The summertime academic break is essential for the health and wellness of every music educator. Hopefully you are enjoying a little TIME OFF and an emotional and intellectual break and release from thinking about your professional responsibilities and anything about school!
Europeans swear that it takes no fewer than three weeks of what we would call an extended vacation. They say we need that much time to totally unwind, de-stress, rest, and, if necessary, lick our wounds and even “heal ourselves!” Summer should allow us to focus on family, friends, and leisure activities FIRST – to re-adjust our “work/life balance.” After an appropriate interval, then we can get ready to re-charge and re-energize, to recommit emphasis on new music program goals and professional development.
If you are fortunate enough to live in Pennsylvania and be a member of the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA), I have a wonderful “crosswalk” solution to accomplishing this REBOOT – a combined “refresh and re-invest” makeover – to first get out of dodge for a change in scenery and then take care of your own social-emotional learning to come back to school raring to go! It’s simple! Sign-up to participate in the 2022 PMEA Summer Conference to be held in-person at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel in Reading, PA on July 18-19, 2022.
Here’s the link to registration and detailed schedule: https://www.pmea.net/pmea-summer-conference/.
Once again, PMEA is “crushing COVID” and returning to some level of normalcy to offer a face-to-face summer conference of many “awesome” professional development venues – everything from hands-on music reading, member “sharing” sessions, clinics on advocacy, band, choral, classroom music, community ensembles, conducting, curriculum writing, gender identity, health/wellness, mentor training, Modern Band, music technology, recruitment, strings, and so much more!
Check out this summary of wonderful workshops:
Approximately Nine (9) hours of Act 48 credit will be available.
This year’s event will include keynote speakers Suzanne Hall and Rollo Dilworth from Temple University as well as NAfME President and PA’s very-own super-star Scott Sheehan.
Feeling a little charitable, altruistic, or eleemosynary? (Great word – look it up!) On Tuesday, July 19, there will be a “Give-Back to the Community” event: PMEA’s Second Annual Day of Service at Goggle Works.
Now, what about that EXTRA FUN part? Well, you can turn your conference into a family vacation by just arriving a little early and/or leaving a little later.
First, how about attending a Minor League baseball game? PMEA acquired tickets to the Reading Fightin’ Phils vs. New Hampshire Fisher Cats contest on Sunday, July 17 at 5:15 p.m. at the FirstEnergy Stadium.
Next, there are a lot of terrific family-fun things-to-do in Reading, PA and the surroundings… (Special thanks to https://uncoveringpa.com/things-to-do-in-reading-pa for this “awesome” travel resource!)
Berks County, a combination of rich farm country, industry, beautiful parks, lots of entertainment, and top-notch educational institutions, is home to one of Pennsylvania’s largest cities, Reading, as well as many small communities that offer a lot of history and natural beauty. For PMEA members going to the Summer Conference, it is the perfect opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of family-friendly attractions, recreation pursuits, touring of the landscape scenery, and other day trips. If you were to visit the area before and/or after the conference, here are at least 18 places-to-go before returning home:
- Reading Pagoda, Mount Penn https://uncoveringpa.com/reading-pagoda
- Nolde Forest, 600-acres and miles of hiking trails https://uncoveringpa.com/nolde-forest
- Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, scenic overlooks, hiking trails, bird-watching https://www.hawkmountain.org/
- Daniel Boone Homestead, birthplace of the frontiersman https://uncoveringpa.com/daniel-boone-homestead
- Goggle Works, former factory, art galleries (site of the PMEA Service Project) https://goggleworks.org/
- Covered Bridges, at least five of them close to Reading https://uncoveringpa.com/covered-bridges-berks-county-pa
- Reading Railroad Museum, railroad memorabilia https://uncoveringpa.com/reading-railroad-heritage-museum
- Neversink Mountain, miles of hiking trails (including City Overlook and Witches Hat) https://berksnature.org/trails/
- Mid-Atlantic Air Museum, WWII history, artifacts, and tours https://uncoveringpa.com/mid-atlantic-air-museum-reading
- Chatty Monks Brewing, restaurant/craft brewery https://uncoveringpa.com/chatty-monks-brewing-west-reading
- Blue Marsh Lake, swimming, fishing, boating https://www.nap.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Blue-Marsh-Lake/
- Berks County Heritage Center, museums and trails http://www.co.berks.pa.us/dept/parks/pages/heritagecenter.aspx
- Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles, antique autos https://uncoveringpa.com/boyertown-museum-of-historic-vehicles
- Crystal Cave, first “show cave” located near Kutztown https://uncoveringpa.com/exploring-crystal-cave
- Reading Public Museum, exhibits, paintings, geology, planetarium https://uncoveringpa.com/reading-public-museum
- Hopewell Furnace Historic Site, iron furnace https://uncoveringpa.com/visiting-hopewell-furnace-national-historic-site
- Golden Age Air Museum, WWI planes http://www.goldenageair.org/
- Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center, Kutztown University https://www.kutztown.edu/about-ku/administrative-offices/pennsylvania-german-cultural-heritage-center.html
Finally, if you need any additional urging, here’s our new PMEA State President Scott Cullen with his invitation for you to join us at the Summer Conference: https://fb.watch/dYrKOvAHkG/.
The deadline for hotel registration is fast approaching! The discounted block of rooms at the Reading Doubletree will close out at the end of the day on Friday, July 1.
See you in Reading, PA!
PKF
© 2022 Paul K. Fox
Once the COVID-19 emergency was declared and universally all schools and outside activities were cancelled (for who knows how long?), the 37th spring season of my community youth (of all ages) orchestra was also “clobbered!” Up to this time, the Western PA-based South Hills Junior Orchestra (SHJO) regularly met on Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the school from where I retired: Upper St. Clair High School.
13 years ago, I first learned about an ancient tradition for passing on personal values, beliefs, blessings, and advice to future generations called an “ethical will.” At a subconscious level, I must remember the custom, because when my father was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1990, I asked him to write a letter about the things that he valued. About a month before he died, my dad gave me two hand-written pages in which he spoke about the importance of being honest, getting a good education, helping people in need, and always remaining loyal to family. That letter – his ethical will – meant more to me than any material possession he could have bequeathed.
Support the people and causes that are important to you.
Directing the South Hills Junior Orchestra (non-salaried sharing of my teaching)
The annual PMEA Spring Conference will be held on April 19-22, 2017 at the Erie Bayfront Convention Center. These sessions may be “perfect for PCMEA!”
First things first! Prepare yourself in advance. Grab your winter or spring issue of PMEA News. Review the program of sessions which is usually laid out in chronological order and also by content strands (e.g. advocacy, choral, classroom music, collegiate, curriculum development/assessment, higher education research, instrumental, music technology, World Music, and special interest topics), as well as the list of keynote speakers, guest clinicians, showcase (music industry) demonstrations, association meetings (like PCMEA), and performances. Using an “old-fashioned” 20th century tool, mark up the conference schedule with two different colors of highlighter marking pens, first targeting “high interest” areas in yellow, and then “must attend” events in hot pink or other favorite color.
DON’T focus exclusively on attending sessions or concerts in your specialty or most proficient areas, such as band if you’re a woodwind, brass or percussion major, orchestra if you are a string player, general music/choral if you are a vocalist or pianist. DO go to sessions that are not directly related to your major. You might be surprised at the connections you discover or the new interests that arise. Imagine “they” want to hire you next year as the next middle school jazz coach, HS marching band show designer, choreographer for the elementary musical, conductor of the string orchestra, teacher of AP music theory, etc. Could you select music for an elementary band (or choral) concert, create a bulletin board display for a middle school general music unit, set-up a composition project, or lead folk dancing at the kindergarten level?
DON’T be shy! A conference is no place for being timid or afraid to start up a discussion with a more experienced music teacher. PMEA is all about circulating and introducing yourself, exhibiting your “charming self,” exploring resources and who are the experts/leaders in music education, getting the “lay of the land,” and adding as many names and emails to your professional contact data base as possible. Of course, DO follow-up with anyone who suggests that there may be a future employment posting from their school district!
elf and ask a thoughtful question on some issue about which you are curious or found interesting.
Music is one of life’s greatest treasures! 
Your joy of creative self-expression and “making music” will sustain you through almost anything… and will transfer to your students’ success in life.
r mistakes (and there will be many) will be forgiven. Besides, there are usually no “single right answers” in music and art – only opportunities for divergent and flexible thinking, adaptability, and personal expression.
Music For All: 
someone else, or sing solos at a local nursing home or senior center.
Spend a lot of time sight-reading… especially on the piano. To take your ear-training training a step further, pull out your old folk-song sight-reading series or Hindemith’s Elementary Training for Musicians and practice musicianship exercises.
Do you have a business card, e-portfolio, resume, and professional website?
Merriam-Webster defines “networking” (noun) as “the exchange of information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions; the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business.”
During the 17th century, especially during the reign of Louis the 14th, the “calling card” made its heyday in Europe. “…An individual’s success or failure in society often depended on the strength of their personal promotion.”
informing customers of its location and services available.
It gives others a taste of your work, style and personality.
display… traits of artistry, collaboration, commitment, discipline, even temperament, goal-minded, initiative, leadership, mastery of music and music education, organization, positive outlook, style, tact, and/or teamwork… or just the opposite?
a new full-time job!
first ten seconds, and after four minutes, it’s all over. For employment consideration, others have written that you are evaluated by 7% what you say, 38% by your vocal tone, and 55% by your facial expressions.
After the opportunity presents itself to exchange business cards, you need to save and organize his/her data in a way to be able to place/find the acquaintance for future reference. Why was this professional important to you to remember his or her name? How, when, and where did you meet? Reference the subjects you may have discussed, school affiliation, title, and locality of the contact, so at some point, you can lay your fingers on the name in your file; just search on the “key” word or phrase like “choral director” or “XYZ School District.”
Plan your first impression
paulfox.blog 