Monday Notes - March 23, 2026

I hope your spring break has gone well and now you can focus on the sprint to the finish line. Here is to a great end of the semester. Take a couple of minutes and review the following to ensure that nothing is missed.

Consider submitting a recording of your ensemble for consideration as a 2026 Honor Ensemble. All directors are welcome to apply, but the preferred rotation for the 2026 conference is outlined below:

• Alternative/Guitar - No rotation
• Choir & Orchestra - Small school preference
• Band - Large school preference
• General Music - No rotation
• Jazz - Large school

Application and more information can be found here.

Start identifying potential nominees to discuss during your district spring meetings for submission to NMMEA awards. You can find the criteria and additional details on this page of the website.

It is time to register for the 3rd Annual State Marching Contest to be held on October 25th. Remember that schools can register for comments only or to be entered into the competition class. Registrations received prior to May 1 will be entered into a drawing for performance order - so don't procrastinate!

• Registration link
• Registration Fee - tentatively $300 (confirmed entry cost)
• Judges

Please see the link below to learn more about the important work the National Coalition for Arts Standards (NCAS) is doing to support and advance the National Arts Standards. For those who may be interested in contributing to this effort, the link also provides additional information about the initiative and ways to get involved.

• More Information

It is Music In Our Schools Month! One meaningful way to celebrate is by engaging with your local school board:

• Share a brief “good news” update about your program
• Invite students to perform at a board meeting
• Highlight student growth, community partnerships, or recent honors
• Express appreciation for district leadership and support

Email nmmeaadvocacy@nmmea.com for support or to share your story with us! Follow this link for more information!

Please see the upload window for All-State auditions below. Audition material will be posted on April 1st.

• Choir, Guitar, and Orchestra (October 15 - 24)
• Band and Jazz - October 28 (November 7)

Start planning now to attend the 2027 All-State Music Festival & In-Service Conference! Mark your calendars and start the countdown!

• Concert All-State and In-Service Conference - January 6-9, 2027 (UNM)
• Jazz All-State - January 21-23, 2027 (ENMU)
• Please note that Jazz All-State will be Thursday afternoon through Saturday.

As we await the release of the President’s FY 2027 budget proposal this spring, now is a critical time for advocates to demonstrate strong support for arts education and the need to expand access and opportunities in dance, media arts, music, theatre, and visual arts programs. We encourage you to contact your members of Congress and urge them to support arts education.

• Click here

A brief overview of newly enacted laws and key measures that may impact arts and music education across our state.

• 2026 New Mexico Legislative Updates