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Communications
Hello Everyone:
I hope this Newsletter finds you well; for many of you, I hope it finds you preparing for another great academic year. Since becoming president last year, I have communicated with many of you and let me just say that I continue to be overwhelmed by your kindness and energy with regard to our organization. It is because of you that we are making a difference. Whether you are a performer, educator, business professional, radio personality, aficionado, or simply someone interested in the music, I thank you. On behalf of the Michigan officers, let me reiterate that it is a pleasure for us to serve you and help you in our mutual quest to spread all things jazz throughout our great state.In this Newsletter, I will address a number of topics both new and old.
1. IAJE Michigan Web Site
The first order of business is one that I am extremely excited about. Our planned Web site has become reality. I encourage you to peruse the site and tell others about it as well. Please help our webmaster by following the easy to use directions on the site and submit information about upcoming jazz education clinics, concerts, special events, etc. Again, we would like our site to be the entry point for anyone interested in jazz in the state. Please pass on any information you might have about festivals, jazz clubs, societies, etc., to the webmaster or myself. Also, please inform everyone you can about the Web site. The more the merrier. I would also like to publicly thank Alisa White for her great work in the initial start-up of the Web site.
2. IAJE Reading Band, Jam Academy Stage, Detroit International Jazz Festival, 12 Noon, SAT, Sept. 3rd, 2005
The Detroit International Jazz Festival is next weekend and there are many great events to enjoy. Please check out the complete festival schedule by visiting our Web site home page. On Saturday, September 3, at 12 Noon, the IAJE Michigan Reading Band will be performing at the Jam Academy Stage, near Jefferson Avenue. This band performs new published music and features some of Michigan’s finest jazz educators. The purpose of the ensemble is to allow educators the opportunity to hear recently published music. It is a great band and this promises to be an enjoyable session.
3. IAJE Michigan General Membership Meeting, 2:00 PM, SAT, Sept. 3rd, 2005, Hotel Pontchartrain (directly across Jefferson Ave. from Hart Plaza) Lobby
Of great importance is the general membership meeting that will be held in the lobby of the Hotel Pontchartrain, 2 PM on Saturday. Many important state related issues will be discussed, so I encourage you to attend. The Michigan IAJE chapter will also be co-sponsoring student jazz scholarships once again at this years festival. Please offer our great judges (Louis Smith, Ernie Rodgers and Virgil Rodgers) thanks and encouragement if you happen to see them. I will be at the festival all day on Saturday and would really like to get to know as many members as possible, so please stop by and say hello.
4. Membership
In my previous Newsletters, I listed a number of issues that we as a state needed to address. The following items continue to be of great importance to the state. (In this newsletter, I will only address the issue of membership).
a) Increase membership
This is an ongoing issue and I am
currently in the process of collecting data to track our
membership. This of course is something we are all involved
in. The best way for our membership to increase is to have
you (our membership) encourage other educators, professionals,
aficionados, etc. to join our great organization. Encourage
prospective members to check out our website (iajemichigan.com), give
them back issues of the journal, and simply explain the many benefits
of belonging to IAJE. To my fellow educators - if you do not have
a student chapter, encourage your students to develop one. There
are several options available to students. I would be happy to
assist you in this process in anyway.
b) Increase interface with MSBOA, MENC
and other education based organizationsc) Become more active, visible, and accessible to membership and other organizations
d) Meet not only the new minimum state standards, but strive to be an exemplary unit
e) Contact and solicit ideas from the membership
f) Continue the development of the Web site
I would like to say thank you to each one of you for all that you do to keep jazz alive in Michigan. I welcome any comments or suggestions. Please do not hesitate to contact me.
I hope to see you in Detroit!
Peace
Brian Coyle
IAJE Michigan President
Director of Jazz Studies – Hope College
