TODAY is the early registration deadline for the Colorado ASTA Summer Conference, which is being held July 11-12! We have a great conference lined up that you don't want to miss, so get your registrations in today!!!

Letter from Colorado ASTA President, Rebecca Jonas

Happy July! By now, we've all settled into our summer routines. We're teaching less, and filling more of our time with family and friends. Many of us are playing fun gigs around the state, and many of us are getting a chance to relax and attend concerts just for fun. I hope that a part of summer for all of us will be this year's CASTA Summer Conference! Alison Mayes has done an outstanding job putting together a great lineup of sessions, with excellent exhibitors, and AMAZING Silent Auction items! (Seriously, plan on bringing your checkbook!) But the part of conference I'm most looking forward to is connecting with string teachers from around the state--catching up with old friends, meeting new ones, and sharing ideas. The Summer Conference truly promises to be a great experience, and I hope to see many of you there.

-Rebecca

Summer Conference Details

Our 2016 summer conference is shaping up to be really fantastic this year! Join us on Monday and Tuesday, July 11 and 12, at the King Center on Auraria Campus in beautiful downtown Denver. The overall theme for this year's conference has been accessibility. We have worked diligently to provide a centralized conference location, with convenient, close by, and inexpensive parking options. Convenient access to public transportation, and plenty of nearby restaurants for all palates and budgets. Easy ways to register and pay online or by mail. And best of all, conference fees and a social dinner cost that are not overly costly to you. Registration is now open (the early registration deadline is TODAY!!!), and we have a great conference lined up! Please go ahead and register ASAP. See below for more information about 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)

There are a few ways to send in your conference registration form; you can print, fill-out and mail, or complete it electronically and email it. 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 starting at 8 AM).

- Conference Early Registration Fee, $60.00 (if paid by July 1)

- Conference Registration Fee, $75.00 (if paid after July 1)

- Student, Retired Teacher, and First Year Teacher Conference Registration Fee, $20.00

- One-Day Conference Registration Fee, $40.00   

Conference Schedule (link)

Here is a draft of the schedule for the 2016 Colorado ASTA Summer Conference. You can also download it in PDF form. We have some awesome presenters joining us this year. There is something for everyone!

Monday, July 11
8:00-8:50 AM Coffee, Breakfast, and Morning Social Hour
9:00-9:30 AM James Divine, Guest Keynote Speaker, “Music Saved My Life”
9:30 AM Exhibits Open
9:30 AM Silent Auction Opens
9:30-10:00 AM Angelyn Foster, The Value of Using Solfa to Improve Intonation
9:45-10:25 AM Annie Savage, The Savage Fiddler Method: Teaching Roots Music in The Orchestra Too
10:30-11:00 AM Nancy Allwein, Private Studio Teaching How-To's
11:00-11:30 AM Nancy Price, The Cellist's Vivaldi

11:30 AM-12:00 PM Kristi Ramsey & Kim Dunninger, Nuts & Bolts of Teaching Orchestra for Non-String Players
12:00-1:30 PM LUNCH (on your own)
1:30-2:10 PM Eric Trujillo of Mi Vida Strings, Instrument Repair Workshop
2:15-3:35 PM Middle & High School Orchestra Reading Session
3:40-4:10 PM Haley Heer, Practice Makes Perfect – Teaching Effective Practice Strategies
4:20-5:00 PM Dr. Margaret Berg, Teacher Renewal Through Core Reflection
5:00 PM Exhibits Close, Silent Auction bidding closes
5:00-5:30 PM Silent Auction Check-Out – please pay for and pick up your items!
5:30-7:00 PM Happy Hour, Dinner, and Awards
7:15-7:30 PM Silent Auction Check-Out – please pay for and pick up your items!
7:30 PM First Annual Colorado ASTA Summer Olympics
8:30 PM Drinks & Dessert

Tuesday, July 12 
8:00-8:30 AM Coffee, Breakfast, and Morning Social Hour
8:00-8:30 AM Don't forget to pay for and pick up your Silent Auction items!
8:30-9:25 AM Colorado ASTA Summer Meeting – please attend!
9:30 AM Exhibits Open
9:30-10:00 AM Silent Auction Check-Out – please pay for and pick up your items!

9:30-10:00 AM Douglas Moore, Accessible Repertoire for Violin and Cello Teachers

9:45-10:30 AM John Jonas, A Band Guy's Seven Keys To Successful String Teaching
10:40-11:10 AM Royston Hunget, Fiddle & Folk Music by Ear for Aural Skills Development
11:15 AM-12:00 PM Dr. Brandon Matthews, Before The First Rehearsal: Strategies to Ensure Ensemble Success
12:00-2:00 PM LUNCH (on your own)
2:00-2:30 PM Hannah Smith, Strategies for Rebuilding Your Orchestra Program
2:40-3:10 PM Andrea Meyers, What Not To Wear On The Podium – Proper Performance Attire
3:15-3:45 PM Debbie Miles, Optimizing the Cello Experience for Students and Teachers
4:00-4:40 PM Emily Bowman and David Crowe, Bach is Back! Engage Your Students & Enliven Your Performances
5:00 PM Exhibits Close, Conclusion of 2016 Colorado ASTA Conference

Exhibitors, attendees, and presenters alike are all invited to our Monday night Social Dinner at the Corner Office (1401, Curtis Street, Denver - across from the DCPA), at a cost of just $25 per person. Parking options (during the day AND overnight) are both convenient and inexpensive at the Auraria Campus. 

Dining Information (link)

There are a variety of lunch and dinner dining options available for you near the campus. Some are quite literally just steps away from the King Center at the Tivoli Student Union. Please see this document for a more detailed list of restaurant suggestions.

We also have an exciting silent auction lined up, including items such as a Colorado Rockies Baseball Gift Basket, Colorado Wine Lovers Gift Basket, educator scholarships to 2017 out-of-state workshops, lots of concert tickets, gift certificates, and MUCH more!

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.

All information will also be available in your conference program, that we will give you upon check-in. Contact Alison Mayes anytime with questions. The Colorado ASTA Board is looking forward to connecting with you in person!

#wearestrings #wehaveavoice #ColoradoASTA

We have a voice. We are Strings. We are ASTA.

Voting for Lifetime and Teacher of the Year Awards Ends Tomorrow

Congratulations to the following teachers who were nominated for the Lifetime Teacher and Teacher of the Year Awards! 

Bios and photos of all the nominees are posted on the Colorado ASTA website. Please click here to vote. TOMORROW, July 2, 2016, is the last day to vote, and your Colorado ASTA membership must be current in order to vote. 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.

Dates for 2016-2017

Please save the date for these great Colorado ASTA events happening during the 2016-2017 school year. More details, along with information regarding registration, will be distributed once available. 

Colorado ASTA Large Group Festival

March 8, 2017 (Northern Colorado)

March 9, 2017 (Denver)

CCAP

April 22, 2017 (Northern Colorado)

April 29, 2017 (Denver)

Congratulations to the 2017 CMEA Performing Groups

Congratulations to the following schools and directors, whose orchestras were selected to perform at the 2017 CMEA Clinic/Conference!, which will take place January 25-28, 2017 at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs.

Bell Middle School

Barbara Casanova, Director

Lesher Middle School

Loni Obluda, Director

Coronado High School

Susan Hernandez, Director

Highlands Ranch High School

Ryan Woodworth and Kevin Larsen, Directors

Silver Creek High School

Paul Trapkus, Director

June CASTA Board Meeting Recap

The June board meeting was focused on finalizing details for the summer conference. We also discussed dates for the 2016-2017 school year and some details regarding CMEA. 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 Events and Important Dates

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

July 2, 2016: Last Day to Vote for Lifetime Teacher and Teacher of the Year

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

November 3-5, 2016: Western States Honor Orchestra Festival

January 25-28, 2017: CMEA Clinic/Conference

February 9-11, 2017: Colorado All State Orchestra

March 8, 2017: Colorado ASTA Large Group Festival (Northern Colorado)

March 9, 2017: Colorado ASTA Large Group Festival (Denver)

April 22, 2017: CCAP (Northern Colorado)

April 29, 2017: CCAP (Denver)

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 hsmith26@cherrycreekschools.org 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 (hsmith26@cherrycreekschools.org), Colorado ASTA webmaster and newsletter editor, with any questions.