Take 5 for OMEA

Welcome to the Oregon Music Education Association's monthly e-newsletter, "Take 5 for OMEA." This e-newsletter has the most current news and information all in a 5 minute or less read. You can view past e-newsletters by clicking here.

Please visit our website at www.oregonmea.org for the latest on news and information at OMEA. You can visit our calendar page by clicking here.

Best wishes to all of Oregon's student musicians this month at OSAA/OMEA State Championship events!

Click here for OMEA's Choir Championships page.

Click here for OMEA's Jazz Championships page.

Click here for OMEA's Orchestra Championships page.

Click here for OMEA's Band Championships page.

Dutch Bros Coffee's story began in 1992 with brothers Dane and Travis Boersma, who left their family's struggling dairy farm in Grants Pass, Oregon, to pursue a new venture. They purchased an espresso machine and a pushcart, setting up shop near the railroad tracks. The brothers, of Dutch ancestry, named their company Dutch Bros, honoring their heritage.

Beacock Music has been a family- owned company since we first opened in 1976. In addition to Vancouver, we have two additional locations! Eugene opened in 2018 and Albany opened in 2022. They both have full service repair departments, full School Services Division, plus band and orchestra instruments, guitars, percussion, digital pianos, accessories, and print music!

Linfield’s Department of Music offers creative opportunities for musicians of all levels and skill sets regardless of major.

Whether you’re here to major or minor in music or participate in one of our ensemble groups, you will work closely with world-class faculty and perform side-by-side with professional musicians.

Travis Moddison is a real estate broker dedicated to serving southern Oregon with professionalism and value. He also runs a YouTube channel providing information on Oregon, and updates on news/events impacting Oregonians. In addition to real estate, Travis is an active musician with the Rogue Valley Symphony and raises ducks as a hobby. He loves to have evening jam sessions with his wife and three sons.

Please click here for results to last Friday's contest. Many thanks to Gary Riler and the team at Mt. Hood Community College for their work!

Bandworld features the American Band College of Central Washington University hosted in southern Oregon each summer. WIBC's ensembles are auditioned and meet annually in the fall in SeaTac.

Your flute should never stand in the way of your music. Our mission is to care for your instrument with the highest skill and precision, so it responds with true resonance and reliability, letting your artistry take center stage.

Each Summer, thousands of young musicians set out to expand their musical education through exciting programs where they can learn and grow amongst their friends and peers. One such program is the Music Camp at Wallowa Lake. Over 100 young musicians travel each year to Wallowa Lake for their Brass and Woodwinds Camp!

The Oregon Symphony was founded as the "Portland Symphony Society" in 1896, it is the sixth oldest orchestra in the United States, and oldest in the Western United States. Its home venue is the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in downtown Portland.

Distinguished teachers, talented students, and supportive public: these are the people who make the Department of Music at PLU a nationally recognized center for musical learning, serving, and sharing.

The Portland Orff Schulwerk Association serves music educators in Oregon and Southwest Washington, promoting and supporting the teaching and enjoyment of music for the whole individual. Membership in POSA comes with benefits: reduced admission to workshops, use of our instrumentarium, and the knowledge that you are doing your part to spread the word about Orff Schulwerk in the Pacific Northwest.

YMA's mission is to provide young people with a unique personal experience in the visual and performing arts, where they share creative interests in a positive environment that builds confidence, enhances self-esteem and reinforces a sense of community.

As the school year winds down and conversations about staffing and course offerings begin, music educators may find themselves being asked to teach Music Technology (sometimes with little preparation or support). If that’s you, you’re not alone, and help is available. Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to refine an existing course, I’m happy to share resources, lesson ideas, and practical strategies from the classroom. Music Technology can be an incredibly engaging and meaningful pathway for students, and with the right support, it can also be a rewarding space for teachers.

Contact Jason Rodgers jrodgers@woodburnsd.org

Are you teaching music technology? Curious or planning to? Are you being directed to add this to your curriculum or offer a class? The OMEA is gathering data on the current status of music technology classes in our schools: what’s being offered, what’s being planned, and what resources teachers have or need. Your insights will help guide future support, training, and collaboration opportunities across the state.

Click here to access the survey.

Jason Rodgers

OMEA Secondary General Music Chair

jrodgers@woodburnsd.org

You may have recently received an email from us asking you to complete a survey for a study we are conducting regarding Music Performance Assessments. This message is simply a reminder asking for you to participate if you haven’t already done so. This survey is open to all OMEA members, regardless of whether you are active, retired, preservice, and regardless of teaching level (e.g., elementary, middle, high school).

With this study, we are attempting to better understand music educators’ attitudes toward “music performance assessments.” We use the term music performance assessments (MPA), to describe organized events such as festivals, contests, and competitions where bands, orchestras, and choirs perform music for adjudicators and expect to receive a rating, ranking, or score, in addition to comments.

We have independently assessed the validity and reliability of this survey through several rounds of pilot testing, and we are now in the process of data collection. We would like to invite you to share your thoughts/feedback regarding your experiences with MPAs using the link below. The process will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Thank you for your help!

Click here to complete the survey.

Jay Silveira

University of Oregon

Wes Brewer

Oregon State University

A Tri-M® Music Honor Society chapter opens up a world of opportunities for students who have already shown themselves to be academically capable and musically gifted. Through performance and community service, they’ll develop confidence, creativity, critical thinking, compassion, and a host of other leadership skills sure to serve them well in school and beyond.

Click here to apply!

Please click here to access OMEA publications. Issuu will now archive all OMEA publications dating back to 1948. These older editions will be posted as access becomes available for scanning.

Please contact JJ Sutton if you are interested in submitting an article for future publications.

OMEA has a new, future-focused Mission and Vision statement along with a set of Core Beliefs that will guide our Strategic Planning for the foreseeable future. Many thanks to those who gave feedback in our Strategic Planning Survey, as well as members of the board who took the time over the summer to create these statements of accountability and purpose.

MISSION: OMEA supports music educators and advocates for equitable access to a high-quality and comprehensive music education for all students in Oregon.

VISION: OMEA will serve as the trusted source for music advocacy in Oregon and will strive to increase the quality and accessibility of music education in our state.

Please click here to read OMEA's Strategic Plan in full.

The Executive Board took the time over the summer to edit and streamline OMEA's Policies and Procedures document. The Board of Control approved changes in September.

Please click here to read OMEA's Policies and Procedures.

LINKS

• OMEA Advocacy
• Advocacy Resources
• Program Standards for Music in Oregon Schools
• National Music Standards One-Pager

Need advocacy support? Contact advocacy@oregonmea.org

Updated Advocacy Resources

The OMEA Advocacy webpage has been updated – Find a new version of the Advocacy Toolkit with helpful links.

Follow OMEA on Instagram at "oregonmusiceducation."

You can also follow OMEA on Facebook by liking "Oregon Music Education Association."

OMEA social media is a great way to receive news and updates in real time!