Directors' Chorus!

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:38:10 -0400

This year there is a Directors' Chorus at the Conference during All-State. All are welcome, both instrumental and vocal educators!! Rehearsals are usually Friday 8-9:30 and 2:35-3:35 with a concert that night. I am extremely excited and love the program!

The conductor is Tony Thornton from Amherst. He will also be doing a HS reading session and a 2 part conducting session! Check out his extensive bio.

http://www.tonythornton.com/tonythornton.com/Biography.html

Here is the program:
Your Voices Tune from Alexander's Feast (Handel)
Ave Verum Corpus (Mozart)
Kyrie from the Nelsonmesse (Haydn)
Afternoon on a Hill (Eric Barnum)
Take Me to the Water (arr. Rollo Dilworth)

This is what I need by Friday, April 6th or sooner!!

Elections

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 12:52:00 -0500

Candidates:

President

Pamela Kinsey received a Bachelor of Music Education with an Instrumental Emphasis on Flute from the School of Music at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. After teaching in Ohio, Mrs. Kinsey moved to Fort Fairfield with her husband Kevin. She has been the Music Director for the Easton School Department since 1988. Mrs. Kinsey teaches General Music, Vocal and Instrumental Music Grades K-12 and still resides in Fort Fairfield with her family. Mrs. Kinsey has served as Chair for District VII on two different occasions, has been a guest conductor in District VI and has served as Manager on several occasions for both Middle School and High School All Aroostook Band and Chorus Groups over the years. Currently, she is serving as Secretary for MMEA, a position held for the last 6 years. Mrs. Kinsey also plays as often as she can, actively participating in the UMPI Community Band, the Northern Maine Chamber Society and in Director’s groups as opportunities present themselves.
“One important aspect of my tenure as President, should I be elected, will be to continue working with the Maine Arts Assessment Initiative to help keep Maine’s Music Educators on a path to be ahead of state mandates in the area of standardized graduation requirements. I will do my very best to represent Maine well at Regional and National events and keep Maine Music Educators apprised of current information to help us all be the very best we can at what we do—share and teach the love and joy of music with and to our students.”

Band VP

Benjamin Potvin, native of Fort Kent, was an All-State principal clarinetist in high school. He graduated from University of Southern Maine School of Music, with a Bachelors and Masters in Music Education. Mr. Potvin has taught in the public schools for six years: K-12 music in Ashland, ME and middle/high school instrumental music in Woodstock, VT. In Vermont, he was active at the district level, acting as the District VI Secretary and Concert Band manager. At the state and regional level, Mr. Potvin hosted the 2009 VMEA State Conference and also served on the Band Committee for the New England Music Festival Association (NEMFA). In 2010, Mr. Potvin was selected as The Outstanding New Music Educator for the state of Vermont. Mr. Potvin is currently in his first year at Kennebunk High School as a part-time instrumental music teacher. Mr. Potvin is the acting Band Vice President for MMEA and is also the director of the Southern Maine Music Academy (SoMMA) on the USM campus during the summer.
Christopher White is in his 20th year teaching at the University of Maine where he directs the Screamin' Black Bear Pep Band, Pride of Maine Black Bear Marching Band, and the University of Maine Symphonic Band. Prior to directing the symphonic band, he directed the University of Maine Concert Band for 18 years. In addition to those positions he also has taught beginning conducting and percussion methods. White is active as a guest conductor and clinician and has worked as a research assistant in the " Teaching Music Through Performance in Band" series published by GIA. He has also worked at Maine Summer Youth Music since 1991 and is currently the camp director and camp symphonic band director. He wishes to serve the state's music educators and share his knowledge and experience to further band activities in the state of Maine.

Choral VP

Dennis Boyd Jr has been the director of Choirs grades 7-12 at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School and Oxford Hills Middle School since the fall of 2009. In addition to being a member of MMEA, Dennis is an active member in ACDA, attending National and REgional Conferences. Dennis has also managed the MMEA District 2 Honors Choir for 2011 & 2012. Next year Dennis will be the Co-Coordinator of the Vocal Festival for District 2.
Virgil Bozeman earned his Master of Music (Choral Music) from University of Illinois, 1999 and his Bachelor of Arts (Music Literature and Perf.) from Northeastern University 1998. He has been Choral Music Teacher at Richmond Middle/High School (RSU 2) since 2000. Bozeman is the Choir Director at South Parish Congregational Church, UCC a post he has held since 2003 and is the Director of the Greater Freeport Community Chorus since 2005. Bozeman also conducted the 2008 New Hampshire MEA Lakes Region Middle School Honors Chorus. He has been chair of MMEA District III since 2009.

Jazz VP

Jennifer Witherell-Stebbins is the Director of Bands and Art Department Co-Chair at Thornton Academy in District 1. She has 16 years experience teaching High School in Maine and over 25 years experience teaching. She has participated in Jazz All-State, BOC All-State, MBDA Concert Band and Jazz Band Festivals, District 1 Honors Festival as Auditions Co-Chair and Host, District 1 High School Jazz Festival, MMEA State High School Band Jazz Festival and has participated in the Berklee Jazz Festival for the past 12 years. She is currently a Master's Candidate in Music Education at the University of Southern Maine.
Kris Vigue has been a music teacher in Millinocket for the past 12 years. She has taught grades 5-12 band and jazz band for the past 9 years, but has also taught high school chorus, show choir and middle school jazz band. Kris is currently the District V secretary and Jazz All-State Auditions Chair. She has also held the positions of Vocal Jazz Chair and District V Chair in the past. Kris, along with fellow teachers and a legion of volunteers, has hosted numerous district jazz festivals over the years as well as High School Instrumental Jazz State Festival and the Middle School Instrumental Jazz State Festival.

General Music PK-5 VP

Nancy Cash-Cobb teaches General Music in Windham. She has been a member of the Maine Music Educators Association Executive Board for over 30 years in roles such as President, All-State Auditions Chairperson and District Solo and Ensemble Chair. Her main interest and passion is for promoting music teacher education in the State of Maine. In her role as the MMEA Conference Coordinator she has organized many MMEA state conferences. “Every day of teaching is an adventure!”
Catherine Newell is a 2007 graduate of University of Maine with a Bachelor's of Instrumental Music Education. She has taught for five years in Maine schools and currently teaches Pre-Kindergarten through Grade Five General Music, as well as Fifth Grade Band in Litchfield as part of RSU #4. In July of 2011 she received her certificate in Kodaly Methodology from The Kodaly Music Institute at New England Conservatory.
Eugenie O'Connell teaches choral and general music to grades Kindergarten through Grade Eight at Boothbay Region Elementary School. Prior to teaching in Maine she taught in Ireland and England. O'Connell is a Past President and Newsletter Editor of the Maine ACDA and currently serves as the Children's Choir Festival Host. O'Connell is active in MMEA District III where she has hosted many Honors Festivals, managed several Honors Choirs, and adjudicated for auditions. O'Connell is proud to be a recipient of the District III Music Educator of the Year Award. In addition to teaching, she serves as the Minister of Music at the Boothbay Harbor Congregational Church where she is the organist, choir director, and concert producer. O'Connell feels that general music classes are the means not only to building strong musicians but in equipping all students
with the ability to appreciate and participate in music throughout their lives.

General Music 6-12 VP

Dr. Laura Artesani is an Assistant Professor at the University of Maine, where she teaches music education courses (including Elementary and Secondary General Music Methods) and music history courses. She has served on the MMEA Executive Board in various capacities since 2006, and is the advisor for the NAfME chapter at the University of Maine. Articles that she has written or co-authored have appeared in The Journal of Music Teacher Education, The Orff Echo, and General Music Today. She has completed Levels I-III of Orff-Schulwerk Teacher Training, and has been the recipient of a research grant from the American Orff Schulwerk Association.

Secretary

John Rimkunas teaches General Music and Chorus K-5. He earned a B.S. in Music Education from USM, and a M.M. in Choral Conducting from U Maine, as well as Level I, II and III Kodaly certification from the Hartt School of Music. He is the former director of the Lyric Choir for the Boy Singers of Maine, and is currently the director of The Gorham Community Chorus. John has been teaching music in the public schools for over 25 years, first in Sanford, then in M.S.A.D. #6 and now at Skillin and Brown Schools in South Portland. John has been an active member of MMEA since his undergrad years (almost 30 years now!) and for the past decade has been serving as an All State Vocal Judge.

Conference Proposals Due

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 11:32:46 -0500

Proposals for the 2012 MMEA In-Service Conference are due November 15. You can find the proposal form on the In-Service Conference page (under state events). If you have suggestions for clinicians, contact the appropriate VP or Nancy Cash-CObb, Conference Chair.

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