2018 WSMTA & OMTA Joint Conference Wrap-Up

Another historical moment, for music teachers in the Pacific Northwest, as around 250 members of WSMTA and OMTA came together for the 2018 Joint State Conference.  The Heathman Lodge was the perfect spot for a gathering.  With its rustic charm but very comfortable and cozy surroundings, it became the center for music making, sharing of ideas, reconnecting with old friends and building new relationships.

It truly was an amazing year working with our Oregon colleagues.  A huge thank you to Cindy Peterson-Peart and Selina Munson, Oregon co-chairs and Robin and Caris Powers, Oregon Administrative Assistants.  As Washington and Oregon have very different styles of conferences, it took compromises from both states to create a conference with new ideas but also keeping with traditions.  It was quite the juggling act!!

Many, many thanks to the following:

• Our Guest Artists – Hans Boepple, Charlie Albright, Monica Ohuchi and Kenji Bunch. What an array of topics and styles of music.  It was such a treat and wonderful opportunity to have all four gifted artists!!

• Washington and Oregon Presenters – Our state organizations are so fortunate to have such talent. Thank you to each of you for sharing your passion and insight.

• The conference book was truly a work of art! Thank you Samantha Yeung for your creativity and long hours of work.  It was easy to read, informative and beautiful to look at.  A real treasure for our archives.

• Kirsten Carlson – Kirsten took charge of the conference registration, the welcoming registration table, organized the vendors and helped us to cover some expenses through obtaining advertisers and sponsorships.

• Oh what beautiful flowers we had to look at each day! Cherie Felts is our amazing flower guru!!  Plus two of her students are not only talented music-wise but also crafty as they donated their time and materials to make the musical fabric squares that decorated our banquet table.

• Thank you to Louise (Liz) Nedela for arranging all the door monitors and helpers along with the publicity. A conference cannot run smoothly without it’s many volunteers.  To those of you that helped out, you are much appreciated!

• To the members of the Clark County Chapter, thank you for your contribution of the conference packets and welcoming us to your part of the state!

• Thank you to the many chapters, organizations and individuals who generously donated to be sponsors of our receptions and breaks.

• The Raffle & Silent Auction is always a huge success with Cinda Redman at the helm! We are so lucky to have  someone with such energy and dedication to our association and its students.

• A conference is not complete without the use of beautiful instruments. Classic Pianos of Portland gave above and beyond!  Both grands and digitals were completely donated along with their very attentive technician, John Slavick, to make sure all was in top performance!

• Finally, thank you to all that joined us. It was a special occasion and a wonderful connection between our two states.

We, the teachers, become students at conferences as we learn from one another.  I hope that you found a renewed energy for your own teaching in the coming year.

Jani Peterson, NCTM

Washington Conference Chair