Jody Powell,- President, Alabama Vocal Association Give and you will get!
It is with great humbleness that I greet you as your new president of the Alabama Vocal Association. When I agreed to be put on the slate of officers as president-elect, I had no idea how much time and effort this position would take. Oh well, here we go…
I believe that the officers and chairs of the AVA board are an awesome group of people. We work together to try and serve, first of all, the students in our choral programs, followed by the directors in the membership, and finally to promote choral music in the state of Alabama. Each of these folks gives tirelessly their time and talent to achieve this level of service. We don’t always agree, but we do agree to disagree. There are two very special people that have helped me enormously throughout this transition process from president-elect to president. Jane Powell and Pat Blackwell have tried to keep me straight and true to the task of president. I could not perform this job without them. Thank you Jane and Pat!
I always try to instill the idea of, “You only get out of something what you are willing to put into it”, be it your family, your faith, your job, or your program. The more effort and time that you are willing to give and spend with each of these areas is directly proportional to the amount of love, blessings, and returns that you receive from your hard work. AVA is a family of varied types of people and personalities that will reward you if you are willing to work at it. It is a SERVICE organization.
None of the
people that serve you get paid (with the exception of the Executive Secretary) to do everything they must do to keep this organization running smoothly. It is an act of LOVE. It is truly a privilege to serve with the membership and board of AVA. So, be kind to your leadership and treat them with respect and dignity. They are in this for you! We welcome the new members of the AVA Board. They are Michelle Reburn from District I, Cathy Spence from District IV, and James Kendrick our new web master. We also welcome back Brent Coleman from District III.
This organization allows the students and directors to create some of the most beautiful art that can be created. From the fall or holiday concerts, All-State
Whether you sing in the choir, dance in a musical theater production, play an instrument in a band, have a passion for opera, or lead worship for your church, the University of Mobile Center for Performing Arts has the program for you!
Show Choir, All-State Choral Festival, State Choral Performance Assessments, or just the everyday “grind” in the classroom. Each of these opportunities allows us as directors to impart, instill, and create something that will remain in the students’ lives forever. That is truly a daunting responsibility. I know that all of you do not have the perfect situation in which to perform this task, but as music educators it is our responsibility to “keep plugging along” in our different venues to try and give to the students what they deserve. Take advantage of all of the workshops and conferences that AVA and AMEA offer you to make you a better teacher.
If you desire a university that prepares you to make a difference in today’s culture, UMobile is for you!
center for performing arts The course of study is music - the four-year journey is the real education!
To schedule an appointment to audition:
cpaauditions@umobile.edu or call
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This year’s Fall Workshop will be held September 7-8 at Vestavia Hills Baptist Church in Birmingham. Thanks to Terre Johnson and his church for their generosity to host this event. We will have Dr. John Flanery from the University of Southern Mississippi as our guest clinician. He will enlighten us on his efforts and ideas to accommodate the male changing voice and instruct us in ways that we might recruit more men into our choral programs. We will also have a “Tried and True” reading session that will introduce or reintroduce some of our favorite and functional choral pieces. There will also be the traditional reading sessions of the All-State music. AVA is making available packets of the All-State music so that you may purchase those for the reading sessions at Fall Workshop. This can be included in your registration. You will receive flyers in the mail about how to accomplish this from Pat Blackwell. Since this was a handbook rewrite year, we will also be voting on many changes to the handbook and proposals from the membership. Visit our website,
www.alavocal.org, and use it. You will receive newsletters and information from your district chairs in the very near future. Look over these carefully.
There is a lot of new
information with changes to the way we have done things in the past.
Finally, the secret to happiness is to do all the good you can, by all means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all times you can, as long as you ever can! Have a GREAT year of Choral Music.
August/September 2012
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