It’s hard to believe that the school year is already a quarter complete! Thanks to all who helped to make this year’s Fall Workshop a success. I hope that you enjoyed connecting with your colleagues around the state. I think our interaction with Dr. Redding was just a small sample of what our SATB All-State students will experience in March. Please continue to send your feedback about Fall Workshop. How can we better fulfill our mission through our Fall Workshop event? If you have great ideas, let us know.
NEW FOR THIS YEAR
Online registration is up and running for all events. We appreciate you helping us work out the kinks in the online registration process. Please be sure to read the instructions within the registration forms and continue to send your questions and concerns. Your feedback is valued.
In an effort to connect with our colleagues who are not plugged in with AVA, we are offering a free registration initiative for State Choral Performance Assessment. Directors may register one choir for free (school fee and student fees waived) if their school has not participated in SCPA in the past three years. Please share with your colleagues who may be interested in taking advantage of this offer.
We are also pleased to be able to provide additional services this year during our SCPA event. Each district chair will contract a recording engineer to record all choirs that perform at SCPA. After SCPA is complete, each director will receive a copy of his/her ensemble’s recordings at no additional cost.
UPCOMING EVENTS
We look forward to hearing your students at All-State auditions next month.
Please be sure to check the instruction pages provided in your music packets and on the website and make sure that your students are singing the correct notes for your district. All-State results will not be mailed this year, but will be posted online. After auditions are complete, look for an e-mail notifying you that results have been posted.

Our AMEA Conference will be held January 18th-21st at the Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center in Montgomery. We look forward to having J.D. Frizzell join us for this conference. He will present sessions entitled “Reinvigorating The Choral Warm Up: Invest Time To Save Time” and “A Choir Director’s Teaching Philosophy: Choosing Inspiration, Empowerment, and Success.” He will also share a reading session (sponsored by J.W. Pepper) entitled “Poignant, Yet Accessible Music for Mixed Voice Middle School and High School Choirs.” Other session topics cover such as expressiveness, beginning a cappella pop, recruiting and retention, vocal jazz, and diction.

Congratulations to the choirs who submitted and were selected to share performances with us at AMEA. We will hear from middle schools, high schools, and colleges from all over the state. The number of submissions that we received has increased from previous years. Please consider submitting for the 2018 AMEA Conference. Use the recordings that you receive from your SCPA performance and complete an application by June 1 to be considered.

Thank you for taking to the time to read about your professional association. Please send questions, suggestions, or ideas to me at presidentofava@gmail.com. Your feedback is always appreciated. I am looking forward to seeing you in January!

Ginny