Maine Motif Issue 2 Volume I | Page 3

From the President

Hello Maine Maine Music Educators ,
It is my hope that your school year is going well . It is hard to believe we are entering the season of jazz festivals , basketball tournaments , concerts and so much more . We are more than halfway through the year , the days can be long but the years seem to fly by !
Since the fall publication of the motif MMEA has been busy . 2017 does mark the 100th anniversary of the Maine Music Educators Association . It is believed that we are the oldest established music educators association in the country . The celebration began in January with two beautiful pieces premiered at jazz all state and there are more premiers to come , see the article inside for more details .
Ben Potvin and Nancy Cash-Cobb have been working hard on the conference , registration is up on the MMEA website . Becca DeWann has the registration process stream lined for all of us . Speaking of the website , check out the new format , it is a Weeby . Next summer it is a goal of MMEA to combine all the various websites to make it easier for educators and students alike .
Mike Sakash has been leading the transition to a medal system in the jazz branch of MMEA . New this year , in the choral world , a middle school all state choir and a 4th and 5th grade honors choir in May . Kristen Thomas is lining up a amazing experience for the all state students . The elementary folks had a great fall festival and Catherine Newall is working on a lending library for teachers to access .
There were sixteen students who represented Maine in the National Ensembles last November and in April there will be twenty-nine students representing Maine in the All Eastern Ensembles in Atlantic City April 5th-8th , 2017 . The USM Chamber Choir is performing at the conference