TODA News Volume 19, Number 2 Official Publication of the Texas Orchestra Directors Association
Letter from the President . . . Happy New Year! I hope this article finds everyone in good spirits and well rested after a much deserved holiday break. As we enter the spring semester, I hope you will find time for yourself amidst all the demands that this fast-paced time of year requires of us. Over the holidays, I had the privilege of directing a few region orchestras. It was a great time to visit with friends and colleagues, and to meet new directors in our state. You can rest assured that the quality of our orchestra programs is alive and strong in Texas. We should never forget how blessed we are to be in a state where orchestra programs are supported, funded, and most importantly, exist. I think it often surprises us that there are districts in our state that still do not have orchestra programs as part of their curriculum. In many cases, school districts are finally beginning to model their orchestra programs based on existing and successful programs. If you are directing or otherwise involved in any of these new programs, we want you to know that TODA is here to help you in anyway possible. I look forward to seeing many of you at the TMEA Convention in San Antonio. It is only a few days away and it is one of the highlights of my year as a teacher. Please plan to stop by the TODA Reception on Thursday, February 11 from 7:00-9:00 at the Hilton Palacio del Rio Hotel in the Corte Real. The TMEA Convention is a great opportunity to visit with colleagues and “recharge your batteries” before contest season approaches. We extend many thanks to Jeff Turner and the TMEA Board for providing us with such an outstanding convention every year. Make plans now to join us again in San Antonio for the summer’s TODA Convention, July 28-31. We are fortunate to have well-known orchestral composer and music educator, Richard Meyer, present several clinics. He will have clinics on many topics, including how to lead effective and efficient rehearsals, start beginners from scratch, and program outside the box with fun and unusual ideas for concerts. Mr. Meyer is an amazing teacher and clinician and you will not want to miss his sessions. Also Mark Wood, former lead violinist with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, will be presenting ways to “Electrify Your Strings”, showcasing his outstanding outreach program that integrates rock music into the school orchestra program – a great source of recruiting! Best wishes to all of you for a productive and successful contest season. Your work each day in the classroom is a reflection of the strength of the programs in this state. As they say, “Everything is Bigger and Better in Texas!” •
Bryan Buffaloe 1
February 1,2010
Take Note! February 10-13, 2010 . . . TMEA Clinic/Convention San Antonio February 11, 2010 . . . TODA Member Reception Hilton Corte Real, 7-9 pm February 17-20, 2010 . . . ASTA Conference Santa Clara CA March 10, 2010 . . . GoArts Day at the Capitol Austin April 1. 2010 . . . TODA Composition Contest Deadline TODA Orchestra Director of the Year Nomination Deadline info at toda.us.com June 10-11, 2010 . . . Texas Fine Arts Summit X Austin July 1, 2010 . . . TODA Convention Pre-Registration Deadline July 28-31, 2010 . . . TODA Convention/Reading Clinic San Antonio
TODA News,
the Official Publication of the Texas Orchestra Directors Association, is published three times per year. For advertising rate information contact Dan L Wood, Executive Director, 7900 Centre Park Drive, Suite A, Austin TX 78754, 512/474-2801.
TODA Board of Directors President, Bryan Buffaloe VP/Treasurer, Craig Needham Secretary, Margaret Brown Member At Large, David DeVoto Past President, Lisa McCutchan Executive Director, Dan L Wood
Money Matters
Craig Needham Vice President
Seriously! Where did the first semester go? By now, you have done a couple of concerts, region and state auditions, shirts, uniforms, handbooks, officers, fundraisers, booster club meetings, social events, picked UIL music, worked on the trip, collected money for everything . . . and every now and then you get to teach! If there is any time to breathe in the Fall, certainly there is none in the sprint that is the Spring semester. Those outside the teaching field will never fully understand the importance of our time away from school. It is not just vacation time, it is time to refresh, refocus, and re energize. Our time away from our students becomes a critical piece of the success of our time with them. I hope you took full advantage of your recent time away from school.
is down a little from previous years. Our membership and Convention attendance continue to remain strong, but we did have fewer vendors than in previous years and Convention costs rise annually. These things are to be expected in a slow economy. I am currently working with our CPA in getting our audit completed and will be able to present a full financial report for the next newsletter. Even with less income, our Board has cut enough of our operating expenses to maintain a healthy financial bottom line. Our vendors are our lifeline and we work hard with them to make our Convention attractive enough so they will continue to offer support through attendance. Several other similar conventions in our state and around the country have suffered a far greater drop in vendor participation and for that, we are thankful.
The TODA Board continues to streamline our expenses so that we may continue to provide the quality Convention for the current value. I recently received our Convention split from the last Convention and it
With that in mind, I hope you are making your plans to not only attend TMEA and TODA, but to visit our vendors often during the conventions. If you are not attending the TMEA and TODA conventions, you are missing
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a key piece for professional growth. I would also encourage you to get out and clinic and judge as much as possible and don’t be afraid to stretch yourself. I did a clinic last year with a local group where the group performed on stage and afterward, the parents were invited to stay and listen to the clinic. As I was introduced and invited to come up on the stage, I was scared to death seeing an auditorium full of parents watching and listening to my every word. It turned out to be an exhilarating experience! We have so many fine groups and teachers in Texas, if you are not attending the conventions and getting out and seeing other orchestras, you are missing out on enormous growth opportunities. When I go do a clinic, I generally come away having learned as much as the kids! I feel the same sense of rejuvenation following one of our Conventions. Both of these experiences are as effective as a break away from school because they leave you excited about getting back with your own kids and sharing all your new ideas. You’ll be better off, and so will your students! •
Future TODA Convention Dates . . . 2010 July 28 - 31 2011 July 27 - 30
Contact: Dan L Wood 7900 Centre Park Dr Suite A Austin TX 78754 512/474-2801 toda@ensemble.org
2012 July 25 - 28 2013 July 31 - Aug 3 2014 July 30 - Aug 2 2015 July 29 - Aug 1 2016 July 27 - 30 2017 July 26 - 29 2018 July 25 - 28 2
Members Matter
Margaret Brown Secretary
The end of both a year and a decade—wow! To move forward, we must look back. Evaluate our success, our failures, our strengths and weaknesses. Determine if we met our goals—if we even had goals?! Have we stumbled through life with a hit-or-miss approach, or have we set forth goals we’ve attained or missed? After evaluating and determining our status, it’s time to look forward and determine where we want to be. With the end of a decade and the start of a new one, it’s a perfect time to set forth new goals or perhaps continue with the ones you already have in place. Reflection of one’s self and surroundings is necessary on both a personal as well as a professional level. As you take the time to evaluate, don’t forget to include conventions and professional development in your goals. It’s so easy to fall into the proverbial rut and not attend conventions, both because of time
and money. If you’re fortunate enough to be in a district that covers your expenses, then make the commitment to attend. If you’re not, then determine how to make it happen. These financial times do make it more challenging, but as creative as each of you are, you can find a way to finance the conventions. We’re fortunate in Texas to have conventions that are very inexpensive—just check out some of the national conventions! TODA is designed to help us all become better educators, musicians and individuals. Come with an open mind and leave with energy, excitement, knowledge and friendships. Perhaps the friendships one forges year after year are the most valuable benefit for each of us. Personally, I’ve developed friendships over the last two decades of TODA that are invaluable to me. Colleagues can be the best source of classroom “fixes,” administrative questions and hidden gems of literature.
Your TODA board invites you to attend the TODA convention this year. There’s a great deal of time devoted to evaluating and goal setting for TODA, and your input is needed. We need your help to advertise our convention. Please email your suggestions for improvement regarding the convention to me at mabrown@ mckinneyisd.net or mbjviolin@aol. com. Looking forward to seeing everyone at TMEA and then again at TODA! •
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Texas Orchestra Directors Association 7900 Centre Park Drive Suite A Austin, Texas 78754
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Issues & Answers Lisa McCutchan
Greetings to all of you. By the time you receive this, the holidays are behind you, the endless holiday performances are over, and a new semester has begun! My fall semester went so fast! Every year I have a talk with myself about doing less, but it never seems to happen. As music educators we are so passionate about what we do that we are often so caught up with the rehearsals, the students, and the boosters, that we neglect time for ourselves and our own families. I often ask myself, is there another way to do this job? Is there something I can take away in my schedule? After 27 years of teaching, it finally hit me . . . this is who I am! It is exciting each day to witness a new skill being achieved. It also makes me feel special when a student needs my opinion in a non-musical way . . . there is a
Past President
trust that has developed over the years. So how do we keep the balance in our lives and be successful at the same time? This fall I did a lot of soul searching and the one word that kept coming to mind was boundaries! I went through my 27 years of teaching, with very few boundaries. I would let orchestra parents call me at all hours of the day or night. In the area of my booster organization, I often picked up more work for me when I saw they were not working as a team. When I finally let go of some of these situations, life did get easier for me. This fall I was able to see every one of my son’ s football games! It is amazing that when boundaries are set, there is more time in the schedule to do the things that really matter. My hope is that the younger teachers out there develop this practice of setting boundaries a lot earlier than I started!
___________________________ Plans are well in the works for this summer’s annual TODA Convention. Bryan Buffaloe is doing an outstanding job with the preparation of this Convention. Make plans now to attend. Please also plan to stop by the TODA Reception at TMEA. Looking forward to visiting with each and everyone of you! Have a great second semester! •
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