PMEA D12 President’s Update – September, 2021
Steve Selfridge, Garnet Valley High School
Welcome back, colleagues! Several weeks into the new school year, I’m willing to bet that many of you are feeling somewhat exhausted and stressed (like me), but also happy to be back making music with students again! I would love to know how things are going for you and your program. If you aren’t already a member, please join our private Facebook group – PMEA D12 Educator Community and I welcome you to contribute to the discussion on my latest post. https://www.facebook.com/groups/pmea12/
AUDITIONS for our District Ensembles are coming soon! Some of our audition excerpts and requirements have been updated, so please check our website for the most current audition information: https://www.pmea12.org/auditions2021
PMEA Membership Renewal: Please remember to renew your PMEA membership! By joining our community of professional music educators, you have a chance to connect with other teachers, gain insight and ideas from NAfME and PMEA publications, and provide more performance opportunities for your students. Our community needs your voice, your expertise, and your input! Visit https://www.pmea.net/membership-information/
Updates From Your PMEA D12 Committee Chairs
Advocacy – George Weaver
Now is the right time to ask your administrator about the ESSER federal funds. They are being dispersed on a rolling basis. Your district may have already allocated some of the first-round funds, but they will still have additional funds becoming available that you can get in line for. Remember, they can’t say ‘No’ until you have asked! Watch this PMEA Webinar if you are interested in further details: PMEA Federal Funding for Arts Education Webinar
Archdiocese – Sister Lauretta Linsalata, IHM
Auditions for All Catholic Concert Band, Jazz Band, Orchestra, and Chorus will be held through video submission. All Catholic festivals will be held in-person on 3-day weekends.
PMEA Choral Music Performance Assessment – Tuesday, April 5, 2022, Immaculata University
HS Festival Coordinator – Jeff Hart
We are looking forward to returning to a somewhat abbreviated version of in-person Festivals this coming school year! The Festivals will be one day long, with rehearsals beginning in the morning and continuing through the afternoon, and a culminating concert that same evening. Like initial District auditions, Region re-auditions will be done via video submission. I am very grateful to this year’s hosts:
- District 12 Band at Springfield (Mark Stanford, guest conductor Jenny Neff)
- District 12 Chorus at Interboro (Hannah Knauss, guest conductor Arreon Harley-Emerson)
- District 12 Orchestra at Penncrest (Ben Weaver, guest conductor Ovidiu Marinescu)
- Region VI Band at Rustin (Mike Shoremount, guest conductor TBD)
Elem/MS Fest Coordinator – Kathleen Boyer
We are still exploring the feasibility of hosting fests at the elementary and middle school level. A decision will be announced soon, thank you for your patience!
Professional Development – Maryellen Byrne
With COVID safety protocols still in place to varying degrees across our counties, our Professional Development Committee has decided it is best to postpone our traditional Nov 2 In-Service. The committee is exploring options for a winter or late-spring professional development day.