From President Rebecca Jonas

Welcome to the busiest time of the year! I hope that in the midst of the rehearsals, concerts, gigs, parties, school events, shopping, traveling, and all else that comes with December, you’re able to find some peace and relaxing time with your friends and family. It can be challenging to juggle our work responsibilities this time of year, but I encourage you to do your best to take back the holidays, and celebrate them in the way you want. And make yourself and your loved ones a priority. Be safe, and be merry!

It was great to be at Western States Honor Orchestra last month as a music teacher, ASTA member, and parent. I tried to look at the event through several lenses, and was moved by everything I saw and experienced. I enjoyed an early meeting with dedicated music educators who are excited to continue and develop our tradition of the CASTA Orchestra Festival. I had a great time at our General Membership meeting, seeing familiar faces, meeting new colleagues, and was so moved at the number of people who stepped forward with great ideas, and with interest in volunteering for our organization. I watched kids working hard in rehearsal, goofing around in the lobby, running to and from lunch, and saw them perform a wonderful concert. And, as I watched, I was thinking, “These are my people.” The quirky young orchadorks, who spend their school days, quiet, in the background of most of their classes, but who come alive when they walk in their Orchestra Room every day. The strong young leaders who push themselves to excel in everything they do, scoring high in their classes, participating in student government and after school activities, and turning to music for balance, and relaxation. The Orchestra teachers in the huge programs that teach hundreds of students each year, with several top notch orchestras that we look forward to hearing in concert and at festival, the one man/woman program who somehow juggles Band/Orchestra, or Orchestra/Choir, or some variation of that. The private teachers who spend countless hours putting in extra prep for auditions and recitals. The college faculty who work hard to help one group grow into the other…This is what I’m thankful for. Finding my people, my place, with each of my students, with each of you, and with the musical opportunities that bring us together.

Updates on Colorado ASTA Board

Colorado ASTA would like to thank Fred Jewell for many years of service on the CASTA board. Fred spent much of his career involved with ASTA leadership, serving as Newsletter Editor, coordinating new music reading sessions, hosting events such as the Large Group Festival, and most recently, working as Denver Area Representative. Fred recently stepped down from the board. If you see him, please take a moment to thank him for his incredible contributions to the organization. Rob Stahly (previously Northern Area Representative) will be the new Denver Area Representative, and Leanne Griffey is the new Northern Area Representative. Annie Savage (previously Denver Area Representative) has stepped into a new role as Alternative Strings Liaison. Dr. Enrique Lasansky will become our second Denver Area Representative. Colorado ASTA would still like to find ways for YOU to get involved. If you're interested in serving on the board, helping with a committee, or sharing your talents in another way, please contact Colorado ASTA President Rebecca Jonas (rebajonas@gmail.com).

Colorado ASTA is Seeking a Secretary

Our fabulous secretary, Lindsay Hayes, is coming to the end of her term. We are seeking interested members to run for CASTA Secretary. Responsibilities include attending monthly(ish) board meetings, general meetings, and assisting at Summer Conference and CMEA. Please email Rebecca (rebajonas@gmail.com) or Hannah (hsmith26@cherrycreekschools.org) with questions, or to let us know you’re interested. We’d like to know all interested parties by 12/15, so that we can vote and elect a new secretary at the General Meeting at CMEA.

Fundraising Opportunities

Colorado ASTA now has two EASY fundraisers available for us to use! Amazon Smile is a great place to make your Amazon purchases while earning a rebate back to our organization. You can also send our own shopping link (copy and paste: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/84-6049603) to your friends and family and ask them to use it as well. Are you planning on purchasing a gift card for a friend or family member for the holidays? Or do you have a store that you shop at frequently? You should consider using Shop With Scrip! With the Scrip program, Colorado ASTA will earn a rebate on purchases from HUNDREDS of retailers! Many of their gift cards are reloadable, so you can use them for recurring expenses like gas, groceries, back-to-school shopping, and more! Here are the retailers to shop from: https://www.shopwithscrip.com/featured-scrip-retailers. Follow this link to purchase, https://shop.shopwithscrip.com/ and use our enrollment number: 54585C635446L.

A huge goal that Rebecca and I both share for Colorado ASTA is to start a scholarship fund for our state's collegiate chapters and also for string teachers within their first several years on the job. These are precisely the Colorado ASTA members that should be taking up these kinds of professionally developmental opportunities like the National ASTA Conference. Please join us in this effort, as we begin to accumulate funds for the interest of our members.

Thank you!

Alison Mayes, President-Elect

Coming November 2017: String-Specific Professional Development at WSHOF

We’re so glad to welcome you all to UNC each November for WSHOF and the ASTA meeting. While so many string folks are in one place, we would like to offer some string teaching rejuvenation. We’d like to plan one, or possibly two, professional development sessions to occur during WSHOF so that we string teachers can take advantage of being all together, and use the time to learn from one another. In an effort to make sure the sessions are practical for you, please submit requests/ideas for your most desired topics and presenters. We will use the coming year to plan a couple sessions and publicize them before WSHOF next year. (UNC course credit will be available for a fee. Details forthcoming.) Please contact Lindsay Fulcher (Lindsay.Fulcher@unco.edu) with your requests and ideas. We look forward to seeing you back at UNC in November 2017!

CASTA Large Group Orchestra Festival Committee Meeting

After getting together at Western States Honor Orchestra last month, a group of committed volunteers is getting together to talk about and and work on this year’s Festival, and brainstorm about future festivals. Please email Rebecca (rebajonas@gmail.com) if you’re interested in working on this committee.

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. Our next general membership meeting will take place during CMEA on Friday, January 27th at 9:00am. We hope to see you there!

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

Metropolitan Denver Honors Orchestra Now Accepting Auditions

MSU Denver will host the second annual Metropolitan Denver Honors Orchestra March 10-11, 2017 at the King Center. The Metropolitan Denver Honors Orchestra is an opportunity for the best high school musicians in the Denver area to come together to make music at the highest level. String, woodwind, brass, and percussion students will join with friends old and new not only to perform an orchestral concert in a beautiful concert hall, but to learn from top professional musicians in masterclasses and sectionals. Auditioning for Colorado All-State Orchestra? Your audition excerpts are accepted for the MDHO and can be submitted to our website (www.denverhonorsorchestra.com) or via an e-mail sent to orchestras@msudenver.edu. Alternately, students may submit a truncated audition with just one scale and one excerpt from the All State lists. Applications are due February 1st. There is no fee to apply, and the participation fee is $50. We have a limited number of scholarships available to students with teacher recommendations Questions? Send inquiries to Dr. Brandon Matthews, Director of Orchestras, at bmatthe8@msudenver.edu. Or, visit our website at www.denverhonororchestra.com.

Plan a Trip with a String Specialist as Your Guide

Greetings Fellow CASTA Members,

Do your plans include travel this year or next? Contact America International Travel and Tours, and speak with Jim or Doug Dalton. Let them know you would like for Michelle Ewer to be your travel guide. No one knows Disney better than I. My experience in traveling with Strings will set your mind at ease. I would love to be your host. Call American International at 303-874-7137.

Michelle Ewer

Former CASTA President

Former CMEA President

CMEA Hall of Fame

Upcoming Events and Important Dates

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)

March 10-11, 2017: Metropolitan Denver Honors Orchestra

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.