Maine Motif Maine Motif May 2017 Issue 3 Volume I | Page 3

From the President
Greetings Maine Music Educators,
It appears that as we go to publication, the threat of snow may finally be history.
That was a long winter for many, time to look towards spring flowers, a lengthy
mud season, Spring Sports Seasons and of course the Centennial All State
Festival and Conference at UMO May 18-20, 2017.
At the conference there is much to look forward to. Check out on mainemmea.org
the workshops that the VP’s have put together for you. Ben Potvin and Nancy
Cash-Cobb have been organizing the conference and Becca DeWann is organizing
the registration process while Pam Kinsey is working with the exhibits. Register
for the conference today. Go to the MMEA website to link to an online store for
some “centennial swag” that Ben Potvin has coordinated. There are mugs and
shirts, pennants and more!
Kristen Thomas continues to work tirelessly to make sure the festival is coming
together. The music is out (did you like the drop box?), the students t-shirts are
ordered and the housing is in the process of being organized. Thank you to all
who have volunteered to chaperone! Without you we would not have a festival.
There is the Director’s Band to look forward to and the students are going to
enjoy a fabulous evening with “Motor Booty Affair”. Each ensemble will premiere
a new work (all of which will be on sale for MMEA members after the festival).
Our Eastern Division President and our NAfME Executive Director will be at the
conference to mark this Centennial Celebration.
New this year is an event that many are excited about: a 4th and 5th grade honors
choir. Thank you to Catherine Newell and Frances Kellogg for their work on this
event. The chorus will rehearse all day Friday and perform in the afternoon just
before the all member meeting. Also new this year, if you are a member of
MMEA, the President’s reception is free. You do need to indicate on your
registration that you are attending. I hope to see you all there.
The Board has been busy preparing for the conference and we look forward to
seeing you in Orono in a few weeks. Let’s celebrate a Happy Birthday for the
MMEA!
See you soon,
Sue Barre