Articles

I hope you have had a restful and enjoyable summer. I also hope that your fall is enjoyable and productive as you each begin a new year in your chosen field. At the recent AMEA Conference, I asked attendees of the HED Luncheon to complete a brief survey and to encourage their colleagues to do the same. I received some great feedback from the survey; however, I would like to hear from a greater number of our constituents.

This past month, I had the opportunity to attend the NAfME Collegiate Leadership Advocacy Summit. There, I learned about the importance of our community of music educators and the need for us to advocate for music education. For many of us, cNAfME is a club at our school that may host monthly meetings, bring in guest speakers, or organize social events.

It is not too early to be thinking about our AMEA Conference in January, 2026. Just remember, you must join NAfME, and you should pre-register if possible.  A healthy organization is always concerned with growth and development, and the AMEA board is interested in growing our organization, and for getting all music teachers in Alabama involved in professional development through AMEA and NAfME.

Is there ever a time when you are not thinking about music, or playing music, or considering what type of music to read next? If you’re like most Alabama music educators, music is almost always at the forefront of your mind even when you are supposed to be resting. T. S. Eliot pinned it correctly, that you are the music because the music always lasts. 

School band directors are more than just music teachers. They are cultivators of character, discipline, teamwork, and joy. With each rehearsal, performance, and moment of encouragement, they scatter seeds—seeds that often bloom far beyond the concert hall. These seeds are not just about music; they are about life.

Someone told me once that unexpressed gratitude is like a gift purchased, wrapped, but never given. I would be remiss not to express my gratitude to the AVA organization and for the service and continued dedication of its members to choral music education in the state of Alabama.

It is hard to believe we have reached the conclusion of another school year. What a year of hard work and exciting adventures it has been! AOA’s spring semester is busy with both All-State Orchestra and Orchestra Music Performance Assessment. 

Whew! What a year it has been! I feel like the 2024-25 school year has flown by at lightning speed. I have had some exciting performances at my school, and my students have grown and learned so much. The AMEA schedule has been full of many wonderful opportunities for our students and teachers. The elementary music festival in the fall with Dr. Erika Knapp and Dr. Morgan Luttig was an enormous success with students learning new music and performing with confidence.