Greetings Everyone!

I hope everyone has had a nice relaxing break and is feeling refreshed and ready to go in this new semester. I wish good luck to all those music education majors now out student teaching and good luck to other music education majors as we continue to balance ensembles, practicing, and classes. I know I am being kept busy with an active pep band, orchestra, and of course, all my education classes.

Within all the business of the school year, we do have one very important event to look forward to, and that is the KMEA In-Service Workshop. The workshop will take place February 26-28 at Century II in Wichita. To register and get the special collegiate price, you must be a currently registered NAfME member. The deadline to pre-register was February 2nd. If you missed pre-registration there will also be a registration table set up on-site. All registration information can be found on the KMEA website at ksmea.org/iswreg.

I encourage everyone to take full advantage of the convention. There are many educational clinics and concerts scheduled throughout the convention. It is amazing to watch all the talented groups perform and there is an incredible amount of information available in the clinics. The exhibits are always fun to visit and are a great place to network. Catch up with old friends and meet new directors. You never know what you'll learn from someone with years of experience teaching.

Those who pre-registered had the option to register for the collegiate luncheon! Due to planning time, the luncheon option is not available for those registering at ISW. For those of you who haven't attended the collegiate luncheon, it is a catered lunch at the Hyatt where students can mingle with other collegiate NAfME members from other schools, listen to a keynote speaker, and hear from the candidates running for Kansas NAfME Collegiate President. The collegiate luncheon will take place Friday, February 27th.

After the lunch, all collegiate students will have the chance to vote for the new collegiate officers by turning in a ballot to the registration table. Anyone interested in running for a collegiate state office can find all the information at ksmea.org/collegiate/forms.php and email me any questions. Students will also be able to vote for a change in the NAfME collegiate constitution. There is a vote this year to change the term of the NAfME collegiate president from its current term beginning in March (right after the convention) to starting and ending in July. This will line up the president's term with the school year and allow the new president time to learn about the position before they take office.

Get ready to take advantage of the convention! Learn from the clinics, concerts, and just from meeting other music educators. I hope to see you all there in February!