END OF THE YEAR WRAP UP
As the school year comes to a close, and my time as AVA President comes to an end, I have spent some time reflecting on the work that we have done over the past few years. I am proud of the advances that our organization has made. We have increased our efficiency through the use of technology, focused on our mission statement, and worked to reach out to the membership. We have also looked closely at our policies and made improvements where necessary. Although we have made improvements, there will always be work to do, and I hope that you will also consider serving this organization that provides so many opportunities for your students. I appreciate the opportunity to have served as AVA President for the past two years. I am looking forward to continuing to serve in a different capacity.
ALL-STATE
It was so nice to see many of you at the All-State festival in March. I appreciate all those who served as concert coordinator, choir coordinator, attendance monitor, or in any other capacity to be sure that everything ran smoothly. I think that the students enjoyed their interaction with the conductors of the various choirs. I was also pleased with the final performances.
We appreciate Samford University for once again hosting All-State. Kenny Gannon, Tim Banks, and the staff at Samford were welcoming and helpful. We look forward to being back in 2019.
AMEA SUBMISSIONS
I hope that the recordings you received from SCPA were helpful to you this year. One of the reasons that we decided to begin recording each choir is so that each of you would have a high-quality recording in the event you decided to submit to perform at AMEA. I am proud of the increase in submissions that we have had over the past several years. This increase has contributed to increased quality of performances. If you are considering this, please know that the deadline is June 1. You can find instructions on the AMEA website.
In addition, please also consider submitting to present a session if you have something of value to share. We are always looking for new ideas!
AVA BOARD
As my tenure as president ends, and Meg Jones’ presidency begins, the AVA board will welcome five new members. I encourage you to support Meg and the new board members. Share your ideas and concerns with them. The new AVA Governing Board will meet for our summer board meeting mid-June. If you have any ideas or suggestions that you would like the board to consider during our meeting time, please submit in writing before the end of May. We want to hear your ideas and suggestions for improvement.
FALL WORKSHOP
Please go ahead and mark your calendars for our 2018 AVA Fall Workshop! As always, the workshop will be held on the Friday after Labor Day, which is September the 7th. We will meet in Montgomery at Huntington College so that our colleagues in the north and south of the state can all save a hotel night if needed.
COMMUNICATION
Over the past several years, we have made an effort to provide the AVA membership with increased instructions and reminders about registration deadlines, etc. We occasionally get questions about where to find information. You should expect all information for all AVA events to be available on our website. For example, if you are attending an SCPA in another district you should be able to get all information concerning the event you are attending from the AVA website. Let your district chairman know if you have difficulty accessing anything.
OUR MISSION
The AVA Board is continually striving to 1) maintain adherence to our mission statement and 2) improve our functionality. Along those lines, we have begun discussion about the following:
- Streamlining the All-State audition process using available recording technology rather than sending 5 judges on a tour around the state
- Modifying the All-State audition form to a rubric-style adjudication form
- Modifying the sight-reading portion of SCPA to allow directors to choose an appropriate sight-reading example for their students based on students’ ability
- The future of All-State Show Choir and how it fits into the structure of AVA
- The future of Honor Choir and how it fits into the structure of AVA
We are interested in thoughtful, written feedback in the form of an email to me or anyone else on the AVA Board. Please let us know if you have anything you would like to add to the conversation. Your thoughts are welcome and appreciated. You may send your questions, suggestions, or ideas to presidentofava@gmail.com.
Again, thank you for the opportunity to serve as AVA President. And, thank you for taking the time to read about your professional association. I am looking forward to seeing you in September!
Ginny
