Dear Sally,

I believe most of you have completed your Junior Festivals for the year 2025. Congratulations on another successful year for our Senior Clubs that support these wonderful Junior students. What went well? Did you try anything new this year? If so, did it work? Were there things you would like to see improved upon for next year? Your feedback is important not only for our State, but at the National level, so please do not hesitate to speak up and let your voice be heard. I'm headed down to the Portland area to adjudicate a Festival down there and I'm going to take good notes! We should always be learning.

Speaking of learning, it's that time of year again - NFMC Convention! This year Lorraine, Ellen, and myself will be traveling to Austin, Texas to attend and gather information for all of you. Anyone is welcome to attend an NFMC convention or conference. As the NFMC progresses, more workshops are included at convention that may be beneficial to you. You can go onto the NFMC website (www.nfmc-music.org) and scroll down to the bottom of the home page to find the 2025 NFMC Convention link.

Thinking ahead: In the fall of this year we will hold WSFMC elections for our WSFMC leadership. Are you or someone you may know, interested in volunteering for a position such as President, VP President of Festivals, VP of Helen Crowe Snelling, or Secretary? Each term is for two years and can be reelected for an additional two years. Our current leaders were voted in at the Fall 2023 State General Meeting. Everyone has something to offer, so be thinking about these opportunities. Please contact me if you have any ideas to share.

Thanks to all of those in the WSFMC that work hard to keep our organization alive and running smoothly. Your time, talents, and efforts are so appreciated!

Please send articles for Melody Lines to me at wsfmcpresident@gmail.com. Please send no later than a week before publication. Publication months are October, December, February, April, June, August.

I would LOVE to hear from all of our WSFMC Board Members who have news and information to share.

PLEASE click on the LINKS for valuable information. Thanks!

Sally L. Palmer

WSFMC President

e-mail: wsfmcpresident@gmail.com

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

“There is little doubt that regular exposure to music, and especially active participation in music, stimulate the development of many areas of the brain. Looking at children with a single year of violin training compared to children with no training, there are striking changes in the activity in the brain's left hemisphere. In terms of brain development, musical performance is every bit as important educationally as reading and writing.”  -  Dr. Oliver Sacks, Author & Neurologist

“The theory of relativity occurred to me by intuition, and music is the driving

force behind this intuition. My parents had me study the violin from the time I was six. My new discovery is the result of musical perception.”  - Albert Einstein

Our dear friend and colleague, John Van Lierop Jr, took a nasty fall off a stage and broke his hip. John, we are wishing you the very best and are praying for a speedy recovery for you!!

Congratulations!!! submitted by Mary Kaye Owen, WSFMC Junior Composers Contest Chair

Congratulations to our six WSFMC students who participated in the 2025 Junior Composers Contest!

JUNIOR CLASS II

First Place Winner - Zoey Feng - Age 12 - "Far Away" - Teacher Meng Wang (Individual NFMC Member)

Second Place Winner - Londyn Gauthier - Age 10 - "Christmas Day Piano Solo" - Teacher Barb Bergholm, Puyallup Federated Music Club

Third Place Winner - Kyler Smith - Age 10 - "Raging Waters" - Teacher Barb Bergholm

JUNIOR CLASS III

First Place Winner - Owen McOmber - Age 14 - "Beast of Sands" - Teacher Barb Bergholm

JUNIOR CLASS IV

First Place Winner - Jeanne Park - Age 17 - "The duck and the waterfall" - Teacher Sharon van Valin, Greater Newcastle Federated Music Club

Second Place Winner - Anya Pimkina - Age 16 - "Evoke the Hope" - Teacher Amanda Harris, Issaquah Federated Music Club

The First and Second Place Winners in each Class move on to the Western Region Junior Composers Contest.

The adjudicator for our State Contest was Susan Staples Bell. https://www.susanstaplesbellmusic.com/podcasts-interviews

Congratulations to all our WSFMC participants! Hopefully we'll be able to hear some of these compositions at one of our WSFMC meetings!

National Music Week

Submitted by Ruth Brown, National Music Week Rep

National Music Week is celebrated each year during the first full week in May - the first Sunday through the second Sunday. In 2025, that is May 4 through 11.

The theme for National Music Week 2025 is: "Music . . . is unstoppable." This is also the theme of the National music week's essay contest which is open to students in grades 7-12. Membership in the NFMC is NOT required to enter this contest. The due date for submission to the contest is January 10, 2025. The rules and link to the entry form are found here: https://www.nfmc-music.org/publicationcategory/arts/ Look for form AR 13-1 under NMW Essay. In 2024, the winner for the Western Region was from Washington!

Why Celebrate National Music Week? CLICK HERE for more about National Music Week Ideas of how to celebrate and group participation are included. This is an inspiring article to read!!

An Abundance of Award Opportunities

Curious about the awards the NFMC offers? It may be too late to apply this year, but it is NEVER too late to look at the available opportunities and begin planning for next year. Each of these links is a one page listing of the name of the award, the dollar amount of the award, and the deadline date for application. Easy-peasy! If there is an award that you are interested in after reviewing one or all of these lists, go to https://www.nfmc-music.org/ and click on the Competitions and Awards tab.

NFMC Junior Award Opportunities CLICK HERE

NFMC Student/Collegiate Award Opportunities CLICK HERE

NFMC Senior Award Opportunities CLICK HERE

WSFMC has a very low level of participation in many of these opportunities, therefore a low level of representation from our state in applying for awards. We do have nonmembers who join the NFMC as Individual Members who apply for these awards and that's great. But, let's have a few more of our Club Members apply for awards and scholarships. A lot of money is untapped, so let's tap into it!

MORE CONGRATULATIONS!! Congratulations Foster Patterson, 2nd Place Winner of the NFMC Gretchen E. Van Roy Music Education Scholarship! Foster joined the Federation as a Collegiate Individual Member.

Foster is from Aberdeen, WA, attended Grays Harbor Community College while still in high school, and is currently a junior at the University of Washington, majoring in Music Education. Foster has demonstrated signs of being a naturally engaging teacher who connects with students. He has demonstrated that he works hard to develop new skills, notably learning piano quickly and effectively, and tackling innovative projects like creating lesson plans on South Korean music despite having no prior experience with the topic. Some of his classes in his Senior year will be Urban Arts in the Formal Music Education Setting, World Music, and Instrumental Technique-Single Reeds/Double Reeds. CONGRATULATIONS Foster!

FESTIVALS BULLETIN PIANO CONSOLIDATION!

Submitted by Selina Chu, WSFMC Festival Chair

NFMC has compiled a complete list of all the piano solos and ensembles in the bulletin, PLUS all the updates. (This list does not include APFS) It's called The 2024-2028 NFMC Bulletin PIANO Consolidation.

There's no longer a need to flip back and forth between the bulletin and the pages of updates.

CLICK HERE FOR THE CONSOLIDATED PIANO LIST

CLICK HERE for the 2024-28 NFMC Bulletin VOICE Consolidation

WE LOVE OUR JUNIOR ASSOCIATE CLUBS!!

Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra - https://www.byso.org/ Cascade Youth Symphony Orchestras - https://www.cyso.us/

Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra - https://syso.org/

Student Orchestras of Greater Olympia - https://studentorchestras.org/

Tacoma Youth Symphony Association - https://tysamusic.org/

Check out these websites for upcoming events and how you can show your support.

If you know of a group of junior age students who could benefit from being members of the Washington State Federation of Music Clubs, please contact Sally Palmer, Membership Chair.

TEACHER'S CORNER

submitted by Ruth Brown, member of the Mozart Club

We have all had a very busy winter Festival season and are moving into the very busy spring Recital season. Never-ending preparation of music, right? BUT do you also give your students some 'time off' while still encouraging them? 

Our young people need times of "just playing for the enjoyment of it." Perhaps give them a piece that is not a challenge but that will breathe new desire in them. Ask them to select music that THEY choose to learn. Our older students in Gen A (Alpha) are able to to do this on their own and are learning songs via YouTube that they enjoy. Gen B (9 year olds) are fast becoming adept at this too. Easy duets and sight reading are fun ways to relax in music making.

At a recent festival, I heard an adjudicator say to every session she adjudicated, "Keep performing!" Going to perform easy selections at senior centers or even at a local Chick-fil-A or Starbucks are great boosts to their performing confidence and joy levels! Perhaps add similar instruments or completely different ones to bridge their music experience. Maybe plan a recital with the theme of "My Favorite Things" and let them choose whatever they want - their favorites! - to perform. Whatever you may choose to do, let your students know that performing is great but so is "playing for enjoyment" is great also!

Western Region Congratulations!

Congratulations go out to Idaho Junior Malia Studer from your neighbors here in Washington State! Malia is the Western Region WINNER of the 2025 Angie Greer Music in Poetry Contest. Angie's teacher is Cynthia Waldon of the Idaho Federated Music Club.

Malia is 17 years old and attends Renaissance High School and is enrolled in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. She plays piano, cello, guitar, and a few other fun instruments such as the kalimba, accordion, harmonica, and the otamatone.

Congratulations Malia! Job well done! CLICK HERE for a copy of Malia's beautiful poem "Symphony of Silence."

PLEASE encourage your students to participate in this wonderful opportunity next year!

IN TUNE! NFMC Newsletter

Our National President, Deborah Freeman, sends out IN TUNE with NFMC each month which includes some awesome NFMC Division information that you may not have ever heard about if you don't stay "In Tune!"

CLICK HERE for March 2025 IN TUNE

2025 Summer Music Centers

submitted by John Van Lierop Jr, WSFMC Competitions & Awards Chair

For this issue I want to inform your studios of some Summer Music Centers opportunities. It’s not too early to start planning ahead. In some cases, the students apply early in the New Year. This is only a short list as there are many other opportunities listed on the NFMC website.

Using your search engines type in NFMC Summer Music Centers, click on Competitions & Awards, then scroll down to Summer Music Centers, and the various music camps will come up. Many include orchestral instruments in addition to piano.

The Pacific Northwest area offers the incomparable Marrowstone Music Festival. It is open to orchestral instruments only and for ages 13-21. For more information contact: info@syso.org. Marrowstone is an impactful opportunity for advanced musicians to study music in great detail, receiving world-class instruction while simultaneously forging friendships that will last a lifetime. A musician’s experience at Marrowstone includes a full-day schedule packed with rehearsals, chamber music, and the opportunity to study with our world-class faculty in daily coaching and masterclasses. 

PLEASE READ ON! for more Western Region Summer Centers and highlights of a few others.

As a reminder please inform me if you’re putting any of your students in the NFMC Junior Competitions or enrolling them in the NFMC Summer Music Centers. We want to recognize them in future Melody Lines.

April is Poetry Month!

written by Debra Hughes (Southeastern Region Music in Poetry)

Allegorically the tongue is slippery,

When allusion leads to imagery.

It twists about in passageways,

Of verse, and poem, and pros essays.

So, into the laughing brook I throw my line,

Verbosity is so divine,

I simile to make a joke,

Then metaphor, now, please don't choke.

I sometimes like to Limerick,

Then Haiku, now, that's a trick!

I love to craft a verse in rhyme,

'til I'm metered out, now that's a crime.

Join with me, because you see,

April's the month of Poetry.

Dear State Presidents and State Liability Insurance Chairs:

Several of you have reached out directly to the insurance company with changes or corrections to certificates. All changes and corrections must go through NFMC headquarters.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Griffin

LIABILITY INSURANCE COVERAGE 2024 - 2025

NEW FEES per EVENT!!

Submitted by Dr. Yelena Balabanova, WSFMC Liability Insurance Chair



NFMC and its members are purchasing Liability Insurance only. This provides coverage to a third party for bodily injury or property damage the entity causes. You must be a member in good standing to obtain insurance!

National designated deadline to submit requests:

August 15 for events September 1 – December 31

December 1 for events January 1 – August 31



• Cost per event is $20. Add $5 extra per event if registered after the designated deadline
• Cost per event having consecutive days is $25.
• An event on a single day but at multiple sites costs $20 per site.
• No requests will be processed without an accurate address and date of event.
• If an event requires a rider of an additional insured, give the exact language required.
• Any changes requested after a certificate is issued will result in a $5 change fee.
• If you need to change an event date, and wait to inform NFMC until the original date has passed you will owe another full event fee. There is NO credit in that situation.
• A certificate verifying insurance coverage is issued only to an event that requests it. Certificates will be sent to the state liability chair and will be mailed to requested members.
• Coverage is not guaranteed until payment is received and processed by NFMC Headquarters. "No payment = No Insurance" 

WSFMC members:

Inform Insurance Chair by email in advance when you will make the payment online,

so Yelena can process the submission the same day you make the payment.

Make payment on www.nfmc-music.org/payment/

Select "Liability Insurance" under Plans

and Fill in your "Event Name, Date and Location" under Notes

Email payment receipt and forms below to YelenaBalabanova@gmail.com

CLICK HERE for the 2024-2025 Liability Insurance Request Form

Letter from NFMC Chair

Child Protection Policy Form

Preventing Child Abuse Policies and Procedures