Colorado ASTA Newsletter August 2017 |
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From Colorado ASTA President Rebecca Jonas It’s officially Back-to-School-Time for most of us! I hope everyone had an amazing summer vacation that was filled with family, friends, adventure, and relaxation. As we gear up for the school year, I’m motivated by great sessions I attended at the Summer CASTA conference, and energized by spending time with great colleagues. This summer I realized just how big my support system is, and how it is something I need to take time to nurture. As we’re back at school preparing our rooms, getting lesson plans done, and ordering new music, make time for the people and activities in your life that are important and that will nourish and energize you throughout the school year. It’s easy to feel guilty for taking time away from school work, but your health--physical, and mental--matters! Thank you for being a part of my support system, and let us know how CASTA can better be a part of yours! Here’s to a great school year! |
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Handouts from Summer Conference Sessions Thank you to those who presented and attended at The Colorado ASTA Summer Conference! Also a huge thank you to those who donated items to the silent auction! Handouts from many of the sessions can be accessed below, as well as on the Colorado ASTA website. Carmen Wiest | Creating Amazing Tone In Your Orchestra Handouts Susan Day | Composing Music: From Inception to the Concert Hall. A Labor of Love! Handout Melissa Barru | Perfecting the Shifting Process Handout Dr. Lindsay Fulcher | Repertoire, Rehearsals, and Representation: Diversity in the Orchestra Website Jane Barbe | Creative Connections in Motion: Active strategies that help students interact, understand, and apply musical concepts in new and inventive ways Handout Rob Stahly | Using Microphones for Live or Recorded Sound Handout PowerPoint Dr. Phillip Ficsor | Practice Part Preparation in Bach's A Minor Violin Concerto - A Tutorial Handout PowerPoint Dr. Michael Hopkins | Repertoire Selection for Orchestra Handout Carmen Wiest and Rob Stahly | New Music Reading Session Handout Sam Conner | "And, How Do You Feel About That?" Music Therapy Techniques that Every String Educator Can Use Handout Rachel Allen and Priscilla Arasaki | Music From the Start : A Collaboration of the Orff and Suzuki Methods Handout Prezi |
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Congratulations to 2017 State Award Recipients Congratulations to Vern Ashcraft and Loni Obluda who were chosen as Colorado ASTA's 2017 Lifetime Teacher and Teacher of the Year, respectively. |
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Vern Ashcraft, Lifetime Teacher Vernon Ashcraft retired in 2011 from Colorado Springs School District #11, where he taught and directed orchestras for 41 years. He is a graduate of Colorado State University at Pueblo (formerly Southern Colorado State College, when he attended). Mr. Ashcraft taught approximately 6,000 string students in elementary, junior and senior high schools during his tenure in the schools. At the same time, he also maintained a studio of private violin and viola students of all ages since 1966. He estimates that he has worked with approximately 2,000 private students since he began, and is currently still teaching in his home studio. Many of his private students have gone on to be professional musicians, including Dr. Robert Baldwin, a former longtime viola student, who is the current Conductor and Music Director of the Salt Lake City Symphony, in Utah. In addition to his intense teaching schedule, Mr. Ashcraft also played in the 1st violin sections of the Colorado Springs and Pueblo Symphony orchestras, the Colorado Springs Chamber Soloists and Colorado Opera Festival Orchestra at Colorado College, for many years. He was concertmaster and assistant conductor of the former Colorado Springs Community Symphony for 3 years, and played solos and served as concertmaster for churches in Colorado Springs and Pueblo for 56 years. Mr. Ashcraft has done mentoring of future orchestra teachers, and continues to serve as a judge at solo and ensemble festivals, which he has enjoyed doing for nearly 30 years. He has been a continuous member of ASTA since 1967. Loni Obluda, Teacher of the Year Loni E. Obluda will be entering her 9th year of instrumental music instruction at Lesher Middle School, an IB School, in Fort Collins, CO. Mrs. Obluda is a Colorado native having grown up in Pueblo, CO where she studied Suzuki Violin with Ms. Ann Pineda-Fuentes for 15 years. Under the tutelage of Ms. Pineda-Fuentes, Mrs. Obluda was led to pursue her Suzuki Book 1 certification and thus began teaching private violin lessons during her senior year of high school. Between the influence of Ms. Pineda-Fuentes and several other outstanding music directors, Mrs. Obluda decided to pursue a career in music education. Mrs. Obluda received her Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Northern Colorado where she graduated with honors and studied with Professor Richard Fuchs. During her time at the University, Mrs. Obluda was a member of the Downbeat Award-Winning UNC Symphony, as well as the select University Chamber Orchestra. During her undergrad, Mrs. Obluda continued to teach privately and was also hired to teach group violin classes for the non-profit, early childhood organization, “The Union Colony Children’s Music Academy.” Mrs. Obluda was also the interim orchestra director at Greeley West High School during the 2007-2008 school year. As mentioned previously, Mrs. Obluda teaches both bands and orchestra ensembles at Lesher Middle School. Currently, Mrs. Obluda's program consists of three bands, three orchestras, Chamber Strings, and an Advanced Chamber Orchestra. Under her direction, the Lesher Middle School Advanced Chamber Orchestra has had the honor of being invited to perform at the Colorado Music Educator's Conference twice, first in 2014 and once this last school year. During this last school year, Mrs. Obluda had the privilege of working with CSU's Assistant Professor of Music Education, Dr. Erik Johnson, as an assistant director to CSU's music education program, "The Middle School Outreach Ensemble." This year marked the inaugural year for the program to feature an orchestra and Mrs. Obluda was able to lend a voice into the organization process, as well as mentor several music education majors on a weekly basis, through this incredible program. Loni Obluda currently lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with her husband, Dan, and her Quaker Parrot, Jake. Loni and Dan are both proud to be music educators, UNC Alumni, and are even more proud to be the Aunt and Uncle to two outstanding kids, Samuel and Emalee. |
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Congratulations to the 2018 CMEA Performing Groups Congratulations to the following schools and directors, whose orchestras were selected to perform at the 2018 CMEA Clinic/Conference!, which will take place January 25-28, 2017 at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs. Boltz Middle School Orchestra Melissa Claeys, Director Centennial Middle School Orchestra Anne Paulu, Director Denver School of the Arts Full Orchestra Enrique Lasansky, Director Fort Collins High School Chamber Strings John Hermanson, Director Lakewood High School Chamber Orchestra Bryce Melaragno, Director |
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Opportunities to Get Involved With Colorado ASTA Colorado ASTA needs a new treasurer! And we will soon be soliciting nominations for President-Elect. If you are interested in either of these positions, please contact Colorado ASTA President Rebecca Jonas (rebajonas@gmail.com). We would like to thank outgoing treasurer Daryl Counsell for many years of tireless service to ASTA. He has done wonders for getting Colorado ASTA's finances organized and ensuring that all operations are "by the books." Daryl recently retired from District 11 in Colorado Springs, and he has decided to move on to new endeavors in his retirement. |
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Ongoing Colorado ASTA Fundraisers Please consider supporting Colorado ASTA's ongoing fundraisers. Follow the links below for more information. |
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Tempo Markings Updated in Western States/All State Audition Music Several of the audition excerpts for Western States Honor Orchestra and All State Orchestra have newly updated tempo markings. Please check the WSHOF and All State websites for more information, and inform any students who may be auditioning of the updates. |
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UNC Greeley to Start a String Project The University of Northern Colorado School of Music is very excited to be launching a String Project in Greeley in Fall 2017. The objective of the String Project is to "provide practical hands-on training for undergraduate string education majors during their college years and give children the opportunity to study a stringed instrument." (Source: stringprojects.org/about-us.html). String Projects exist nationally and are coordinated by the National String Project Consortium. UNC will be the first String Project in Colorado. Fourth and fifth grade students in Greeley will be recruited and taught to play violin, viola, cello, and double bass in a classroom setting. We are particularly interested in recruiting students from underserved populations. Dr. Lindsay Fulcher will serve as the primary teacher (for at least the first year of the program), and undergraduate, string, music education majors will serve as Teacher Assistants. As the program grows each year, we will add additional levels of instruction (ensembles & private lessons) and the undergraduates will earn additional teaching opportunities. - submitted by Dr. Lindsay Fulcher, Assistant Professor of String Education at the University of Northern Colorado |
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UNC Greeley to Start a Campus Orchestra UNC is also excited to be starting a Campus String Orchestra this fall. Dr. Lindsay Fulcher will conduct this ensemble made up of music majors (many on secondary instruments) and also non-music-majors. We plan to give at least one concert a semester and are thrilled to offer this second ensemble for string students on campus. - submitted by Dr. Lindsay Fulcher, Assistant Professor of String Education at the University of Northern Colorado |
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Thank you to the following businesses for supporting Colorado ASTA! |
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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. |
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