Greetings from your KMEA President!

First, I wish everyone a very Happy New Year for 2012! Our superb 2011 KMEA District Mini-Conventions are completed and the beautiful sounds of our holiday music concerts are all behind us. It is now time to look forward to upcoming music festivals, winter concerts, and our KMEA In-Service Workshop (ISW) in February. The KMEA leadership is once again priming for a wonderful 2012 In-Service Workshop! The KMEA ISW will be held in Wichita, February 23-25, 2012. I am delighted to announce that Scott Shuler, National Association for Music Education (NAfME) President, will attend and be our keynote speaker at the opening session on Thursday, February 23, at 1:00 p.m. Scott is an expert on 21st Century Skills and will also present a session about that subject on Friday. Also, our very own John Taylor, KMEA Executive Director and NAfME Southwestern Division President, will be in attendance as a band director and speaker. The ISW schedule is full of wonderful concerts and clinic sessions that will satisfy all music educators. Other highlights include a Community Folk Dance (everyone is invited!) on Thursday at 7:00 p.m., Holly Taylor, KMEA Elementary Chair, has organized this event. Peter and Mary Alice Amidon will demonstrate different folk dances that can be incorporated into your own community events. I am also very excited about this year's President's Concert. I have chosen the title, "Music for Life" because you will be entertained by three performing groups that include performers of almost all ages! The performing groups are the Beloit Community Orchestra, the KU and Lawrence Community Trombone Ensemble, and Zing!, a women's barbershop quartet. These two events will be a great way to begin the first night of our ISW. Make sure you don't miss them! Our annual In-Service Workshop is a perfect way to connect with colleagues, meet old friends, make new friends, listen to some outstanding concerts and clinicians, and visit our wonderful exhibitors. I promise, by the end of the ISW your musical juices will be flowing through your veins and you will be a better music teacher for attending! Don't delay, pre-register for the ISW online today at: www.ksmea.org.

On November 8, 2011, your KMEA Executive Council presented information to the Kansas State Board of Education (KSBOE) in Topeka. The presentation lasted for seventy-five minutes and focused on data from "The Impact of Budget Cuts on Music Education in Kansas' Schools." The data was prepared by Frederick Burrack, KMEA Advocacy Chair. The data revealed that Kansas lost 185 music education positions during the past four years. We were also able to show the board that 48% of all schools in Kansas lost funding for music education in some form. Explaining this data was our main emphasis, but we also talked about the lack of funding for teacher in-service training. Mike Quilling, KMEA Vice President, explained that many music teachers have to spend their own money to attend the February In-Service Workshop.

The KSBOE members were quite responsive to our data and very positive towards supporting music education in Kansas schools. The information we presented traveled to all parts of Kansas via newspapers, television, radio station news reports, and online educational publications. NAfME received the information and published a Legislative Memo that is currently shown on the KMEA and NAfME websites (see: www.nafme.org). I also sent an e-newsletter to our members discussing this presentation. At the conclusion of our presentation to the KSBOE, I invited all members to join us in February at our ISW. To date, at least three KSBOE members have accepted my invitation and will be in attendance. If you see individuals walking to sessions and concerts with a VIP ribbon, please introduce yourself and thank them for attending.

Frederick Burrack has developed and organized our 2011 budget survey which will give us five years of data about what is happening to school music programs in Kansas. The Executive Council will once again use this additional data to help our Kansas and National Legislatures and KSBOE members better understand how educational budget cuts are affecting music education in Kansas.

In conclusion, I want to take this opportunity to thank our wonderful KMEA employees. These outstanding men and women are very dedicated and put in countless hours making my job much easier! Please take a minute and glance through our leadership page in this magazine and online. When you see these individuals, shake their hands and thank them for their continued devotion to our wonderful organization.

Take care, and if I can ever be of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me. See you in February!!!

Respectfully,
Craig L. Manteuffel
KMEA President