A new school year is filled with new beginners; making sure we have all our paper work done and trying to get all the drill on the field.  It has all flown by so quickly.  Soon we will be hearing the sounds of our holiday concerts and how many different ways we can play Jingle Bells.

In your busy schedules, make plans for the AMEA conference in January in BIRMINGHAM!  This venue is going to be great.  I would like to thank everyone who submitted performance and clinic applications.  We have an outstanding schedule of concerts and clinics.  As you prepare and think about applying for next year, I would like to encourage you to program your concerts with multiple levels of music like the Midwest Band convention.  The majority of bands in our state are typically CC classification (old classification system).  Their directors love to hear grade 6 literature but usually can’t play their programs.  Program your selections to have literature from different levels.  There is great music at all levels and that lends the opportunity to the small bands to hear great music they can take home and use with their bands.  For the performing group, it allows you to program some pieces that may not be as challenging and allow your upper-level selections to be even more difficult.  I believe this will make the performances better but allow them to be more educational to our younger directors in the smaller programs.

As you also begin the process of selecting music for MPA, remember the new classification system.  It is listed in the bylaws on the myamea.org website.  The piece you select as your list piece will determine your level of sight reading.  Be sure you understand the legislation.

The AMEA conference is going to be a great event. The groups selected to perform are: Thompson Jazz Band, Southside High School, Jacksonville Jazz/Latin Ensemble, Hoover First Edition, Hillcrest High School, Redstone Brass, and Pelham High School.  Also, several great clinics that are listed in this Ala Breve.    The conference is a wonderful way to learn new ways and techniques to improve our programs.  It is also a great place to talk to veteran directors who may have similar situations and how they handle it, or new directors with cutting-edge ideas for us more mature (OLD) directors.

The board is continuing to strive to make ABA a stronger organization to serve its members, and we would like to thank you for your support, encouragement, and feedback to fuel us to stay on that track.