Martha Barnhill, President, Kansas American String Teachers Association KASTA has had a busy and successful year. It could not be done without our Executive Board and all our event/project chairs. We have an amazing team of leaders! Our President-elect is Dr. Jacob Dakon, Treasurer is Michael Harbaugh, Secretary is Rachel Unruh and Past President is Laura Hutchins. Event chairs are Dr. Amber Dahlen Peterson, solo competition, Dan McCready, Summer MS Orchestra, Michael Harbaugh, State-Wide Mid-Level Orchestra, Erinn Renyer, Private Studio Liaison, and Ramiro Miranda, Kansas Intercollegiate Orch ..read more

Reprinted with permission from the national NAfME Blog Top Resources to Kickstart Your Back-to-School Season Welcome back, music educators! Explore our highlighted back-to-school resources below to support your year ahead. Whether you’re a seasoned educator or embarking on your first year as a teacher, we’ve got you covered with helpful tools and information. We are here to listen and help in any way we can. Contact memberservices@nafme.org with any questions or ideas. Thank you for being a part of NAfME, we wish you a successful and fulfilling year ahead! A Back-to-School Message fr ..read more

Nancy Monical, NCKMEA President Greetings from North Central! As I begin my final year as district president, I want to thank the executive boards and state boards that have helped counsel and guide me through these past four years. It has been an adventure! North Central District Chairs We are so excited about all the opportunities our students will have this upcoming school year. Our chairs have worked hard to create meaningful and memorable experiences for our students. Daniela Thrasher, Middle-Level Band, Danette Whiteley, Middle-Level Choir, and Devin Burr, High School Jazz Band have invi ..read more

August 2023 WELCOME!! Welcome to the first edition of the 2023-24 Mentoring Minute. The school year will be starting soon. We know that you have been thinking about that. The KMEA Mentoring Network has too, and we’re here to help! Read on for information to help you start the year right. Get off to a strong start. Join us at the FALL MENTORING SUMMIT! When: Saturday, Sep. 9th, 10-11:30am Where: This is an online event. This event is for First- through Fifth-Year Music Educators and Student Teachers. There will be opportunities to get ideas, answer questions, make connections, and mee ..read more

(when you’re having fun or love this profession)   by Marsha Granberry, Norton, KS Vocal Music Teacher at Norton High School & Junior High As we start a new year, 2023, and also a busy, crazy second semester, I wanted to reach out to all of you who are currently working in the profession of music education. It was last summer when the administration in the Norton public schools reached out to inquire if I would have any desire to fill the vocal music position in their junior high and high school for the 2022–2023 school year. When I received the phone call asking if I might be in ..read more

by Greg Bergman, 2021-2023 SCKMEA President The South Central District started the 2022-2023 school year with a Kick-off event at Newton High School on August 27. Attendees enjoyed a light breakfast and heard updates about the many activities and opportunities sponsored by KMEA and SCKMEA. Breakout sessions allowed band/jazz, choir, orchestra, and general music teachers to discuss items pertinent to their particular areas. Following these meetings, the SCKMEA Board gathered to make plans for upcoming events. On October 22nd, the SCKMEA Elementary Choir Concert and Clinic were held at Christa M ..read more

By NAfME Member Daniel J. Keown Presenting Discovering the Lost Ark of Possibilities: Bringing Visibility to the Invisible Art Form of Film Music in Your Music Classroom at the “NAfME is ME!” 2022 NAfME National Conference in National Harbor, Maryland. Reprinted with permission from Music in a Minuet, the official blog of NAfME. I remember the first time I experienced Luke Skywalker standing and looking out at the binary sunset of Tatooine in Star Wars—Episode IV: A New Hope (1977). After Uncle Owen refuses to let Luke join his friends at the Rebel flight academy ..read more

A Creative Approach to Repertoire in the Modern Music Room By NAfME Member Heather Fortune Presenting Arranging For Pedagogy—A Creative Approach to Repertoire in the Modern Music Room at the “NAfME is ME!” 2022 NAfME National Conference in National Harbor, Maryland. Reprinted with permission from Music in a Minuet, the official blog of NAfME. Many of us learned to play instruments in school during band or orchestra class. Maybe some of us played in a guitar class, or a modern band (rock band) class. There was often a jazz band option for some, but usually not all, inst ..read more

What are the factors leading to music teacher burnout, and how can you mitigate them in your work life? by Jessica Nápoles – Professor of Choral Music Education at the University of North Texas – KCOMTEPS 2022 Featured Clinician This article was reprinted with permission from the NAfME Teaching Music Magazine, April 2022, Vol. 29, Issue 4. Burnout is an important issue that affects the teaching profession at large. However, only in the past 40 years has it received attention in the research literature. Two early investigators who examined the phenomenon were Herbert Freudenberger, a psychiatri ..read more

By Lance Burnett – Royster Middle School – KMEA All-State Middle Level Choir – Chair The middle school years (grades 6-8) can be some of the most wonderful and exciting years of musical growth for our students.  Unfortunately, for some young male singers, it can also be the most challenging and frustrating years, depending on when and how their voices change.  I have been teaching middle school choirs for 20 years in the US and abroad, and I can tell you that male adolescent voice change is the same anywhere you go. Let me begin by describing to you my typical day of teaching.  ..read more