“You are the music while the music lasts.” T. S. Eliot
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.
In the past few months since conference, you have tuned and practiced, set up risers and broken them down, planned and perfected, and rehearsed, rehearsed, rehearsed all to keep the music going. You have prepared students for All-State, honor bands, choirs, and orchestras, parades, district music assessments, and concerts. You have been the music for several months, but soon it will be time to rest and rejuvenate. For some, rest will simply mean doing less music for a couple of weeks, and for others, it will mean doing full professional development, summer camps, higher degrees, and prepping for the next school year. Regardless of which category you fit in, you are still the music, and the music will last.
This school year, we have had many opportunities to keep the music going by showing the rest of the state how we make the music happen in our schools and classrooms. Thank you to those who participated in the 40th Anniversary of the Music In Our School Month (MIOSM) celebration. A big thanks to Dr. Becky Halliday and her MIOSM committee for creating fun, light-hearted challenges for us to post weekly on social media. Thanks to those who posted photos and videos on the AMEA social media platforms honoring and celebrating the great music making occurring in our Alabama schools. I was overjoyed seeing and hearing the wonderful array of performances as well as informances of your students singing, dancing, playing, creating, composing and many other things, keeping the music going. I was honored to represent AMEA by accepting a resolution from the Alabama Department of Education recognizing March as Music In Our Schools Month. The music sharing does not have to stop! As you create opportunities for your students, continue to post on social media and use the hashtag ala4musiced. To see other postings, search #ala4musiced on our AMEA social media pages. As an association our task is to continue the learning beyond the conference. Posting and sharing from your classrooms helps us to fulfill this task and professionally develops our Alabama music community all year. Thank you for keeping the music going.
You continued to make music by extending the learning beyond the walls of our schools and classrooms, and into the rotunda of the Alabama State House and the Gordon Persons Building which houses the Alabama Department of Education. I cannot think of a stronger way to let our legislators know that music is alive and well in our state than to take the music where decisions are being made that directly affect us. On Thursdays during the months of February and March, during the legislative sessions, schools from across the state presented concerts to lawmakers. Congratulations and thanks to The Ardmore High School Chamber Choir, the Hewitt-Trussville Middle School Honor Choir, the Booker T. Washington Magnet Choral Ensemble, the Silurian Strings at Thompson Middle School, the LES Joyful Jammers from Loachapoka Elementary School, and the Russell County High School Low Brass Ensemble for their outstanding performances and representations of all of AMEA. These small group ensembles received accolades from the State Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Eric Mackey, and several arts organizations via social media and other print sources. Thank you to the Alabama State Department of Education’s Andy Meadows, and the Alabama Institute for Education in the Arts for making this wonderful opportunity available for some of our students. You too can keep the music going by applying to perform in the Capital Tunes Celebrations. Be sure to watch your emails for the AMEA eNewsletter during the fall. The Capital Tunes celebration application, as well as other statewide opportunities will be posted there. Also, check the website for upcoming events and dates for all AMEA sponsored events. www.myamea.org.
In the April edition of the AMEA eNewsletter, we posted a statement from NAfME regarding the closure of the U.S. Department of Education and its potential consequence for music education funding, specifically Title funds. We encourage you to visit https://nafmeorg.quorum.us/campaign/115284/ for further details and contact your state representatives in Washington D.C. to ensure our music never ends.
“You are the music while the music lasts,” Over the next couple of months, I want to encourage you to stop, rest, and reflect on all that you have accomplished this school year. While the music never ends, we still need time to make sure we are offering the best learning experiences we can for our students. We too need time to step away and allow rest so that we can continue to grow. As always, need our assistance, please let us know.