& News From Our Division Chairs &
Past-President William McDevitt
856-794-6800 x2539
billnjmea@aol.com
Random Thoughts
In a recent “Random Thoughts”, I addressed some of the comments that we received after our February Conference. In this ramble, I would like to give some insight into the workings of the NJMEA Board of Directors. For the last decade, the NJMEA Board of Directors (BOD) has been working under a different model than previous Boards. There are basically two Boards: the Executive Board (EB) and the Full Board (FB). The EB is the decision making body of NJMEA. This group consists of the President, President-Elect, Past-President, and the 4 Region
Presidents. Included on the Board in an advisory capacity, but not as voting members, are the Executive Secretary and TEMPO Editor. This group meets every month except July. Most of the membership has no idea of the amount of material that is covered in a meeting. Along with that material comes healthy discussion, with many bringing their own opinions and the opinions of their particular constituents to the table. Everything that is done by NJMEA is approved by the EB. Approvals include All-State Conductors and programs, recording & photography contracts, payment of bills, performance venues and contracts, and many other items that concern the day to day running of our organization. The FB consists of the EB and all of the people that you see listed in our TEMPO every issue. The individuals on the FB each have a
responsibility. Some of them oversee the running of our All-State Ensembles, some run Festivals, and others work on Conferences or other as- pects of music in our schools. Each individual on the FB has a daunting task with the position to which they have been appointed. Sometimes, I don’t know how they are able to do all that they do, and maintain the rest of their lives. For example, Marie Malara, our Conference Chair, begins working on a new conference on the Saturday evening that a conference ends. She works behind the scenes the entire year then comes to the January EB meeting with the entire conference set-up for last minute review. We never see the work that she does, but we know that it is constantly happening. The same goes for all of the other members of the FB. I am always amazed as I look at our NJMEA calendar and see how much happens under our watch. Conferences, concerts, festivals, work- shops, meetings, auditions, and numerous other events occur every month. Sometimes, the EB is needed to make a quick decision, in which case, we cyber-vote. After long email discussions, we send email votes on emergency items. This happens for several reasons. Sometimes, things happen after an EB meeting that need approval before the next meeting. Other times, the weather forces changes that need approval. That brings us to this past November’s All-State. A week before Hurricane Sandy hit, we didn’t even know that she was brewing; but two days afterwards, we all knew that she had been here. The pictures of the devastation were incredible. It was hard to believe that some of the pictures were from New Jersey. After allowing things to settle for a few days, phone calls started happening. Initially, concerns were going in every direction, from whether
we would have a few students missing in Atlantic City, to whether Atlantic City would be open, to whether the NJEA Convention would hap- pen, to whether we would be holding the November All-State at all. The members of the EB, Joe Cantaffa – COJ Chair, and our November Performance Chairs Kathy Spadafino (Choral), Susan Meuse (Orchestra), and Jeff Lesser (Jazz) spent many hours on the phone and correspond- ing through emails as the situation developed. It was decided that a face-to-face meeting was needed to have a better discussion. A dozen NJMEA members met in Toms River on the Friday night after the storm. Some of them did not have power yet in their own
houses, and yet they came to be a part of the discussion. I love having many voices at the table because the best solutions come when individuals work off of the thoughts of others. Keeping the best interest of the students in mind, a plan was made to cancel Atlantic City, and postpone the rehearsals another week to prepare for the concerts at NJ PAC. At that point, I don’t think that anyone at the table knew how long the recovery from Sandy was going to take. Add to that a Nor’easter that flew across the State the following Wednesday, and well, history has been written. While we always had in the back of our heads the knowledge that there would be many disappointed students because of the cancellation, the safety and physical and mental well-being of our students was always at the front of our heads. What amazed me through this whole process was that everyone involved did their job with the highest professionalism for the good of the NJMEA. I would like to personally thank Debbie Sfraga for the countless hours that she spent on the phone trying to make the plans work. I would also like to thank Keith Hodgson for his leadership throughout the ordeal. The students and teachers in the State should be proud that these two are here working for you. Next ramblings – “NJMEA and NAfME – Perfect Together”
continued on page 8 TEMPO 6 JANUARY 2013
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