Thoughts From Your President: May 2024

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By WSMTA

Colleen Hunter, WSMTA President

Celebrations and Congratulations! Kudos and shout-outs for graduations, recitals, performances, honors, awards!  Applause for the photos and stories of celebration moments posting on social media and experienced in real life!  We celebrate our students and our teachers.  We celebrate our colleagues.  We celebrate our year of diligence, dedication, and completion.  Celebrations provide markers on our journey of living and learning.

As the WSMTA membership year ends and begins anew, we celebrate our WSMTA membership and the chapters they represent.  We gratefully acknowledge the members that said “yes” to our association, to those who could participate and assist in activities throughout the year, and to the leadership of each chapter and district who provided guidance, programs, consistency, direction, and support.  Thank you!

Celebrations are a convergence of the past and the future.  And so WSMTA celebrates its year in review and plans for the year ahead at Conference 2024 on June 27, 28, 29 on the campus of Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA.  Conference co-chairs, Lois Rhoads and Dorothy Bauer, along with Kirsten Carlson, Carol Cross, NCTM, Kathy Mortensen, Jani Stoehr, NCTM, and many other volunteers, have put together a fabulous three days to celebrate and honor, learn and restore, reflect and remember.  We look forward to celebrating:  our WA state winners and Commissioned Composer, Nathan Campbell, on Thursday evening; our guest artist, Connor Chee, on Friday evening; our Ensemble Concert with Tango Volcado and the Sapphire Trio, on Saturday evening.  Five honors recitals and a composition recital celebrate our students and the chapters and teachers they represent.  We are honored with hearing from our MTNA President, Peter Mack, and our NW Division Director, Steven Hesla, as well as, a diverse array of presentations.

Our conference theme, “Weaving Culture and Harmony,” reminds us that the convergence of past, present, and future is how our story unfolds.  We will weave our stories together for a few days and celebrate through the bonds of music.

Looking forward to celebrating together!

Colleen Hunter, NCTM
WSMTA President