Here are the latest articles from our leaders published in the Ala Breve. To see all the Ala Breve articles and more, go to our Ala Breve Archive page.
Are you a lifelong learner? I have been thinking about this lately as I began the new adventure of violin lessons this past summer. As an organist, pianist, and choir director, I can tell you it has been a humbling experience. I can now play “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and “Go Tell Aunt Rhody.” Yikes! As tempting as it is, I refuse to give up.
Time flies. I know, that is the understatement of the year. The school year started only about a month ago and already look at all that you and your students have accomplished. Whether choral, general music or instrumental, a lot has happened since the first day of school.
Are you one of those folks that likes to be ahead of the crowd? Would you like to breeze through the AMEA Professional Development Conference check in? If that’s a description of you, then it’s time to check out a couple of things that will make the process very easy. Everything you need is in one convenient location! Go to www.myamea.org and select the conference tab.
We hope your semesters are off to a strong start. As the year gets underway, we gain more opportunities to get involved. Whether they are musical or not, there are many ways to get invested in the campus community. However, one of the best activities on campus and in our professional community is cNAfME.
Resilient: If the recent past has taught us anything, the lesson gleaned is the Alabama Music Educators Association is resilient. From COVID shutting down our conference, to putting on a very successful virtual conference the following year, and even having to reschedule performance groups after canceling our 2024 conference due to weather concerns, this association has shown time and time again that together we are resilient.
I closed my last Ala Breve article by expressing my profound gratitude for the dedicated members of the entire ABA Board, who tirelessly work behind the scenes to ensure our students have opportunities to grow and experience musical moments that they will cherish for a lifetime. As I reflected, these past few days, after our Summer Board Meeting, I once again felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude.
Greetings to all! I am currently writing this article after having spent 12 days traveling with the Hoover High School choir in France and, unexpectedly, Holland. If you are curious about the unexpected part, I hope I will have the opportunity to share the whole story with you at an event this year. Wherever life’s path led you this Summer, I am grateful it brought you back to a new school year!
I hope everyone is enjoying a much-needed rest before the thrill of the school year begins. The Alabama Orchestra Association has an exciting year ahead, so please make sure you keep up with member emails, social media, and our website!
It is that time of year again! After a summer that included some rest, some travel, and some work, I feel ready to tackle the new year, welcome new and returning students, and get into teaching and preparing for performances. Are you refreshed and ready to go? Ready or not, here we go! What about all you “new” elementary music teachers? Have you been preparing lesson plans and evaluating performance music in anticipation of the school year?
It is with great expectation and excitement that I write my first article as President of the Higher Ed. Division of the Alabama Music Educators Association. I am also proud to introduce our President-elect Dr. Ted Hoffman and our Secretary/Treasurer Dr. Brandon Slocumb. I would like to acknowledge and thank our immediate Past-President Dr. Carly Johnson.
