Hello KY ASTA Members!
I hope your school year is off to a fantastic start with fresh ideas for teaching and strategies for making a positive impact on your students’ lives through one of the best courses of study – string playing!
This fall has met several of our members with challenges such as the new Program Review for K-12 teachers, budget cuts in many universities affecting scholarships and recruiting efforts, as well as an economy that is impacting some of our private teachers’ studios. These are arduous times. This is why you need ASTA even more than before.
I renew what our past President, Joanna Binford, graciously extended – passionate advocacy – for any and all orchestra programs that exist or would like to be created in the Commonwealth. Please contact me via email to request assistance and I will be more than happy to come to your school, community and advocate for the building or continuation of your program. We’ve all seen the power of the arts for students emotionally as well as intellectually and to have that possible connection severed or weakened just will not do. Together we can not only maintain but create new avenues of opportunities by supporting those members that wish to start a new program.
Best wishes for a successful fall and winter. I look forward to spending time with you over the next two years!
Sincerely,
Laura
May 2010
Happy Spring KY ASTA Members!
If you haven't voted for the slate of officers, please go to the Officer Voting Page and submit your vote today!
We have not received any applications for summer camp scholarship funding, so if you have any students who are attending a summer camp in Kentucky and need financial assistance, please fill out the Summer Camp Scholarship Form.
This will be my last newsletter as your President and am grateful to all of you for your support and willingness to serve our string community. I believe we are all in agreement that there is much to do, but I cannot imagine doing it with a better group of musicians!
All the best,
Joanna Binford
KY ASTA, President
Happy New Year KY ASTA Members!
Our new website is up and running. Please reference it on a weekly basis.
http://www.kyasta.org
I will be sending weekly emails to our membership in preparation for our upcoming
KY ASTA Luncheon - February 5, 2010 at 12pm. (Hyatt Hotel, Louisville)
Reservations can be made via email starting the week of January 11, 2010 and via the website beginning the week of January 18, 2010. The fee is $20 for current members and $25 for non-members. More info regarding meal description will be sent via email as soon as it is available.
In addition, our website and newsletter contains the information needed to nominate our 3 teacher awards:
- Outstanding Teacher Award - a University or Public School teacher
- Studio Teacher Award - a Private Studio teacher
- Distinguished Service Award - an individual or group who has dedicated many years of service to string teaching or to the string industry.
Please email your nominations to either me (jobinford@transy.edu) or Sara Francis (sara.francis@fayette.kyschools.us) by January 29, 2010.
Once again KY ASTA will offer scholarship money to financially needy students to attend summer music camps. Last year we awarded 3 students scholarship monies. The two camps attended were Stephen Foster and Oldham Co. Chamber Music Festival. This year we are offering (5) $100 scholarships to KY students. There are stipulations tied to the money. Please check the website for additional details!
Many thanks to Elizabeth Steva for spearheading conversations with Northern Kentucky University to assist them with coordinationg music instruction in the local schools. The KY ASTA Executive Committee voted to create a new line item ($500) which would support emerging string programs in the state of Kentucky. The name of the project is “Sowing Seeds for Strings.” The Executive Committee decided to focus on northern Kentucky due to NKU’s eagerness to help coordinate string instruction in the public schools. Many thanks to Elizabeth Steva, David Sogin and Dan Boyer for their advice and commitment to this project.
The National ASTA conference is coming up in Santa Clara, CA on February 17-20, 2010. Congratulations to J. Patrick Rafferty (Univ. of Louisville)! He will present “Integrating Orchestral Excerpts into Lessons” at the conference on Wednesday, February 17th. David Takahashi (viola, Lafayette High School, Lexington) will also be attendance. He is Kentucky’s representative to the 2010 National High School Honors Orchestra.
And finally, KY ASTA is going green! We are ceasing publication of our hard copy publication “Vibrations” and dedicating ourselves to timely website updates and monthly membership emails. We anticipate that the money we save on printing and postage can be redirected to the website, with additional savings being appropriated in other areas of the budget.
I look forward to seeing you at our February KY ASTA luncheon.
Cheers!
Joanna Binford
KY ASTA, President