Dear NWSMTA members,

Today, as I sat and listened to fellow NWSMTA members perform their selections of music during the Teachers Musicale, I was reminded of the joy one experiences in collaborative music making, and the joy that is derived when we have opportunities to share music that is dear and meaningful to us. To be able to do either in a community of like-minded people is precious and cannot be replaced by AI. I hope your summer months are less hectic than during the academic year, and tht you will have opportunities to make music with family and friends.

The need to belong is fundamental to human well-being. Our ancestors survived by working in groups. Thus, the sense of community and belonging together developed quite naturally. Today, our technology helps us to be very independent from each other – so independent that it is easy to become isolated, and to avoid and devalue opportunities for making connections that increase the quality of living in our own lives and in the lives of others. Although the growth of technology and AI are not necessarily a negative aspect of contemporary living, I believe we must be aware of the potential they have for controlling and dehumanizing us. We can easily separate ourselves from our community groups. Working together to provide our communities with our wonderful programs is a great way to stay in the human loop. Thanks to everyone for the enormous gifts of time and ability provided generously by the NWSMTA Board, NWSMTA Committees, Volunteers and Members to ensure that our programs were a success this year. Thanks also to those who rose to the call for building community within our NWSMTA community. Your efforts are working!

Besides an emphasis on building community, another theme that received attention during the year was the importance of professional development. It is rarely easy to attend a conference when so much of the day is spent fulfilling the needs of students and family. Costs can also be prohibited. In many ways, a virtual conference is more doable than an in-person conference. But is it of value? To answer that question, I attended the second national conference offered this spring by MTNA – the Tempo all virtual conference. If you were not able to attend, I hope my brief evaluation on the virtual conference is useful.

From my perspective, I thought the Tempo Conference was very good. From sessions on how to teach jazz improvisation in a sequential manner to live discussion groups on church music, and sessions whereby new beautiful piano arrangements of folksongs around the world were presented, to sessions on building community within local organizations by offering members schedule of social events, I found the Tempo Conference to be very valuable. The live special interest group discussions provided opportunities to make connections and build community. There were many session topics, it was well organized, and the technology worked very well. For those who cannot get away, The Tempo Conference is a good alternative to the travel and stay conference experience. Best wishes for the summer months. I hope you have some opportunities for enjoyable professional development this summer.

Lois Veenhoven Guderian, PhD President, NWSMTA