Dear Sally,

WOW! Just, wow! Who had ever even heard of a BOMB CYCLONE? I certainly had never heard of such a thing, but now I can say that I have survived one! I hope this December newsletter finds all of you with light, heat, hot water, and food to eat. I noticed something interesting during this trial for so many people - we all seemed to be a little more kind and patient and helpful. We didn't have to wait for an introduction to the person down the street that had a tree in their house. We just picked up a chainsaw and rake and went to work. Strangers had conversations while standing in line at the grocery story waiting to buy groceries to replace those items that had to be thrown out. Lines at gas stations found people sharing stories of their experience during this severe weather event. We paid attention and we felt empathy. Wouldn't it be nice if we could do and feel those things in our normal, everyday lives? Maybe something we can all work on in the new year.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends. It's such a great reminder that we do indeed have much for which to be grateful.

Here we go musicians, into the event-filled month of December. I'm staring at my large stack of piano music that needs to be practiced. But I do enjoy all the Christmas music, don't you? And then in the new year, we all buckle down and put on the press for Festival preparation.

I am wishing you a very merry holiday season with peace, joy, and beautiful music!

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

New & Improved WSFMC Website is now up and running! Submitted by Sally Palmer, WSFMC President & Membership Chair

Go to www.wastatefed.com and check it out!

PURPOSE of the improvements: We want our website to be available for anyone who is looking to join the Federation, join a club, become a member in whatever form that means for them.

PLEASE REFER those who have questions about what it is that we do, and what we are all about, to our website.

A huge THANK YOU to Patty Pacelli (former member of the WSFMC) for her invaluable expertise on how we could improve our site to become more professional and more appealing to prospective new members.

FESTIVAL BULLETIN UPDATES Submitted by Selina Chu, WSFMC Festival Chair

When you’re choosing Festival repertoire, be sure to check the bulletin updates! There have been MANY changes in the 2024-28 bulletin: many pieces have been added, some pieces have changed levels, some publishers have changed, and some pieces have been removed from the lists. Be sure to check for all the updates on the NFMC website. Go to https://www.nfmc-music.org/ Click on FESTIVALS for a scroll down menu; Click on BULLETIN UPDATES.

 The updates are arranged in Bulletin Section Order by page. For instance, if you are checking for changes in Piano Solo, E3, scroll down to pages 9-10 in the PDF and look for any updates.

 Looking for a specific composer? Press Ctrl-F (PC) or Command-F (Mac), type in the last name of the composer and press Enter.

Combining solo and concerto points so that your high school student can earn a cup in less than 3 years?

 Read the rules for specific events (ex. Pg. 2 for combining Piano Solo/Piano Concerto), and also review the general rules on pages xviii-xx of the bulletin.

 Check the box for “Combine?” when registering repertoire on Vivace

Please email me with Festival questions or concerns at selinachustudio@gmail.com.

Nicole Stankovic, WSFMC Vivace Chair, can also help with online registration problems

nicolestankovic@gmail.com

Stay IN TUNE! DECEMBER 2024 (See below for October & November)

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 IN TUNE December 2024

JUNIOR COMPOSERS COMPETITION

Submitted by Mary Kaye Owen, WSFMC Junior Composers Competition Chair

Make Plans for 2025 JCC Submissions. NOW is the time to encourage students to create their compositions!

• The deadline for submitting entries to the Junior Composers Contest is January 25, 2025.
• Applications, compositions, and mp3s must be downloaded on the NFMC online application portal (https://forms.nfmc-music.org).
• Payment is to be made online at http://www.nfmc-music.org/payment. 
• The entrant categories include Class I (up to age 8), Class II (ages 9-12), Class III (ages 13-15), and Class IV (ages 16-18).
• Pieces may be composed for one or more instruments.
• The compositions receiving 1st and 2nd Place in each category will move on to the Western Regional Junior Composers Contest.
• Entry fees are: National Fee for Classes I – IV: $5.00 State Fee for Classes I – III: $22.00 State Fee for Class IV: $25.00

For the Junior Composers event, students may participate by joining ONLY the national NFMC organization with the online membership form. Alternatively, if a student participates in junior festival, they are already recognized as a member of NFMC, as well as a member of their teacher's junior club. This allows them to also participate in the Junior Composers Contest. 



Please contact Washington State JCC Chair Mary Kaye Owen at mary.k.owen@att.net if needed.

Competitions & Awards for Non-Piano Events

Submitted by John Van Lierop, Jr., State Awards/Competitions Chair

Vocal, Dance, Strings, and more!

(which might also include piano as an instrument applicable to the competition)

Be sure to check out the deadline dates for each competition and/or award application.

In this article I will be mainly covering competition events that are not necessarily for the piano. Hopefully our Junior Associate Club Members will pass this information on to their students. I will touch base on seven Junior Division Competitions in this article. Just as a reminder: to access the competition requirements and to apply online, here are the following steps to take:

1. Go to www.nfmc-music.org
2. On the homepage, click on the menu icon at the top, then click on Competitions and Awards, then click on Junior Division (or any of the other divisions)

THELMA A. ROBINSON AWARD IN BALLET

The award is open to students ages 12-14. Deadline is February 1st. Contact is Beth Lee - bethlee0123@gmail.com

HERMAN & MARY NEUMANN AWARD TO INTERLOCHEN ARTS ACADEMY This award is available to high school students in piano, voice, and orchestral instruments. Deadline is February 1st. Contact Interlochen Arts Academy, Interlochen, MI 49643.

MARTHA MARCKS MACK JUNIOR VOCAL AWARD The award is open to students in grades 10 through 12. The deadline is March 1st. Contact Kristin Ivers, kivers210@gmail.com with any questions.

STILLMAN KELLEY NATIONAL INSTRUMENTAL AWARDS This competition is open to any instrument and the only age limit is not being over age 18 as of the deadline date. The deadline date is March 1st. Contact is Jason Sifford, jason@siffordmusic.com.

DANCE AWARDS - JAZZ, LYRICAL, TAP This award is available to dance students ages 11-18. The deadline is May 1st. Contact Lisa Moore at lisa.moore@nfmc-music.org if you have any questions.

MARY ALICE COX AWARDS - CELLO AND DOUBLE BASS This competition for cello and double bass players is available to students up to the age of 18 as of March 1st. Deadline is March 1st and the contact person is Matt Miller, mattmillerbass@aol.com.

WENDELL IRISH VIOLA AWARD The competition for this award is open to viola players from ages 12-18 as of the deadline date of March 1st. Contact Dr. George Keck, keckg@att.net, with any questions.

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!!

Stay IN TUNE!

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 October In Tune Newsletter CLICK HERE for November In Tune Newsletter Click here for NFMC Parliamentarian News Oct 2024 Click here for NFMC Parliamentarian News Nov 2024

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