A letter from the President
of the SCBDA, Martin Dickey.

Other Letters

August 15 , 2007

"Fall Meeting 2007"

Dear Directors,

I hope all of you have had a very relaxing summer and are ready for a successful year with your band program. If you are a new teacher to the profession or new to our state, WELCOME and if you are a returning educator, WELCOME BACK. By this time most of us have settled in and are extremely busy with all the preparations, camps, rehearsals, etc. that make up our job as instrumental music educators.

One of the most important aspects of our profession is communication with colleagues, administrators, parents, and students. As you start the new school year there is a very important meeting to provide important information for you and your band program. I encourage you to get involved with the South Carolina Band Directors Association at our annual fall meeting on Saturday, September 8 at Ridgeview High School. This meeting is an opportunity to meet your colleagues and learn a great deal about our association. Directors use this time to discuss the coming events for the 2007-2008 school year, share ideas, plan and discuss committee events, and to be a voice within our association. All of the committee meetings will begin at 10:30 AM and if you are not on a committee you are welcome to visit any meeting and begin to find a place to serve. At 1:00 PM, we will have a new director meeting, which is a great opportunity for all first year directors or directors in their first year in South Carolina. At 2:00 PM, the general meeting will begin and the committee chairmen will present their fall reports. After the general meeting, the marching committee will have their drawing for the performance order for our marching festival.

If you have not already done so, please take time to go to our website (www.bandlink.org) and enter your school information. You must be a member of MENC and submit your MENC number to the bandlink web master or me before you can begin using the director-only sections of bandlink. You may email me at dickeym@fort-mill.k12.sc.us or Jeff Thompson at webmaster@bandlink.org so your account can be set up to access all sections of bandlink. If you need to join MENC, you may do so at the South Carolina Music Educators Association website (www.scmea.net).

I welcome your suggestions and I encourage you to be an active participant in the SCBDA. Get involved with a committee, assist with an event, and/or participate in the discussion. You and your students will benefit from your involvement and it is essential to our profession that we all know what is going on in instrumental music education. I look forward to working with each of you to make the SCBDA a positive force in providing superior educational opportunities for instrumental music education in South Carolina.

I look forward to seeing each of you on Saturday, September 8, 2007 at Ridgeview High School.

Sincerely,

Martin Dickey
SCBDA President