July 10th is the early registration deadline for the Colorado ASTA Summer Conference, which is being held July 27-28! We have a great conference lined up that you don't want to miss, so get your registrations in today!!!

Summer Conference Details

Our 2017 summer conference is quickly approaching, and it promises to be an amazing experience! Join us on July 27 and 28, at the King Center on Auraria Campus in beautiful downtown Denver. Registration is now open (the early registration deadline is July 10th!!!), and we have a great conference lined up! We will be welcoming guest speakers Chili Dog Strings and Dr. Michael Hopkins from the University of Michigan! We'll also have a fantastic silent auction for the student scholarship fund, an orchestra music reading session, a Friday membership banquet, and lots of great opportunties to connect with other string teachers in the area. 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)

The "Early Bird" Registration Deadline is July 10th. You can print, fill-out and mail, or complete the PDF electronically and email to castasrep@aol.com.

Conference Sessions

Here's a list of educational sessions you can expect at this year's Summer Conference. We have some awesome presenters joining us this year. There is something for everyone!

- Orchestra New Music Reading Session

- Creating Amazing Tone in Your Orchestra (Carmen Wiest)

- Composing Music: From Inception to the Concert Hall: A Labor of Love! (Susan Day)

- The Craft of Content Creation: Keeping Your Program Relevant as Culture and Attention Shift (Chilidog Strings)

- Perfecting the Shifting Process (Melissa Barru)

- Repertoire, Rehearsals, and Representation: Diversity in the Orchestra (Dr. Lindsay Fulcher)

- Strategies for Leveraging Social Media: Stake Your Claim on the New Frontier (Chilidog Strings)

- Music From the Start: A Collaboration of the Orff and Suzuki Methods (Rachael Allen and Priscilla Arasaki)

- Practice Part Preparation in Bach's A Minor Violin Concerto - A Tutorial (Dr. Phillip Ficsor)

- Tips on the Business of Running an Efficient Private Music Studio (Margaret Pressley)

- Using Microphones for Live or Recorded Sound (Rob Stahly)

- Repertoire Selection for Orchestra (Dr. Michael Hopkins)

- "And, How Do You Feel About That?" Music Therapy Techniques that Every String Educator Can Use (Sam Conner)

- Special Reading Session: Dr. Michael Hopkins' Compositions and Arrangements for Orchestra (Dr. Michael Hopkins)

- Creative Connections in Motion: Active Strategies that help students interact, understand, and apply musical concepts in new and inventive ways (Jane Barbe)

- Selecting Music to Enhance Your Elementary and Middle School Orchestra (Michelle Ewer)

Hotel Information (link)

The Marriott Springhill Suites on the Auraria Campus has offered our Colorado ASTA members the Metro State University discounted rate! $175 per night (before taxes and fees) for July 26th, 27th, and 28th. Follow this link to book your room.

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.

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. Monday, July 3rd (TOMORROW) 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.

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

Upcoming Events and Important Dates

July 3, 2017: Last Day to Vote for Lifetime Teacher and Teacher of the Year

July 10, 2017: Early Registration Deadline for CASTA Summer Conference

July 27-28, 2017: Colorado ASTA Summer Conference

November 2-4, 2017: Western States Honor Orchestra Festival

January 24-27, 2018: Colorado Music Educators Association (CMEA) Clinic/Conference

February 8-10, 2018: Colorado All State Orchestra

March 7-10, 2018: National ASTA Conference (Atlanta, GA)

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.