Present:  John Cosgriff, Charlene Ledoux, Marjorie Nelson, Muriel Orcutt, Steve Organek, Laurie Strubbe, Tony Varga, Melissa Waterhouse, and Alison Yankowskas.

The meeting at Parkside Middle School in Manchester, commences at 9:30 am, Steve Organek presiding.
 
1.   Minutes from June 6th Board Meeting.  In the National Bylaws, the Past President usually becomes the Treasurer.  NHASTA has never done this, before we adopted the National Bylaws as our own.  Therefore Steve Organek will e-mail Jeffrey Solow about  the flexibility of this Bylaw.   The Minutes are then approved.

2.   Treasurer’s Report.  Our current balance is $6,835.8 (corrected at Oct 24 meeting).  Our CD just rolled over ($2,185.42.)  We use this CD for our Scholarship, and in the past have given $500. to a high school senior planning to major in music in college.  Alison Yankowskas will download the MENC application form, and we will discuss it at our next meeting on October 24, 2009.  The winner could be announced at All-State.  The funds would not be dispensed until the second semester of college is billed.

3.  Stringfest update.   The Stringfest will be held on March 27,  2010, at Goffstown Mountain View Middle School.  We will play through the proposed music today.  Caroline Bond will conduct Orchestra Three, instead of Steve Organek.  We need the originals of the music to be there, but the students are allowed to use copies of the parts with their own fingerings and bowings.  Charlene Ledoux, Past President, knows about the Certificate of Insurance that Steve needs.  She will give him the information on how to directly contact the insurance company to get the insurance for Stringfest.  The Certificate can be faxed directly to Goffstown Mountain View Middle School. 
 John Cosgriff needs a good pianist for the Orchestra Two rehearsal, and a piano in the rehearsal room.  Alison Yankowskas will ask Chris Gantner, who teaches in Derry, to play the piano.  A good high school student could play the drums.
Charlene will contact Beethoven Company for free pencils for the students.
Teachers had pizza for lunch last year, and we can do that again.  We will also have a video made again.

4.  UNH Orchestra Festival update.  Charlene Ledoux reports that advertising has gone out.  Too bad Londonderry has a big festival that same weekend, on October 24th. So far few students have signed up, but Muriel will have eight students attending.  Teachers can send in a list of students, like at Stringfest.  Chris Nourse has eight students who want to attend, but he himself cannot be there.  He then needs to get a substitute.  The Board discusses the necessity of having an adult there who is responsible for each student, even though they are of high school age.
Manchester could send 20 to 30 students from three high schools, but there is NO bus money.  Can the Goffstown bus pick them up?  Muriel Orcutt will investigate this possibility.
The Holberg Suite is being substituted for the Shostakovich.  Chris Hill has also chosen the Mozart Divertimento, K. 137, to perform.
We will advertise and promote the Orchestra Festival this year at Stringfest for the following year.  John Cosgriff says that we should recognize these students.  Steve Organek will e-mail teachers to remind them about the Orchestra Festival.
Charlene will also have the Program made up. 
Sectionals will take place during the rehearsal schedule that day.  Steve will e-mail us the schedule, including the times for sectionals.  Mimi Bravar may be there.

5.  NHASTA Music Library.  We do have an NHASTA music library.  It is located at Concord Community Music School.  Steve Organek asked Bozena  O’Brien for an updated list of what is in it.  However, Muriel Orcutt still has the library list in her computer.  We have over 100 pieces.  Tony Varga will return his music from last year’s Stringfest.
The Board agrees that we should have this data base on our website so that members can borrow from our library.

6.  Stringenda.  Should we go electronic?  Lynn Roman has been our editor for 13 years.  However, we do pay for publishing Stringenda.  She is being paid, not strictly volunteering.  Lynn will help transfer articles to a PDF file.  We appreciate all her effort!
In this upcoming issue of Stringenda, we will include a page where we ask our members if they are able and willing to receive electronic issues in the future.
The cost of the last Stringenda was $462.96 and included supplies, postage, and labor.
Lynn will transfer files to PDF for ads.  Melissa Waterhouse and Steve held off on ads—now we want them PDF accessible.  Lynn last year did the layout for Stringenda, and then Charlene Ledoux would proofread it.  Steve can do the same.  Lynn can do a hardcopy for only those who need a hard copy.

7.  Webpage.  Our web page is currently very unprofessional.  It has dead links and outdated pictures.  We need to hire someone who can design a better webpage.
Our current webmaster passes on a charge of $35 for the domain name every year, charges $45 an hour for programming, features and upgrades, and $25 an hour for content updates, photos, and text.
On September, 28, 2008, we paid our webmaster $480.  Steve had a quote of between $300 and $400 to rebuild the page, and $30 an hour for adding text and photos.
Steve’s friend could possibly do our website, and many of us know King Yeh, who is also very competent to take care of the job.  We need quotes from them both, as well as a sample of their work.  We will discuss this further during our October meeting.  Our deadline is now September 30 to send items to Lynn for Stringenda.

8.  Membership Incentives.  We want to increase our membership.  Steve Organek knows teachers who are not members.  What are the benefits of joining?  We need to have an improved webpage with Festival dates, and music library access.  We need to sell ourselves!
Hooksett needs a string program, and so does Bedford.  We should help out this process.
Each of us needs to get a new member!  What are our selling points?  Should we investigate having tee shirts or coffee mugs with our logo?  We need more teacher involvement.
We should include ads in Quarter Notes, even though we need to pay for these ads.  Many high school teachers do not know about our upcoming Orchestra Day.
Can NHASTA put articles into Quarter Notes without having to pay for them?  Muriel Orcutt will check with Josh Desrochers concerning this matter.
John Cosgriff emphasizes that we need to advertise our Stringfest more!  This is a great opportunity that many do not utilize. 
Charlene Ledoux is starting a string program in Brookline, NH.  She will write an article for Stringenda.
Muriel Orcutt currently writes articles in the local Goffstown paper about NHASTA activities!  We can do the same.
John Cosgriff offers his expertise to come and help any string programs that need his help.  He has many years of experience.  Retirees can help with discipline, or mentoring, etc.

9.  Other.  Marjorie Nelson reports that she contacted Josh Desrochers about NHASTA again co-sponsoring a clinician with us at the NHMEA Spring Conference in April.  He referred her to Elaine Hashem, and Bill Metevier, who are taking over the administration of workshops, etc., for the All-State Conference.  Elaine and Bill, as Chair, want to meet with their committee before committing to anything.  Marjorie asks the Board if she should go ahead and contact Mary Eckstein as a possible clinician for that Saturday, April 10, 2010 to see if she is at least available that day.  $300 would be an appropriate fee for a workshop(s).  The Board tells her to go ahead and make initial contact.
Melissa Waterhouse passes out info concerning our NH Chapter Incorporation status.  We need to pay $25 every 5 years, and our next payment is due in 2011.  An invoice will be sent.  We need to update our address to the State of New Hampshire, and to the IRS.  The address of the President is usually given. 
NHASTA should get the original bylaws from the State and write in the changes.  We will write to the State for old documents.  There is a $25 fee for every amendment change.
Melissa Waterhouse will be in charge of these changes, and will give Steve Organek’s address since he is the President.  All the information is on the website, all except the original documents from 1977.  The new update can be placed on the state’s website.
At 11:15 am we adjourn in order to play through the Stringfest selections that the Conductors have selected.  We play for the next hour, and end at 12:15 pm.
Our next Board meeting is on October 24th at the Orchestra Festival at UNH.  The following meeting, January 23, 2010, at 9:30 am, may possibly be held at Concord High School.  Tony Varga will investigate this possibility

Respectfully submitted,
Marjorie Nelson, Secretary