Membership deadline is now closed. There are 28 members. 2 student auxiliaries. We received 2 new teachers – Florence Graham and Ralph Neumann. (Heidi Buhler, Lisa Bolt and Margit Moldovan are no longer Abbotsford members)
Jean read to us an email from a teacher who is part of the Naniamo branch. She has written some books called 'Creative Piano Skills.' Please check online for these books if you are interested.
From the executive meeting: Kathleen would like to budget $100 from the branch finances for one executive dinner meeting and one executive coffee meeting. Branch agreed.
Our branch is considering having a workshop in January 2018 with Michele Wheatley-Brown. Please look up her website at www.mindbodymusic.ca if you are interested in who she is.
We won't be having a spring 2017 workshop. If you are interested in a workshop, please look at the Christopher Norton workshop, held in Chilliwack April 21 and 22, 2017. Purchase tickets online.
Kathleen will refund the first 6 people to purchase tickets – with the agreement that those people will give the branch an update on the conference. Please send Kathleen your ticket receipt via email after that weekend, for refund.
April meeting: festival boxes and prep
We won't have a branch meeting on Friday, May 5th. This is our last day of festival, finishing with the play offs at 2 pm.
May 26th year end luncheon at 12 pm (combining May and June meetings) Cassi is in charge of finding a restaurant with a separate room for this meeting. Thanks!
CMW recital:
- If Joel Feenstra is the sound technician, he will be paid $200
- Kahoots game could include composition questions and Canadian history questions. It was also suggested that there could be music listening questions, which students are activily studying in their new theory books
- We will take an offering for donations (possibly right after the game?)
-We don't think a new committee needs to be formed for CMW. If everyone does what they did last year, everything should be covered. Beth, Caitlyn, Celeste-tina, Jean, Kathleen, Joel.... - Celeste-tina will be our MC again
- Posters need to be made
- Joyce is collecting student and teacher compositions!! The deadline is June 1, 2017 to submit pieces! Very neat handwriting of compositions will be accepted. Otherwise, you can use computer software. Some free options are: Finale program or MuseScore. Please send to Joyce Janzen.
- It was suggested that we also have artwork included in our composition booklet. Students can do photography, drawings, paintings etc. which incorporate anything Canadian. We hope there would be one picture for every composition written! This would make our booklet a nice keepsake. If there are lots of artwork submittions, it may have to be chosen which ones get printed into the booklet. Please tell your artistic students!! Send artwork to Joyce. Artwork which was submitted for the festival program cover art contest CAN be resubmitted. (You must resubmit these drawings to Joyce, even though you already sent them previously for the festival contest, you must resubmit them. Remember to have a Canadian theme!)
- Dina will look into printing on high quality paper and color.
Festival updates: programs are now available online! Printed copies available April 1st, pick up at Joyce's house.
Julia announced that there are 2 new awards, since the festival deadline:
- Student (non professional) accompaniest award $100. Accompaniest must fill out a form - at the festival - before they play: age 19 and under.
*Encourage your student who could accompany a string student. There are lots of great things to learn when you are accompanying. With this accompaniment award, the adjudicator will have an added job of listening to the accompaniest and he can address them as well. - Music appreciation award $300 donated by Hildegarde Funk. To help a (good) music student in financial need. Teachers, please be thinking if you have a student that would fit this. Award would be paid to music teacher.
-Rebecca Vroom trophy – best Chopin piece.
*Beth Nickel has sent all of us 2 emails covering all of these details clearly. Please read her emails for more information. Beth has also given instructions for teachers to sign up for volunteering at the festival. Thank you Beth*
Festival Location: Calvin Presbyterian Church
Thank you Dina for making the program! Dina says the cost to print 175 programs will be $513.37 plus taxes.
There is an upcoming violin masterclass on March 25th from 9:30-12. Cost is $10 to attend. Location: Peace Lutheran church. 4 students playing (30 min each).
Student Recital: Sunday April 2 @ 1:30 Held at the senior home MSA Manor 2510 Gladwin Road,Abbotsford. In the upstairs piano. Lots of room for students to sign up! Please send Celeste-tina your students' name, title of piece, estimate length of piece (or level of piece will give a general idea to length). Thank you Celeste-tina!
Deadline Friday March 31, 2017. Celeste-tina will be there to supervise and help your students.
Starbucks: Calvin won!
Calvin has been working hard on his idea of a student concert with an accompanying professional orchestra. We all got a hand-out of the tentative plans and costs. This is a great opportunity for young music performers, but maybe not so much for advanced students. Students will love it! Community will love it!
- Date: Fall 2017. Calvin will let us know exact dates shortly.
- Students must audition! Cost is $20 per student or a family rate of $35. Try-outs will take place Friday and Saturday of June 9th and 10th, 2017. This is a great opportunity for our students!
- Students are to fill out audition forms sent by Calvin – then please email Calvin back with your students' information at chdyck@shaw.ca
- The students who are chosen to play for the final concert, will have no cost to participate in final concert
- The students who try out for the auditions, will also get a free ticket on the final concert evening
- It was discussed that there must be a dress code for students. Please have your students dress appropriately – boys in suits, ladies wearing dress/skirt that comes below her knees. Modest tops. Appropriate shoes. It will be the teachers responsibilty to oversee their students are properly instructed how to dress. Thanks.
- Tickets for final concert will cost $20
- Bach Prelude and Fugue pieces are not suitable for accompanying orchestra. Please choose something else.
- Can the branch offer any money to help? The branch could donate $1000.(final amount yet to be decided) Some teachers have shown an interested in sponsoring with personal funds. Thank you!
- Calvin passed around a list of pieces which have already been orchestrated. These are only suggestions, you can audition on different pieces as well.
- Calvin has sent out an email with the lists of orchestra arrangements and the application form to fill out for the audition. Thank you Calvin*
Dina announced our website has issues with hackers. To fix it, we have to change our web address and go to a different host company. She will rebuild it with the new web address: www.abbotsfordmusicbcrmta.com
As payment, Dina would like the branch to buy her plug-in, which costs $449 American dollars. Dina would also like to be reimbursed $39 for a phone conversation she had to the states reguarding our website.
Dina will put ticket sales for the Calvin concert online. Go to our new website.
Joyce informed us of the 'Simply Free' account offered by Envision Financial. This account allows etransfers to be sent for free. Since our branch has an Envision account, we should sign up for this and pay our expenses through e-transfers.