From President Rebecca Jonas

It’s hard to believe that October is here. Countless hours and long, long days have made the weeks fly by. It’s easy to get caught up in the ‘busy work” of the school year. We have lots of demands placed upon us by parents, students, colleagues, and administration. And for many of us, the only way that we can make it to the end of the day is to put in excessive hours of work, or choose what doesn’t get done. How do we do it all? How can we get through our days knowing that we have done the best for our students, and created something worthy of our name, reputation, and our pride?

Let’s focus on people, not lists. Focus on building relationships. Within our studios, our buildings, our organization, and our communities. Let’s work together to try and tune out the noise--the latest educational jargons, demands, acronyms, policies…and focus on each other.

Let’s take time to make sure that we are building quality relationships with our students. Maybe not worry on plowing through the book quite so fast, not try to play as many concerts, or program the hardest repertoire we can. Let’s focus on teaching our students where they are, what they need to learn, and on teaching the whole child, not just their left and right hands.

Let’s work hard to build relationships throughout our buildings. Invite colleagues and administrators into our rooms to observe and participate in meaningful ways (any maybe start to understand the monumental jobs we have). Instead of gritting our teeth, muttering something under our breath, and shaking our heads at the next ridiculous demand placed on us…let’s try to initiate a dialogue that includes realistic expectations, student centered learning, and a respect for the tradition of our profession, and for our education, learning, and dedication to our craft.

And, let’s help each other. Many of us our islands. In our studios, our schools, our neighborhoods, our friend groups. Reach out to make social time for a nearby colleague. Schedule a time to observe some good teaching. Offer to assist a new teacher. Ask for assistance to help your students grow.

We are a great organization with a strong and diverse membership. Let’s celebrate our strengths, and work hard to support each other, and the future of our organization, and our profession. I look forward to seeing many of you in the coming weeks, and hope that I’ll see A LOT of you at the next General Meeting, November 5th at Western States.

Happy October!

Come to the Next Colorado ASTA General Membership Meeting on Saturday, November 5th in Conjunction with WSHOF

Congratulations to all the students who were chosen for the 2016 Western States Honor Orchestra Festival, which will take place at the Union Colony Civic Center in Greeley November 3-5. There will be a Colorado ASTA General Membership meeting on Saturday, November 10th at 10:00am in the Green Room. Please consider joining us, whether you're chaperoning students all weekend or simply want to come for the day. General membership meetings are a great way to stay informed about the latest happenings in Colorado ASTA and to make your voice heard.

Register for the 2017 CMEA Clinic/Conference: January 25-28, 2017

The Colorado ASTA board is gearing up for a great 2017 CMEA Clinic/Conference! The conference will take place January 25-28, 2017 at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, and registration is now open on the CMEA website. 

This year's conference will feature string sessions by headliners Robert Gillespie and Christian Howes. Local presenters include David Saccardi and Daniel Smith, whose session will detail strategies for building a strong feeder program; Alison Mayes, who will present on warm-ups; and Jessica Chen and Codi Ng, who have a session titled "String Players As Athletes." Of course, other highlights will include the New Music Reading Session for string orchestra and our Colorado ASTA General Membership Meeting. A more detailed schedule of string sessions will be available soon on the Colorado ASTA website. 

This year's performing groups include: Bell Middle School (Barbara Casanova, Director), Lesher Middle School (Loni Obluda, Director), Coronado High School (Paul Jacobson, Director), Highlands Ranch High School (Ryan Woodworth and Kevin Larsen, Directors), Silver Creek High School (Paul Trapkus, Director), Colorado Christian University (Dr. Richard Niezen, Director), and the University of Northern Colorado (Dr. Russell Guyver, Director).

National ASTA Conference: March 1-4, 2017 in Pittsburgh, PA

The 2017 National ASTA Conference will take place March 1-4 in Pittsburgh, PA. Please visit the National ASTA website for more information. We hope to see a large number of string teachers from Colorado in attendance. The Cherokee Trail High School orchestra, under the direction of Kyle Rupley, will be performing at the National Orchestra Festival, and Colorado ASTA President Rebecca Jonas will be presenting a session, just to name a few highlights. Teachers in their first five years of teaching can apply for a conference scholarship here. If you're going to the national conference and would like help finding a roommate, click on and complete this survey: National Conference Roommate Questionnaire

Recap of September Colorado ASTA Board Meeting

The September Colorado ASTA board meeting was focused on recapping the 2016 Summer Conference and discussing some preparations for CMEA. We also discussed the desire to get more Colorado ASTA members involved on the board, committees, and in various outreach projects. National ASTA is starting a mentorship program that pairs new teachers with more experienced teachers, and we are looking to help teachers in Colorado network with each other. We're also hoping to host some day-long professional development workshops throughout the year (if you have a great idea for a topic you'd like covered, let us know!) and to continue our outreach with student chapters at local universities. As always, if you have any questions or ideas you'd like to share with the Colorado ASTA board, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Arapahoe Philharmonic to Sponsor Play-In For High School Students in Arapahoe and Douglas Counties on October 23

This Play-In with the Arapahoe Phil is a full orchestra experience combining high school students, community adult players and members of the Arapahoe Philharmonic! Please see the Arapahoe Phil website and/or this flyer and letter for more information. 

Who: Open to all Douglas and Arapahoe County high school students (up to 30 from each county) in grades 9 through 12, as well as avocational adult players from the community.

When: Sunday, October 23, 2016, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Where: Chaparral High School, 15655 Brookstone Drive, Parker, CO 80134

Why: An opportunity to mix students, adults and the Arapahoe Phil for a day full of rehearsals and a free performance for families and friends!

Cost: $5 per participant

Deadline: Monday, October 10, 2016, but don’t wait--limited space is available on stage! The number of players is limited by instrumentation and space on stage, and is determined by registration order within each instrument group.

How: Apply online here. No audition necessary

Repertoire:

Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor, first movement
Jean Sibelius: Finlandia

Repertoire must be completely prepared by participants before October 23. Please do not apply if you cannot commit to being musically prepared before noon sectionals.

Questions?

Call Gail Sindelar at 303-229-2578

MSU Denver to Host Second Annual EOP Competition November 5-6

MSU Denver will host its second annual EOP String Competition on November 5 and 6. The competition is open to all violin, viola, cello, and bass students between the ages of 7-18. Winners from the three divisions will each receive a cash prize and the opportunity to perform on a winners recital on Sunday, November 6th. Please see this flyer for more information.

I am thrilled to have this opportunity to invite young string players onto the beautiful Auraria Campus in downtown Denver and to perform in the spectacular spaces in our performing arts building, the King Center. Students are invited to attend and participate in masterclasses with the MSU's prestigious string faculty, attend a faculty recital, participate in workshops throughout the weekend, and possibly participate in the winners recital. All performances and masterclasses are open to the public. 

I hope your string students will apply! Visit the competition website for more detailed information and to apply: www.eopcompetition.com. 

Thank you!

Dr. Emily Ondracek-Peterson

Asst Professor of Violin and Director of String Studies, MSU Denver

630-292-6182

strings@msudenver.edu 

Upcoming Events and Important Dates

October 8-9, 2016: Winifred Crock Workshop

October 17, 2016: Fort Lewis Honors String Orchestra Festival

October 23, 2016: Arapahoe Philharmonic Play-In

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

November 5, 2016: Colorado ASTA General Membership Meeting @ WSHOF

November 5-6, 2016: MSU Denver EOP Competition

January 25-28, 2017: CMEA Clinic/Conference

February 9-11, 2017: Colorado All State Orchestra

March 1-4, 2017: National ASTA Conference in Pittsburgh

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.