Dear Carolyn,

Greetings from the Oregon Music Education Association and welcome back to school!

This email contains OMEA news and important information for All-State and the Conference.

Pre-Registration for the conference is now open via Opus. This discounted early registration ends on December 31st at 11:59pm. Click here to visit the conference website. Teachers are encouraged to register for the conference and secure housing as soon as possible!

Teachers are encouraged to register for the conference and to reserve a hotel room as soon as possible. Valley River Inn has housed All-State High School Choirs in the past. VRI is not available this January due to renovation. Additionally, there is a large volleyball tournament the same weekend creating a housing challenge. We are using more rooms at The Graduate to house our All-State students in addition to using multiple hotels in the area.

**Additional rooms have just become available at The Graduate at a reduced block rate! Please contact The Graduate Hotel to reserve your room today at (541) 342-2000.

The block at The Hyatt Place at Oakway is now full.

The Hult Center parking lot will be open at no cost.

The session and concert hour schedule is coming together!. A tentative schedule for the conference can be found by clicking here.

Questions? Feel free to contact Elizabeth Soper using her email address, OMEAConferenceChair@gmail.com.

A record number of students have submitted auditions to OMEA All-State! Screeners are now working to evaluate and rank these auditions. All-State notifications will be sent on October 21st to directors.

Additionally, the OMEA Executive Board is committed to finding new ways to reduce barriers for students and teachers across the state to participate in educational opportunities. To that end, for this year's conference, we will hold a scholarship lottery. One deserving student from every OMEA District will be selected to receive a 50% scholarship toward their All-State registration fee. 

Students must be accepted into an All-State ensemble, and needed to opt-in to the lottery at the time of audition, as well as demonstrate financial need by qualifying for free/reduced lunch. 

A reminder, teachers who have students selected to All-State must register for the conference as well per OMEA policy.

Reach out to All-State Chair Kristi Stingle at allstatechair@gmail.com.

Please send in your nominations for the 2024 OMEA Awards! The process is quite simple:

1. Complete the online form. This form includes a space for you to type your letter of support for the nominee.
2. Share the link to the same online form with others and encourage them to also nominate your candidate. 
3. You do not need to solicit letters of support prior to submitting your nomination, but receiving multiple nominations for the same candidate is likely to impact the decision of the Awards Committee.

Here are the award categories for OMEA:

• Outstanding Early Career Music Educator Award (first seven years in the field)
• Excellence in Elementary Music Education Award
• Outstanding Music Educator Award
• Outstanding Middle School Music Educator Award
• Outstanding Administrator Award
• John C. McManus Distinguished Teacher Award
• Exemplary Service to the Profession Award (could be an individual, business, or organization - not necessarily an educator)
• Outstanding Contributor Award (could be an individual, business, or organization - typically not a music educator)

Access nomination links by clicking here.

Contact Jeremy Zander if you have any questions regarding awards at jeremy_zander@beaverton.k12.or.us.

What is Music In Our Schools Month®?

For more than 30 years, March has been officially designated by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) for the observance of Music In Our Schools Month® (MIOSM®), the time of year when music education becomes the focus of schools across the nation. 

The purpose of MIOSM is to raise awareness of the importance of music education for all children – and to remind citizens that school is where all children should have access to music. MIOSM is an opportunity for music teachers to bring their music programs to the attention of the school and the community, and to display the benefits that school music brings to students of all ages. You can read more about it here: Music In Our Schools Month® (MIOSM®) - NAfME 

How will OMEA be involved in MIOSM®?

In the past, MIOSM® has been largely celebrated at individual school sites across Oregon. This year, OMEA will be piloting a state-wide MIOSM® Action Committee coordinated by the Advocacy chairs.  

Why should OMEA be involved in MIOSM®? 

MIOSM® is the largest nationally-coordinated music advocacy event. It is supported and championed by NAfME and their Advocacy Leadership Force. It is a chance for Oregon to be meaningfully involved in national-level advocacy and to harness the power of NAfME as we advocate for protecting and advancing music education.  

What are the goals of the MIOSM® Action Committee?

Designate at least one person per OMEA district as the MIOSM® Captain/Liaison 

Meet once every 5 or 6 weeks (virtually) for one hour to coordinate state-wide activities. 

Create a month-by-month checklist to build up to March activities, including sharing lesson plans.

Assign duties for committee members to spearhead activities during the month of March, including: 



Social Media Highlights

Creating shareable advocacy materials 

Toolkit for teachers and parents to share with stakeholders, including:

School administrators

District administrators (superintendents) and school board members

Local political leaders (city councils, mayors, State representatives, members of Congress) 

I want to be involved! How do I sign up? 

Fill out this quick GoogleForm, or reach out to Laura Arthur, Advocacy Co-chair, at larthur@pps.net. You do not need to commit to coming to meetings to be part of the committee. Thanks for considering! 

Follow OMEA on Instragram at "oregonmusiceducation."

You can also follow OMEA on Facebook by liking "Oregon Music Education Association."

OMEA social media is a great way to receive news and updates in real time!

The latest Oregon Music Educator was released at the end of April. Please click here to access OMEA publications. Issuu will now archive all OMEA publications dating back to 1948. These older editions will be posted as access becomes available for scanning.

If you are interested in submitting an article for our fall and/or spring release of the Oregon Music Educator, please contact Executive Director JJ Sutton, oregonmusicdirector@gmail.com.

The minority office of the House Appropriations Committee shared this press release today regarding the proposed education funding cuts. In August, we shared that the proposed cuts to Title I would result in more than 220,000 teaching positions being eliminated across the U.S. This press release contains a table that provides the estimated number of positions eliminated by state and district. (see attached)

Members of Congress need to hear from constituents about the impact of these funding cuts. We urge you to reach out to your state MEA members, inform them of the proposed cuts and call upon them to contact their legislators through this campaign. Also, share this campaign with other arts education orgs and advocates and urge them to participate. 

Please let me know if you have any questions. 

------------------------------

Jazzmone Sutton

State Advocacy Engagement Manager

National Association for Music Education

jazzmones@nafme.org | 571-323-5916

A Tri-M Music Honor Society chapter opens up a world of opportunities for students who have already shown themselves to be academically capable and musically gifted. Through performance and community service, they’ll develop confidence, creativity, critical thinking, compassion, and a host of other leadership skills sure to serve them well in school and beyond.

Click here to join or renew your Tri M membership!

Click here to access NAfME's latest e-newsletter.

The NFHS is currently accepting nominations for the NFHS Outstanding Music Educator Awards. Take advantage of this opportunity to recognize and honor an outstanding music educator in your state. Once you have received a nomination that you would like to submit, please complete the Smartsheet form provided by the NFHS no later than November 15, 2023. If you have any questions, please email Ken Burke (kburke@nfhs.org).

Focus should be on significant and/or long-term contributions to interscholastic music. Additionally, the committee considers national professional contributions. Nominations must carry the endorsement of the state association.

Each state may nominate one person each year for the NFHS State Music Level Award. That nominee will also be considered by the selection committee for the NFHS Section Awards and the NFHS Music Citation Award.

Thank you for your assistance in honoring outstanding music educators throughout the country!         

Please fill out this Smartsheet form by November 15^th, 2023 with your state’s nomination.

Thanks, and please let us know if you have any questions!

James Weaver; Kyle Mills; Ken Burke

Hello, I hope the start of the school year is treating you well. Please take time out of your day to take this national survey conducted to assist states, schools, and other organizations in understanding the satisfaction levels of music educators across the United States. The survey should take around 7-minutes to complete and will include sections on:



1. Why you became a Music Educator
2. Your satisfaction as a Music Educator
3. The future of your Music Program
4. Demographic Information

The survey link can be found here.

The National Dashboard can be found here.

Thanks!

Kyle Mills, MSA

Manager of Performing Arts and Sports | NFHS Crew/Rowing Liasion

Below is the Fall 2023 schedule. Our winter meeting will be December 10th, visit www.nwapa.net for more information on this meeting and the fall season.

Sept 30

Pacific Coast Invitational @ Sprague HS, Salem OR

Oct 7

Kamiak Music in Motion @ Mariner HS, Everett WA

Liberty Marching Arts Challenge @ Liberty HS, Hillsboro OR

Oct 14

Pacific Northwest Marching Band Championships @ Union Stadium, Mead WA

Pride of the Northwest @ Grants Pass HS, Grants Pass OR

Century Showcase @ Hillsboro Stadium, Hillsboro OR

Oct 21

Sunset Classic @ Sunset HS, Portland OR

Oct 28

Festival of Bands NWAPA Championships @ Autzen Stadium, Eugene OR

Contact Julie Bounds if you have any questions at president@nwapa.net.

Representative Susan Bonamici (OR-1) is the lead sponsor in Congress as she introduces the AEFA.

The Arts Education for All Act is the broadest arts education policy bill ever introduced in Congress and includes key provisions that will support and encourage the offering of arts education and programming experiences to Americans including our youngest learners, K-12 students, and young people impacted by the juvenile justice system. The bill will also include provisions that would allow for rigorous arts and arts education research to be carried out, to further inform how elementary and secondary education in our country can be improved. 

Please click here to contact your local US Representative.

Advocacy and Music Education Supports

We all know that music is an essential part of our students’ academic and social-emotional learning. As the music education expert in your building and district, we strongly encourage you to reach out to your leadership, be involved, and advocate for your students, your music colleagues, and yourself. Remind your administrators that music is part of a well-rounded education, as defined at the federal level by the Every Student Succeeds Act. Here are a number of resources for you:

·   National Association for Music Education 

www.nafme.org

·   NAfME Backpack

https://nafme.org/my-classroom/nafme-backpack/

·   COVID-19 Resources 

https://nafme.org/covid-19/

·   Advocacy

https://nafme.org/advocacy/grassroots-action-center/

·   NAfME Advocacy Resources

https://nafme.org/advocacy/nafme-music-education-advocacy-resource-kit/

·   Virtual Learning Resources

https://nafme.org/my-classroom/virtual-learning-resources-for-music-educators/

·   Every Student Succeeds Act 

https://nafme.org/advocacy/essa/

·   Amplify (NAfME community chat and discussions) 

https://community.nafme.org/home

·   National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Music Directors & Adjudicators

https://www.nfhs.org/activities-sports/music/

·   Articles on Performing Arts COVID-19 Guidance, COVID-19 Instrument Cleaning, Online Learning, Publishers Allowing Educational Use of Copyrighted Music, etc.

·   American Choral Directors Association 

www.acda.org

·   Resource for Choral Professionals During the Pandemic https://acda.org/resources-for-choral-professionals-during-a-pandemic/

·   ChoralNet (ACDA’s community chat and discussions)  www.choralnet.org  

·   OMEA Advocacy Committee

·   If you find yourself needing more assistance,

contact Laura Arthur, our OMEA Advocacy Chair.  

oregonmusicadvocacy@gmail.com



Laura Arthur 

larthur@pps.net



·   OMEA Advocacy Website