News fom Our Affilliate Organizations - continued fom pg 68
Play. It’s a word that music educators use almost every day. Too often, we associate this word in a musical context with skill, as in, “Play that example again. You didn’t play it quite right.” While many of us have spent so many years dedicated to “perfecting our playing,” we often forget the wonderment of our formative years as musicians, when we were allowed to simply play and explore. Learning the language of jazz may require years of discipline to perform at a high level, but the music itself embodies the nature of child-like play, in the sense that regardless of where one is on the path to “Jazz Jedi,” experimentation and self-actualization are at the heart of what we do.
Play is in jeopardy whenever fear is present, and fear usually materializes when we are confronted with the unknown. Fear can be found in both students (“I don’t know how to improvise! Please don’t make me solo!”) and teachers (“I have no idea how to show my drummer an Afro-Cuban groove. We’d better just stick with a rock chart for our straight eighth note festival piece.”). I am here to tell you from experience that by changing our perception from “fear of the unknown” to “opportunity for play,” we will experience transformations in our students and ourselves. Whether it is a particular style of music, or just the ins and outs of basic improvisation that eludes you or your students, commit to engaging yourself 10 minutes a day to “play” on it. You’ll be surprised at how rewarding it can be!
One of our goals at MOAJE this year is to build a more tangible sense of community among jazz educators in Missouri. How can we best serve you? What resources can we provide that would have the most positive impact on you and your ensembles? What is on your MOAJE wish list? Please feel free to email me directly at
jvanderh@jeffco.edu and please make time to attend our MOAJE business meeting at the MMEA conference this year (Friday, January 27 at 2:45pm – Rm. 70-73) to share your thoughts. We look forward to building the Missouri jazz community together!
MISSOURI HIGH SCHOOL ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATION Davine Davis, Assistant Executive Director
The MSHSAA will sponsor one music adjudicator training session this school year. It will be held at the MMEA Conference on Wednesday, January 25, 2017. If you would like to register for this session, simply complete the registration form located on the MSHSAA website under the ‘Music Activities’ link and return it to MSHSAA. The MSHSAA Adjudicator Training Committee developed this program.
This session is open to any music educator at no charge. In order to be certified to judge at the MSHSAA festivals, it is a requirement that the attendees have 7-years of teaching experience. Music educators with less than 7-years of teaching experience are welcome to attend and would likely find the session beneficial. Again, to register, simply complete and return the registration form available on the MSHSAA website under the link “music activities.” Registration deadline is January 9, 2017.
Outstanding Music Educator of the Year Award Each year the NFHS Music Association presents its Outstanding Music Educator of the Year award to one recipient in each state. This year, MSHSAA is please to recognize Andy Johnston of Springfield, Missouri as the Missouri state award recipient. Johnston is the orchestra director at Glendale High School in Springfield. MSHSAA plans to present the award to Johnston on Thursday evening, January 26th during the Second General Session of the Missouri Music Educators Association Conference.
winter 2016 |
www.mmea.net
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