A new choir will be featured in the President's Concert on Thursday, February 25th, 2016 at 6:00 p.m.. At the June KMEA board meeting, the board approved the new All-State Elementary Choir at the request of KMEA President Martha Gabel. This particular choir grew out of Martha's Strategic Plan to "increase connections with elementary music teachers and students. This experience will be a more challenging choral experience for students in grades 3-5 who LOVE to sing."

I am very excited to chair this brand new choir. It will operate much like the KMEA All-State Middle Level choir. All of the information is on the KMEA website at ksmea.org/elemchoir. Please note that the deadline to upload auditions for your students is November 1st. Uploads will close at midnight on that date. I would like to personally thank KMEA Webmaster Troy Johnson for working the summer to get this up and running by August 1st.

The students will have an excellent choral experience with the Director, Elaine Quilichini from Calgary Alberta, Canada. Elaine is no stranger to Kansas, having directed the Kodály Children's Choir at WSU for the past 10 years in June during the Kodály Summer Teachers' Workshop. Elaine also directed at a recent KCDA conference. She brings an enormous wealth of experience! Elaine has all the literature selected for the choir and available at Senseney Music for purchase, along with uploaded music examples for each selection—all of which we have made available online.

The audition piece will be "America," for your students in grades 3-5. Please note all of the requirements so that your student will not be disqualified. The non-refundable fee is $5.00 and must be postmarked by November 23rd. If you miss this deadline, you have until December 1st postmarked but the fee is raised to $20.00. All of this information is on the KMEA website. A list of accepted singers will go online on December 10, 2015. The participation fee is $50.00 which includes a t-shirt, lunch, and a snack before the performance, which will be part of the President's Concert on February 25, 2015 at 6:00 PM in the Century II Concert Hall.

I sent a brochure and electronic copy to each of the KMEA District Elementary Choir Chairs. I am also happy to email one to you if you contact me at the email address shown at the top of this page. Vocal Music Teacher at Valley Center, Jill Wiechman, will be my assistant for this new choir.

Because this group will rehearse on Thursday, February 25th from 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM, your fifth grade students may also be able to sing in the ACDA Choir that rehearses and performs on Friday, which also takes students in fifth grade.

Please check out the website for all deadlines and information. I hope you will be part of this new and exciting opportunity for your students.