IBA eNews February 2021

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Promoting excellence in bands through professional development, mentorship, performance, and advocacy.

Iowa Bandmasters Association

February 2021 eNews

Membership News

IBA Virtual Conference

Although we all wish we could meet in person this May, the IBA is excited to announce our 2021 Virtual Conference: Celebrating our Connections. This three day conference will feature performances and clinics from musicians and educators across the country. The early registration portal will open at bandmasters.org on March 15. The 94th Iowa Bandmasters Conference will run through the Guidebook App. More details will be published in the Conference issue of the magazine, in the March eNews, and on bandmasters.org. Don’t miss this great opportunity to learn and grow together.

IBA Honor Bands

Thank you to all of the groups who submitted applications to be considered for a performance slot at the 2021 IBA Conference. We know that the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically impacted many of our programs, however I am pleased with the number of bands who went ahead and submitted the applications. If your band did submit an application, remember that the recording deadline was pushed back.

Recordings must be uploaded to https://www.bandmasters.org/performance-recording-submission by 11:59 pm on February 10, 2021. Please contact jeana.larson@bandmasters.org with any questions.

Outstanding Administrator Recognition

Each year IBA recognizes 3 administrators with the Outstanding Administrator Award. Members can nominate an elementary/middle school principal, high school principal, and/or superintendent for consideration for the award. If you work with an outstanding administrator please consider nominating them for the award. The recognition from you alone is meaningful to your administrator and makes the process worth it.

The form is live on the Public Relations page on bandmasters.org or it can be found at this link. Submissions are due March 13th, 2021. If you have any questions you can contact your district public relations committee member or Danny Kleinheinz at publicrelations@bandmasters.org.

Retirement/Tenure Awards

If you have reached the 30 year tenure mark or are planning on retiring, please submit your information in order to be recognized.

Retirement Form https://forms.gle/6mSnVRqERTEigEY79

Tenure Form https://forms.gle/AfHcK85xfsKMPLj77

Please contact jeana.larson@bandmasters.org with any questions.

Upcoming Dates

March 5 Conference Magazine Deadline
March 13 Outstanding Administrator Nomination Deadline
March 15 Conference Pre-Registration Opens
March 20 Retirement/Tenure Notification Deadline
March 22 Director of Communications Applications Due
May 1 Conference Pre-Registration Deadline
May 13-15 94th Annual I.B.A. Virtual Conference
June 4 Summer Magazine Deadline

IBA Director of Communications Application

IBA is currently looking for a new Director of Communications (former title Magazine Editor). If you are detail oriented, team minded, and interested in taking an active role in shaping the future of IBA, then this position could be for you! Interested candidates should fill out the IBA Director of Communication Application and submit it along with two letters of recommendation to chris.strohmaier@bandmasters.org by March 22nd. Interviews for the position will be held in early April.

From the Podium

Preparations for the 2021 IBA Virtual Conference are off and running! And while the format of the conference is going to be different than what we are used to, there are going to be a lot of GREAT things for you to take advantage of, with some familiar faces and some new ones.

As I have worked through the process of connecting with musicians and educators from across the country, I’m reminded of what an incredible profession we work in. Both here in Iowa and across the country, musicians and educators have been fantastic about offering their time and energy to help our conference and our membership. As I watch the conference start to take shape, I am really excited about the way it’s progressing, and I know you’ll be excited to be a part of it as well.

February is always the most difficult month of teaching. Winter break and the holidays are well behind us, the weather is cold and snowy, and spring seems like a far off pipe dream. And that is in a normal year! We are all off our game this year, our students included. They need so much from us right now, and we are notorious for putting our own needs on the back burner so that we can give them what they need. But this time of year, and this time of THIS year in particular, we have to remember that we can’t give one hundred and ten percent to our students every day if we’re running on empty.

In his book Towards Center, author and master teacher James Jordan talks about the importance of finding and cultivating your center - that core of your being that both roots you to the earth and out of which emanates all of your passion and potential for meaningful connections and music making. Without a strong personal core, Jordan asserts, it is impossible for us to develop meaningful relationships or to have a lasting impact on our students.

By regularly investing in the development of a calm and focused mind, you add strength and confidence to your life and to your interactions with others. For some, this connection with your center comes into focus through a hobby, like woodworking or sewing. For others it is through exercise or meditation. We all have activities that will reground us in reality and allow us to center ourselves. And once we have done so, then “our communication and ability to connect increases tenfold and gives each of us an unmistakable and powerful voice.”

So this month, take a little time to breathe. Read a book, or exercise, or download a mindfulness app. Just don’t forget to spend a little time on refilling your own tank. Five or ten minutes a day spent locating and focusing your own center can make all the difference in the world - for you and for your students too!

Chris Strohmaier

IBA President

Iowa Bandmasters Association

94th Annual Conference

May 13 - 15, 2021

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