I hope that you are surviving this chaotic yo-yo we call education in a COVID-19 based world and providing your students with all of the skills, guidance and love that they need at this time. Even as I write this we have not reached the 12-month mark. Above all, make sure to take care of yourself and be as safe as possible, not only for yourself but for everyone around you.
The Chairs and Chair-Elects and each planning council have worked very hard throughout October taking their conference sketch and making the adjustments needed to create an online version. These plans will manifest themselves soon so you can start to see what will be presented to you in January. The more we interact with the conference hosting company we contracted with the more pleased we are with how smooth the virtual CMEA Clinic-Conference 2021 will be.
I know that there is concern that you will not have access to the same program as you are used to. While technically that maybe true the reality is that you will not have as many choices but you will be getting as high a quality program with some of the best names and brightest ideas from around the country and Colorado as you would under normal conditions. Plus, there will be opportunities and time to ask questions and interact with clinicians in a way that would not happen at a live conference. On top of all that you will have access to the clinics and live sessions for 12 months. I am not going to say that it will be the same as being face to face but I can say that I firmly and sincerely believe that if you will trust the judgement of your peers who have sifted through all of the clinic proposals we had and created a solid schedule of topics that will enlighten and enhance your skills as an educator, that you will not regret it.
CMEA is the association of Colorado music educators. It is not a conference planning group. It is run by members for members. We are working educators just like you who volunteer their time to continue to grow and enhance music education for Colorado children, deliver excellent musical experiences for them and offer you a quality professional development experience. I ask you to trust that we are doing that to the best of our ability during this pandemic and that our motivation for the decisions we have made and continue to make are solely with those purposes in mind.
Below you should find the beginnings of conference information, more of which will be coming in following weeks. Stay safe, stay well, keep being the best you that you can be.
From our daily content strands to recorded individual sessions, to live headliner presentations -
the content was crafted for you.
Worried that there will not be Nationally Recognized Headliners? Don’t worry, they are still coming to our virtual conference:
Scott Lang- Tri-M Keynote and Leadership Keynote
David Rickels- College/University Council
Andy Beck-General Music Council
ROCKE- Headliner Names coming soon- General Music Council
West Music Headliner Names coming soon- General Music Council
Yo Goto- Concert Band- Instrumental Council
Soon Hee Newbold- ASTA/Instrumental Council
Carol Krueger- Vocal Council
40 Breakout Sessions that are recorded and can be watched when they fit your schedule during the day.
Want to visit with an exhibitor- three curated sessions are planned by like vendor services at 5 pm on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Longing for a discussion with other music educators? Each day ends with a Daily Synthesis/Knowledge Exchange providing you an opportunity to talk with your colleagues, share things you learned from the day, and ask the presenters questions.
Worried, you can’t tune-in? Not to worry! As a registered attendee, you’ll have access to all conference content for one full year.
See the link below to check the draft schedule (note: some information will be updated throughout the month with an interactive schedule launching in early December).
Since the beginning, the CMEA exhibit hall has been a cornerstone of the conference. Exhibitors will continue to play a critical role in the conference. Members will have the opportunity to interact with companies and organizations through a Virtual Exhibit Hall.
Attending conference members will join the exhibit hall at the announced time and be connected to the exhibitor(s) of their choice. A variety of activities will take place in the exhibits. Some exhibitors will be presenting new products or opportunities while others may have an open Q/A session. Exhibitors participating in the Virtual Exhibit Hall will be submitting a description of their session which will be part of the conference bulletin. Members will receive Exhibit Hall login information as part of their conference registration packet.
We know this unprecedented time has been challenging for students and teachers but it has been equally difficult and impactful for our exhibitor community. Please continue to support these people whenever possible. Follow CMEA publications for advertising and updated exhibitor contact information.
We look forward to providing this virtual option and hope to see everyone back in Colorado Springs in January 2022!
Rick Shaw
CMEA Exhibit Chairman
CMEA Past-President
Greetings from Tri-M
Plans are set for our 2021 virtual convention. It will be held on Wednesday January 27th. Registration will be $20 per student. This fee will also allow your students to watch other sessions during the remainder of the convention. Think of it as if your chapter spent the night in Colorado Springs and attended sessions.
Registration information will be on the CMEA website soon. Email reminders will also be sent out. I encourage you to have your chapter attend Tri-M day. There are some great sessions that will benefit you as well as your chapter. Please feel free to reach out with any questions you may have. I look forward to hearing from you.
Did you know that you can purchase CMEA Solo and Ensemble Awards even if you did not attend a CHSAA Solo and Ensemble Festival? If you hosted a regional Solo and Ensemble Festival or a county of district festival you can still order CMEA Solo and Ensemble medals.
Have you participated in a CHSAA Large Group Festival and put off ordering the award plaque? You can still order plaques for past festivals.
Did you have students in All-State Jazz Band, All-State Jazz Choir, All-State Orchestra, or the Elementary, Middle School, or High School All-State Choirs? If you did this might be a great time to honor these students with an All-State Medal. You can order these medals for your students and have them shipped directly to your home address. This is a great way to recognize your students for their accomplishment.
Have you thought about stocking up on Solo and Ensemble Medals, All-State Medals, or Clinic/Conference Performing Group medals? This might be a good time to spend remain budget dollars to stock up on these medals before your funds run out.
All award orders can be placed by going to the CMEA web site at cmeaonline.org, clicking on the General Information Tab and Clicking on the Order CMEA Awards Tab. All transactions can be completed on-line, including credit card payment.
Do you have questions regarding CMEA awards? You can direct those questions to CMEA Awards Manager- Ken Anderson at awardscmeaonline@gmail.com
Colorado Music Educators Association www.cmeaonline.org
