Busy, Busy Month

We have a lot going on this next month!  Below is a list of what is happening when to help keep you informed!

February 4^th is the date to turn in all candy fundraising money as well as any remaining candy you might have left.  It looks like we are going to be able to sell almost all of our candy this year!  We’re super excited about that!  Lisa still has some chocolate covered almonds you can pick up to sell this week.  If you think you can sell more than what you originally picked up you might mention that to Lisa.  It is possible that some of the families won’t be able to sell everything they have and could give you their remaining candy to sell.  Our goal is to sell every last piece of chocolate!

There will be no co-op on February 11^th!  We are taking the day off so that some of our teachers can attend the TMEA conference in San Antonio.  Jeannette Duke wrote an article about the conference that is also included in this newsletter.  Please remember that just because we are taking a break from the co-op doesn’t mean your students should take a break from practicing!

February 16^th is the date for our field trip to the Houston Symphony.  You will be receiving an email with more information in the next few days.  Leslie Hurd is in charge of the field trip so you will need to give your money for the tickets to her.  Money for tickets is due no later than February 4^th!  Its not too early to start thinking about carpooling to the Symphony either!

Saturday, February 19^th is the Federation Festival here in Galveston.  All four of our choirs will be performing as well as some individual students.  You will be receiving information soon about where your students should be at what time, as well as what they should wear to perform.  If you are new to the co-op this semester you might want to talk to your child’s director to see if they want your child to perform.  Most of the songs being performed were learned during the fall semester so your child might not even know the songs being sung at the performance!  An article about the Federation Festival is also included in this newsletter.

T...M...E...What??

TMEA.  Texas Music Educators Association.  Why should we take a day off of co-op so teachers can go to this?  The TMEA convention, which is in San Antonio every year around Valentine's Day, is such a marvelous place to learn more about teaching music.  Every area of music education we cover in our co-op is represented in workshops at the convention. They cover information for choir, band, orchestra, early childhood, elementary, and on up through high school.  In addition to the workshops, the exhibitor's hall is amazing!  There are so many things available to look at--instruments, curricula, sheet music, supplies--as well as very helpful people to learn from in personal discussions.  When teachers are able to go, we are, in a very practical way, living out our mission statement of providing quality education in the performing arts.  Most of us do not have degrees in music, but we can still learn and grow from continuing education.  Most of us also do not have degrees in education, but that hasn't stopped us from homeschooling our kids!  When has not knowing what we are doing every stopped us from trying--and with God's help, accomplishing--some amazing things?

Written by Jeannette Duke, who plans on attending the TMEA conference this year

What is the Federation Festival we keep hearing about?

This year's Federation Festival will be held on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2011 at Moody Memorial Methodist Church.  Here's a little background information on the festival: It's name "Federation" refers to the sponsoring group, the National Federation of Music Clubs, of which the Galveston Musical Club is one federated member club.  Federation Festivals are held all over the country and are governed by rules published every 3 years in the NFMC Bulletin.  Students may participate in any number of events, including just about every instrument, voice and choir.  The Galveston Federation Festival is host every year to about 250 students from all over the Galveston area, registered by about 15 teachers.  Most of these are piano students and violin students, but we also have a few wind and percussion students (almost all of whom are GHPAC students) as well as guitar and voice students.
 
The students who participate in the Federation Festival perform 2 musical selections, one from the required list and the other a piece chosen by teacher/student.  The students do not compete with each other; rather, they perform for a judge who gives them a rating on a scale of 1 to 5 points.  A "5" rating is also called "Superior"; a student can get either a Superior Minus, a Superior, or a Superior Plus.  Once a student has accumulated 15 points (usually taking 3 years), they earn a Gold Cup trophy (thus, the festival was once called the "Gold Cup" Festival).

Our GHPAC students have been participating in the Federation Festival for about 6 years now. We have been happy to offer this opportunity to our students because of the noticeably positive effect it has.  Typically, students who prepare for the FF focus more on studying their instrument, and the improvement in their playing in our GHPAC bands and string ensemble is significant. This year for the first time, all 4 of our GHPAC choirs will also be participating in the Festival! For further information on the Federation Festival, ask any of the following teachers who sponsor students at the festival:  Becky Eldridge, Jeannette Duke and June Pulliam.

Written by June Pulliam, Chairperson of the Federation Festival