WSMA State Music Conference 2009

Every year I try to attend the WMEA Wisconsin State Music Conference in Madison, WI the last week in October.  It's a conference of music educators, by music educators, and for music educators dedicated (with my apologies to Abraham Lincoln for slaughtering his Gettysburg Address) to the proposition that all students should be taught music so that music education will not perish from the earth.  I always come away from the conference totally pumped to be a music teacher and to keep teaching my high school students more and more about God's marvelous gift of music.  This year was no exception!

My two days looked like this:

Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009
8:00 am - 8:40 am UW River Falls Concert Choir
10:00 am - 11:15 am Dalcroze Eurhrythmics for Choir
Lunch & Exhibits
2:45 pm - 4:00 PM Vocal Jazz Improvisation
8:00 pm WSMA High School State Honors Treble & Mixed Choir Concert

Friday, Oct. 30, 2009
8:30 am - 9:10 am Carthage College Choir
10:00 am - 11:15 am GarageBand not GarbageBand
11:30 am - 12:30 pm WSMA High School State Honors Jazz Ensemble Concert
1:00 pm - 2:15 pm Web 2.0: Let's Communicate with Blogs, Wikis, Ning, Twitter and More
2:45 pm - 4:00 pm Starting a Guitar Class from Scratch

My highlights?

• Seeing how every motion in Dalcroze has an application to line and phrase and pitch and expression!
• Seeing so many WELS high school and grade school choir and band directors!
• Great food, fun, and fellowship with good friends!
• Feeling professional, like I was a part of all the discussions, and on the right track!
• Not being afraid to scat or improv in front of about 60 music teachers!
• Getting countless choral programming ideas from all the concerts!
• Meeting someone just as excited about music technology as me–Carol Broos!
• Getting validation that teaching guitar is a necessary lifelong musical activity!