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For the Record |
| ISSUE 7 ::
Friday August, 12 2005 |
PAST ISSUES |
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From the
President's Desk
James Douthit, President
As I write my last column, it is with mixed
emotions. Six years ago, I assumed the
position of Vice President for Conferences.
Two years later, I moved into the office of
President Elect organizing the State
Competitions. I approach my completion of
the presidential term following the State
Conference at Penn State in November of this
year with a great sense of satisfaction in
the work we have accomplished together and a
great interest in looking forward to the
work yet to be completed.
Continuing the work begun by previous
presidents, we have continued to observe
growth and an increase in professional
activities within our organization. We have
modified the Dorothy Sutton Performance
Festival in order to continue its vitality.
This Festival is an extremely important
component of our organization. I know that
PMTA will continue to learn and discover new
ways to fulfill the original mission of the
festival.
We have made changes in our organizational
structure that should provide a strong
foundation for our work over the next
several years. A necessary revision of the
By-laws has made a great stride forward in
allowing our organization to proceed with a
more professionally efficient structure in
place.
We have devoted significant resource and
time to our web page,
www.pamusicteachers.org. This should allow
our organization to make the most current
information available to our members and to
potential members as well.
Our membership numbers have been strong over
the last several years. A membership
campaign this year, served to bring
attention to the need for new members both
for the financial and professional viability
of the organization.
We have broken new ground in offering our
own state level competitions. Though we were
not able to offer those this year, my hope
is that we will be able to reorganize and
staff those activities again, so that we may
offer the students of the state a variety of
alternatives to pursue their musical growth.
Currently, we are working to provide
certified teachers ACT48 credit for
attendance at both our state and local
conferences and professional development
activities. If we are able to gain this
approval, it will be a major step in our
efforts to work with PMEA and other sister
organizations devoted to similar missions.
Perhaps, most importantly, I am delighted to
see that our local organizations continue to
flourish and grow. They are the backbone of
our organization, and the efforts of the
Board of Directors throughout the last six
years have been focused on providing
activities and services that assist in this
important work. As I review the schedules of
activities presented and planned for these
groups, they each have an impressive list of
offerings for their members and the
potential members in their areas of the
state. Many state organizations do not have
active or existing local organizations.
These states are limited in the scope of
their work by a lack of devoted members. We
have no shortage of devoted members and a
look at the rosters of the local
organizations within the state are evidence
that many of the most active members of our
state organization are leaders in their
local organizations as well.
I hope that what we have accomplished
together over the last several years, will
be the foundation for even more new and
positive growth. I would like to challenge
all members of our organization to become
active contributors to our activities and
efforts. While you have all accomplished the
first step by becoming members, I'd like to
invite you to consider going one step beyond
your current level of participation. Our
society and lifestyles demand more and more
efforts and energy for our daily activities.
Technology and many of the inventions
designed to make our lives easier have
actually made it more complex. Family
responsibilities and additional demands make
it very difficult to consider taking on even
more duties. However, without this input of
time and energy, PMTA will not continue to
provide the professional development and
opportunities that are lacking for those who
teach the art of music in a variety of
capacities. Once these resources begin to
disappear, it is very difficult, within the
structure of this organization, to bring
them back into existence.
I've seen the smiles of our students as they
are announced as winners of the
competitions. I've seen the Dorothy Sutton
Performance Festival students brimming with
pride as they have just completed their
performance in the recital. I've observed
the "AHA" moments of teachers as our
nationally known and locally grown
clinicians offer advice critical to the art
of teaching. I've felt the encouragement
support and friendship of our leaders and
members as we work together to promote the
art and craft of the pedagogy of music.
These have been the motivating guidance for
my efforts.
I would like to thank the leaders before me
who have provided great guidance and a model
for my work. Debra Ronning, Nancy Boston,
and Gloriana Sewell have been more than
generous with their advice and guidance. I
know that I will leave you in good hands
under the leadership of Millie Eben and
Nanette Kaplan Solomon. The Board of
Directors has given countless hours and
limitless energy to our cause. It would be
impossible to thank everyone that has
provided assistance in my efforts. Each of
you has contributed to my work with this
organization as well as to my own teaching
and professional development. As I sit in my
new office at Nazareth College in Rochester,
New York, to write this column, I am sad to
be leaving you, but joyful in the prospect
of what is to come for PMTA! I look forward
to seeing you at Penn State in November!
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