Congratulations to Heidi!
Music teacher and editor Heidi Anderson has created “Maine Motif”, a wonderful magazine for the Maine Music Educators Association. You can access it by CLICKING HERE. After checking it out, let Heidi or president and Maine Arts Leadership Initiative Teacher Leader Sue Barre know what you think. The organization is celebrating their centennial – if not already a member, consider joining. Below is Sue’s back to school message re-printed by permission from Maine Motif.
Greetings Fellow Music Educators:
Sue Barre
Welcome to a new school year! It is that exciting time, a time of firsts. The first class, the first rehearsal, the first football game. In my household it is the first time I will send one of my children to college. Amidst the firsts there is the familiar: breaking out the pep band folders, singing through a familiar warm up, recognizing a familiar tune. At my house the familiar routine, particularly for my daughter, is the annual school supply and school clothes shopping spree.
I challenge you to work to enjoy the firsts. Note how excited those students are in class. Relish the conversation with a senior who is asking for a recommendation or the kindergartener who is so excited to be in your class. For many of us our jobs are getting bigger, the days are seeming longer, and/or some of us (myself included) the hair is becoming more gray.
The work you are doing is very important. You are changing lives. You are creating lifelong advocates and consumers of music. You may even be creating lifelong performers. Through this beautiful craft of teaching music we are also teaching the lifelong skills of communication, collegiality, and goal setting to name a few.
In each of our schools we can feel like islands, often being the only music teacher. MMEA can be the mainland for you. Take advantage of this publication; take a look at our website. We are working hard to keep the calendars up to date and useful to all.
Lastly, help us celebrate our centennial! The events will happen all year long. Beginning with the membership campaign, the first one hundred new or lapsed members (3 years or more lapsed) will only pay $100 for membership fee – saving you $30 (that’s a lot of cups of coffee). To take advantage PRINT the application from the NAfME website and send it and your payment to our executive director Sam Moore-Young.
I am grateful to be part of this board and value the opportunity to represent you as music educators of the State of Maine. Please do not hesitate to contact me or any board member, with your questions or concerns. In an effort to make it easier to reach board members we have updated email addresses to align with the position.
For example, my new email is mainemmeapresident@gmail.com. Please see the website for an up to date list of emails. Together we are stronger than one, do not hesitate to ask the questions that are on your mind. We are here to serve you, the members of the Maine Music Educators Association.
Musically,
Sue Barre, President of MMEA
me arts ed 