Welcome back, Arizona Choral Educators!
I hope that your 2013-2014 school year is off to a great start! I am so proud
and excited to be serving as President of Arizona Choral Educators for the next two
years. In order to be as efficient and effective a leader as possible, I would request
that you communicate your observations, needs, wants, and desires with me so the
board and I can make the most well informed decisions as possible to best serve the
state, its teachers, and its students.
I promise to do everything I can to communicate clearly and frequently with
you as events approach and as decisions are made. I believe that the best decisions
come from the discourse and dialogue of those with differing opinions. In doing so,
potential problems are worked out and compromises can be formulated prior to the
final decision being made. Together we are strongest. Together we can best meet the
needs of our diverse student populations. Together tasks are more manageable and
challenges are more effectively met.
In every decision we make, the ACE board will be addressing three very
important questions. The first is “Is this what is best for the students of Arizona?”
We must always balance the needs of individual programs alongside the needs of
students in all Arizona schools. We must do our best to advocate for equality of
opportunity for all students whenever possible. The next question is “How does this
decision help serve our music educators?” We will strive to keep policies and
procedures as simple and straight forward as possible. We seek to provide service
for our constituent members, while valuing the demands that are placed on your
time and energy. The third question we will consider when making decisions is “Is
this policy as fair and equitable as possible for all students and schools, and what
are the potential legal impacts of its implementation?” We must do our best to
advocate for equality of opportunity for all students in all circumstances. Validity,
reliability, and equity must be addressed in all practices and procedures in order to
ensure the integrity of the festivals and competitions we sponsor.
On the next page you will find a short table of event dates and deadlines. I
hope you will participate in the amazing festivals ACE provides for its members.
Upcoming major events include the All State Show & Jazz Choir Auditions and the
Fall Choral Festival. Please note that the dates for the Fall Choral Festival have
changed! The dates were changed due to constituent response at the 2012 All State
Meeting and to avoid major conflicts with other scholastic activities and school site
conflicts. We anticipate with this change, choirs will have more time to prepare
repertoire and practice for the sight-reading component of the audition, ensuring all
choirs have a positive and successful experience! This festival is the qualifier for the
AzACDA Spring State Choir Festival (4/29/14). We appreciate your support of both
festivals!
Please do not hesitate to contact myself or other members of the ACE board if
you have any questions, comments, or concerns along the way this year.
Sincerely,
Matthew Henry
Event Name
Registration Deadline
Event Date
All State Show & Jazz
Auditions (Live)
HS Fall Choir Festival
(Sites in Tucson &
Phoenix)
AMEA Solo & Ensemble
Submissions (video
recorded)
ACE Elem/JH Fall
Motivational Festival
(Tucson Site Only)
AzACDA Cantaremus
Festival (Grades 5-9)
All State Jazz & Show
Festival
Regional Choir Auditions
AMEA 75th Anniversary
Conference
Regional Honor B/O/C
Festivals
All State B/O/C Auditions
Spring Elem/JH Choir
Festival (Phoenix site
only)
AMEA All State Festival
(@ ASU)
AzACDA State Choir
Festival
September 6
September 28
October 8
October 29-30
November 1
Submissions open from
November 2- December
20
November 2
October 4
(see AzACDA webpage for
details)
October 4
November 9
November 15
January 24-25
January 30 – February 1
February 4
February 21
March 7
February 14-15
(NE Region only 2/17-18)
March 7-8
April 5
March 21
April 10-12
November 14-16
April 29
Note: If you are interested in performing at this year’s AMEA conference (Jan 29Feb 1, 2014), please submit audio recordings to Matthew Henry (ACE President) by
October 1, 2013 (preferably earlier). Recordings may be emailed to
mhenry@tempeunion.org or you can mail your submissions to:
Mountain Pointe HS
Attn: Matthew Henry
4201 E Knox Rd
Phoenix, AZ 85044
Submissions should be 3-5 total songs. Recordings should represent your choir
over the past 3 years. Please also send a brief description of your school and
your program, as well as sample concert programs or a repertoire list from
recent concerts.