Colorado ASTA Newsletter

June 2016

Letter from Colorado ASTA President, Rebecca Jonas

Happy June! Most of us are done with school (or almost there, hang on!). We're switching to summer studio schedules, and hopefully planning relaxing and rejuvenating summer activities. Congratulations on making it through another crazy year! Your CASTA board is finishing up some planning for next year, and we're looking forward to sending out dates and locations for CCAP and the CASTA Orchestra Festival soon. We're also looking forward to what is looking to be an outstanding Summer Conference, with sessions representing our talented and diverse membership. Hope to see you there! Happy Summer!

 

-Rebecca

Summer Conference Details

The 2016 Colorado ASTA Summer Conference will be held on July 11th and 12th at the King Center on the Auraria Campus. Registration is now open, and we have a great conference lined up! Please go ahead and registered ASAP. See below for more information regarding the conference.

All details regarding the summer conference can be found on the Colorado ASTA website, but here are a few items to highlight:

 

Conference Registration Form (link)

The "Early Bird" Registration Deadline is July 1, 2016. You can print, fill-out and mail, or complete the PDF electronically and email to AlisonMayes523@gmail.com. For your convenience, you can pay your conference registration with a check or securely online via PayPal. Your conference rate includes coffee and buffet breakfasts on both Monday and Tuesday morning (available in the King Center lobby).

 

Highlights of Conference

Here's a list of the educationsal sessions that will be featured at the 2016 Summer Conference (exact schedule of events will be available soon):

 

James Divine, Guest Keynote Speaker, “Music Saved My Life”
Angelyn Foster, "The Value of Using Solfa to Improve Intonation"
Annie Savage, "The Savage Fiddler Method: Teaching Roots Music in The Orchestra Too"
Nancy Allwein, "Private Studio Teaching How-To's"
Nancy Price, "The Cellist's Vivaldi"
Kristi Ramsey & Kim Dunninger, "Nuts & Bolts of Teaching Orchestra for Non-String Players"
Eric Trujillo of Mi Vida Strings, "Instrument Repair Workshop"
Haley Heer, "Practice Makes Perfect – Teaching Effective Practice Strategies"
Dr. Margaret Berg, "Teacher Renewal Through Core Reflection"
John Jonas, "A Band Guy's Seven Keys To Successful String Teaching"
Royston Hunget, "Fiddle & Folk Music by Ear for Aural Skills Development"
Dr. Brandon Matthews, "Before The First Rehearsal: Strategies to Ensure Ensemble Success"
Hannah Smith, "Strategies for Rebuilding Your Orchestra Program"
Andrea Meyers, "What Not To Wear – Ways to Dress for Success"
Debbie Miles, "The Cellostone – Optimizing the Cello Experience for Students and Teachers"
Emily Bowman & David Crowe, "Bach is Back! Engage Your Students & Enliven Your Performances"

Douglas Moore, "Accessible Repertoire for Violin and Cello Teachers"

 

The conference will also include a new music reading session (coordinated by Nancy Allwein & Alison Mayes), a viola recital at the King Center with guest artist Charlie Hebenstreit, exhibits, a silent auction, meetings for the general membership, All State Board, and ASTA board, and various social hours. It is a guaranteed to be a great experience, and we hope to see you there!

 

Hotel Information (link)

Colorado ASTA has a room block at The Curtis Hotel for the summer conference. A conference rate of $172 per night (before taxes) is available on a first-come, first-served basis. This includes one king or two queen beds, complimentary wifi, and is within walking distance to the King Center, the Denver Performing Arts Center, and countless downtown attractions and restaurants. PLEASE NOTE: reservations at this reduced rate must be made by June 15. Parking options (during the day AND overnight) are both convenient and inexpensive at the Auraria Campus, though valet and garage parking is available at The Curtis for an extra charge. We will have a varied list of lunch and dinner dining options available ASAP.

 

Lastly, we will be able to issue certificates of contact hours for re-certification at the conclusion of the conference. More detailed information on this soon. We encourage you pre-register and come to the conference. Bring a friend! Bring your kids! Now is the time to be a part of Colorado ASTA and enjoy all of the benefits your membership has to offer.

Congratulations to the Lifetime and Teacher of the Year Award Nominees

Congratulations to the following teachers who were nominated for the Lifetime Teacher and Teacher of the Year Awards! Bios and voting information will be posted on the Colorado ASTA website soon. Voting will be open until July 10th, and these awards will be presented at the Colorado ASTA Summer Conference. Please help us congratulate these fine educators on their nominations and their great contributions to the string teaching profession.

Lifetime Teacher

Susan Day

Ken Sawyer

Beth Wells

Teacher of the Year

Aaron Carpenter

John Hermanson

Enrique Lasansky

Exemplary Award Nomination Deadline is June 15th

The nomination deadline for the Exemplary Award is June 15th. This is a self-nominated award, and there are exemplary awards available for elementary, middle, and high school teachers, as well as university professors and private instructors. Criteria for each of the awards can be found on the Colorado ASTA website. Please consider nominating yourself! All nominations and documentation should be sent to Daryl Counsell (castasrep@aol.com) via email. Please visit the Colorado ASTA website for more information.

May CASTA Board Meeting Recap

The May board meeting included a discussion and recap of the 2016 CCAP and Large Group Festival events. We began some preliminary planning for the 2017 events, selecting tentative dates and locations and brainstorming possible clinicians. We also continued preparing for the upcoming Summer Conference, discussed some logistics for CMEA 2017, listened to the summer scholarship application recordings, and reviewed the nominees for the Lifetime Teacher and Teacher of the Year awards. The Colorado ASTA board strives to be as transparent as possible, so if you ever have questions or ideas you'd like to share, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Upcoming Fiddle Contests

The state of Colorado runs some excellent fiddle contests, all of which are a super fun way for kids to keep playing throughout the summer.

 

Please follow this link for more information.

 

A larger version of the poster at right can be found here.

 

Feel free to contact Annie Savage (savagefiddler@gmail.com) with any questions.

Jazz Workshop for Bass Players in Conjuction with Evergreen Jazz Festival

Dear String Educator,

 

Do you have any aspiring jazz bassists? If so, please give them this brochure regarding a wonderful educational jazz workshop that takes place before and during the Evergreen Jazz Festival (July 28-29, 2016). The cost is very reasonable and includes a festival pass so the students can attend all 3 days of the Evergreen Jazz Festival for free! Financial aid scholarships are also available. 

 

Thanks so much and enjoy your summer, 

 

Ed Cannava

Assistant Director

Education Workshop

Evergreen Jazz Festival

303-328-7277

ecan11@msn.com

Save the Date: Fort Lewis Honors String Orchestra - October 17, 2016

Dear Colleague,

 

I trust this letter finds you doing well and at the conclusion of a great school year. I hope this will catch you in time to plan for our upcoming Honors String Orchestra Festival at Fort Lewis College.

 

Based on conversations that I had with many of you at last year’s event and informed by the survey results that were provided to us by you, we have decided to implement a number of changes in an attempt to better serve your students and to truly make this an honors orchestra experience for everyone involved. Our top group this year will require a recorded audition and be submitted via email or snail mail. Selection to the other high school and middle school group will be by director recommendation. If a student submits a recording for inclusion in the top high school group and is not selected for that ensemble, they will automatically be considered and given preferential treatment for other orchestras.

 

Danielle Johnson will be the guest conductor/clinician for our top group this coming Monday, October 17th, 2016, and she has chosen Grieg’s Holberg Suite, Florido’s Mi Negra, and Copland’s Hoe Down for their rep. I will take the podium for the “middle” ensemble, and Dr. Katherine Jetter will conduct our middle school group this year (program TBD).

 

For more information, visit our website. And, as always, please do not hesitate to call or email if I, or any of the other FLC music faculty, can assist you and/or your students in any way!

 

Sincerely,

Dr. M. Brent H. Williams

Assistant Professor of Violin and Viola, Fort Lewis College

Upcoming Events and Important Dates

June 15, 2016: Exemplary Award Nomination Deadline

July 1, 2016: Early Registration Deadline for CASTA Summer Conference

July 11-12, 2016: Colorado ASTA Summer Conference

October 2, 2016: Rocky Mountain String Bass Festival @ CU Boulder

October 17, 2016: Fort Lewis Honors String Orchestra Festival

Do you have an article, announcement, or other information you'd like to share with the Colorado ASTA membership? If so, we'd love to include it in our monthly newsletter! Please send your newsletter submissions to coloradoastawebmaster@gmail.com by the 20th of each month, and we will be sure to add them the next newsletter, which is published at the beginning of each month. Contact Hannah Smith (coloradoastawebmaster@gmail.com), Colorado ASTA webmaster and newsletter editor, with any questions.

rebajonas@gmail.com
540-604-6554

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