Dear JJ,

Greetings from the Oregon Music Education Association!!

The following email includes information regarding Conference news, OMEA Elections, All-State information.

OMEA Conference Pre Registration Ends Sunday Night!

Pre-Registration for the conference is open via Opus. This discounted early registration ends on December 31st at 11:59pm. Teachers who Pre-Register receive a banquet meal included with that registration. Teachers are encouraged to register and secure housing ASAP! Click here to visit the conference website. Please take notice that you can receive graduate level credit via Western Oregon University for attending this conference!

Please remember, if you have an All-State student performing that weekend, you as a teacher must register for the conference.

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.

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.

OMEA is seeking volunteers and chaperones for the conference and All-State weekend in January.

Please contact Leslie Wilson (chaperones) and Tristan Weitkamp (volunteering) if you are willing to aid.

Participate in a conducting workshop with Dr. Kira Omelchenko, the guest conductor of this year’s All-State High School Orchestra. We are looking for 3-5 conducting participants! If interested please contact Krista DeBolt (kdebolt@grantspass.k12.or.us). Conducting participants will conduct one of the two pieces (listed below) with a live ensemble of fellow educators and receive live feedback from Dr. Omelchenko.

The repertoire will include two pieces:

Soon Hee Newbold – Perseus (Grade 5) (6 minutes)

Yukiko Nishimura – Ancient Flower (Grade 2.5) (5 minutes)

Musicians are also needed for the ensemble! Bring your instrument and join us and play for the conductors! These works are for string orchestra; however, anyone can join in and play (practice your alto clef reading skills!). The selected pieces are examples of pieces programmed for middle-school or high-school-level string orchestras.

An OMEA Jazz Social will be held on Friday of the conference at Whirled Pies in Eugene at 6pm.

An Oregon ASTA Social will be hosted at Bier Stein at 7pm following the Middle School Orchestra concert on Friday.

Oregon ACDA's Social will be meeting in the Graduate's lounge from 9pm - 11pm on Friday as well, all are invited!

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

Many thanks to Western Oregon University as they will be providing Graduate level credits to conference attendees this year. While attending the conference, individuals must also register for the appropriate course. Click here for more information:

• WOU Admission Registration
• OMEA Workshop Syllabus

Introducing the headline banquet entertainment for the 2024 OMEA Conference, "Seeking the Light Within" - Oregon's own, The Sherry Alves Quintet!

Please join us at the Saturday night banquet to enjoy these amazing Oregon musicians!

The Sherry Alves Quintet features a roster of Portland State University Jazz faculty including Darrell Grant on piano, Owen Broder playing saxophone, Tim Gilson on bass, and Christopher Brown at the drums. This group brings to life familiar favorites and lesser known gems from the Jazz repertoire. Arranged and curated by bandleader and Professor of Jazz Voice, Sherry Alves, listeners can expect music inspired by a variety of music, people, and places.



Be sure to register for the conference by December 31st to enjoy a banquet ticket featuring a delicious curated meal, world-class entertainment, and awards for fellow educators, contributors, and student composers!

Please join us at the Soreng Theater for the conference's keynote address from NAfME's Jazzmone Sutton!

The address will begin at 11:30am on Saturday of the conference and will be a 30 minute presentation. We are overjoyed to have Jazzmone at the OMEA Conference!

Jazzmone Sutton is the State Advocacy Engagement Manager for the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). Sutton joined the NAfME team in July 2021. Before joining NAfME as a staffer, Sutton was a passionate elementary music educator and advocate based in North Carolina.

As an educator, Sutton strived to make her music room a space for all students. From various ensembles, collaborative lessons, performance experiences, it was evident that her classroom was a positive learning environment. She was also a strong advocate for music education in North Carolina. She completed her service as the Immediate Past President of the North Carolina Music Educators Association (NCMEA) in July 2021.

As State Advocacy Engagement Manager, Sutton hopes to strengthen the connection between our state affiliates, their members, and educational stakeholders via proactive advocacy work. She leans heavily on her experience as an educator to provide practical and obtain able advocacy strategies for NAfME members.

Cole Haole-Valenzuela of West Salem High School and Jeff Wilson from Rex Putnam High School are your candidates for OMEA President-Elect.

This is a six year commitment with two years of service as the President-Elect, two years as the President, and two years as the Past-President. You can log in to the OMEA website and click on "2024 President-Elect" on the righthand menu. There you can read about both of these deserving candidates and cast your vote- elections end at 11:59pm on January 13th. Only current OMEA/NAfME members may login and vote!

Thank you to Cole and Jeff for accepting nominations!

All-State students and parents were emailed earlier this month:

We are all looking forward All-State Weekend in January!

Please visit our All-State website for information on that weekend by clicking here. Information on All-State concert tickets, All-State attire, and picture and recording order forms can be found on that website.

Please make your All-State attire order gets made by the 15th of this month! There will not be items available on site for purchase and OMEA does not provide shipping. Orders will be delivered to students All-State weekend.

Middle school and elementary school students do not need to order an All-State shirt, they will be provided a shirt to be worn and kept during their All-State concert.

All-State students should now be in possession of music and ensemble information.

You may also receive additional information from your student's ensemble manager via email. Please read through all of these materials carefully. 

Students should arrive at All-State with their music learned. This will allow for students to have the best experience with their ensemble and conductor. We are looking forward to making extraordinary music together! 

Please direct OMEA All-State questions to Kristi Stingle at allstatechair@gmail.com.

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 October. 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.

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!

Please click here to access NAfME Notes.

Click here to access NFHS publications and e-newsletter subscriptions.

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