to: NAfME 1806 Robert Fulton Drive Reston, VA 20191

Please go to nafme.org to record email and address changes.

Wayne Mallette Scotch Plains - Fanwood School District mallette.njmea[at]gmail.com

Ignite Your Passion! This was the focus of our 2023 NJMEA State Conference. I hope all of those who attended the conference were able to embrace this theme and left the conference with a renewed focus on being the best music educator possible.

It was my honor to greet you and the many guests from around the country at our 2023 conference. This conference would not have been possible without the creative team behind the scenes. I would like to thank Marie Malara and her team for their unwavering commitment to organizing a conference that is exciting and meaningful for the attendees. I would also like to thank Bill McDevitt for his strategic thinking and drive, which were necessary to bring this conference together. This year, it was an honor to host our National NAfME President, Scott Sheehan. His session and greeting were inspirational—his passion, drive, and genuine optimism are inspirational. He is no stranger to New Jersey, as he was the facilitator that helped guide our 2018 Strategic Plan. It was a full-circle moment to have him present as we begin the process of closing out this Strategic Plan.

Our keynote speakers, Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser and Dr. T. André Feagin set the perfect tone for this conference. And I’m still recovering from the stellar performance of our headliners, Naturally 7. They brought the house down! I hope you were as inspired as I was and got the fuel in order to Ignite Your Passion.

Our culminating All-State Band and Choir concert was the highlight of our conference. It was an extra treat to see them perform both in Atlantic City and at NJPAC! I would like to thank our Band (Megan Alexander & Tyler Wiernusz) and Choral (Ken Bryson & Brian Williams) chairs and committees for organizing the rehearsals and concert. A very special thank you goes to Joe Cantaffa for creating a professional All-State concert experience.

As with every event we do, we are assessing how the conference went this year and look forward to making it even more meaningful next year.

As many of you know, March is Music in Our Schools Month. I want to challenge each of you to highlight the great things you are doing in your music programs. If you post something make sure to use the #MIOSM. You can also tag NJMEA in your post and we’ll be sure to post it to our social media site. Let’s let everyone know, “Music in our Schools” is alive and thriving!

One opportunity I would also like to highlight is the Crescendo Foundation. This organization is committed to providing financial resources to students who want to participate in our honor ensembles. If you have a student who you feel could benefit from this type of financial support, information can be found on the NJMEA website under the All-State Section.

Music Educators,

March can be a tough month for educators. As we progress in this last leg of the school year, please remember to be kind to yourselves. NJMEA is here to support you, so please feel free to reach out to let us know how we can best serve you.

Best!