Greg Gumina, AMEA President Hello AMEA! Hello AMEA!


My sincere hope is that you all had a great summer and that you are prepared to return to the business of educating our young people. It has been very rewarding to follow all of the professional development activities so many of you sought out during these summer months. We have an awesome profession, and I am constantly humbled by, and appreciative of professionals sharing knowledge with each other. It's definitely one of the things which make our profession so special. Once again, I would like to thank you for allowing me the opportunity to represent and work for you as your President. I will continue to do my best in that capacity, and it has indeed been my pleasure to serve our organization.


Summer Board Meeting


The Governing Board had a very productive meeting in June with a very full agenda. All the represented divisions gave excellent reports concerning the depth and breadth of their respective activities and programs. There are truly some exciting things happening throughout our state. All the divisions are healthy and vibrant, and rest assured that each division is very well represented. You have done an excellent job of electing great representatives in each of our divisions. I am happy to report that our organization is moving forward toward our 75th Anniversary next year in a very strong financial position, and membership numbers are solid. Please talk to your fellow music


education colleagues and encourage them to renew their membership in AMEA, or join us if they are not already a member.


Advocacy in Our Nation’s Capitol 2019-2020 AMEA Governing Board


1st Row: Collegiate President DeLee Benton, HED President Mildred Lanier, Elem/Gen President Betty Wilson, Collegiate Advisor Ted Hoffman, Executive Director Garry Taylor,


Assistant Executive Director Rusty Logan, Industry Representative Becky Lightfoot, President-elect David Raney, and Registrar/Treasurer Pat Stegall.


2nd Row: AMEA President Greg Gumina, AVA President Meg Jones, Elem/Gen President-elect Sarah McLendon, Recording Secretary Carla Gallahan, ABA President Terry Ownby, and ABA President-elect Joel Henson.


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The NAfME National Leadership Conference, Collegiate Advocacy Summit, and 2019 Hill Day were June 17th-21st. The AMEA was very well represented by two great teams of music education advocates from our state leadership. While in Washington, DC we were able to meet with representatives from the offices of Senator Doug Jones, Senator Richard Shelby, Congresswoman Terri Sewell, Congresswoman Martha Roby, Congressman Mo Brooks, Congressman Gary Palmer, Congressman Mike Rogers, and Congressman Bradley Byrne for Hill Day. We were even fortunate enough to meet with Congresswoman Martha Roby and Congressman Gary Palmer in person. Thanks to these two Representatives for taking the time to meet with us personally. Our message was well received in all offices as we shared the importance of music education as part of a well-rounded education. We made several requests as part of the goals for the day, both legislative and fiscal. The House and Senate have done a very good job of funding the “Every Student Succeeds Act” through the appropriations process, and all parts of the law are currently being funded for 2020 at significantly higher levels than during the Fiscal Year 2019. We also asked for Legislative support for the “GAAME” Act (Guaranteed Access to Arts and Music Education) while on the Hill this year, which more specifically enumerates how federal funding should be used in support of music education. For specifics on federal appropriations, authorized spending, and all things “ESSA” and “GAAME,” please see the NAfME website. During our meetings, we presented each Senator and Congressperson with a framed copy of our state song and a note from the AMEA as part of our State’s Bicentennial Celebration. During the National Assembly many valuable sessions were presented and information was shared amongst state leaders concerning subjects such as: Country Music Association Grants, ESSA Title IV (Part A), Strategies for Cultivating New and Emerging Leaders, Governance and Fiduciary Responsibilities, Mentoring: State and National, Connecting with the Fundraising Community, Vision 2020: The Future is Now for NAfME, Shortening the Distance: State, Division, and National Collaboration, Working with Affiliate Organizations, and National Standards Initiatives, amongst other informative and valuable sessions. We were also able to meet with Matt Barusch, NAfME State Advocacy and Engagement Manager, to discuss ideas concerning our own advocacy efforts here in Alabama. Dr. Rob Lyda has been doing a great job heading up these efforts for us and we will all need to be engaged in the process of advocacy.


August/September 2019


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