Manchester Community Music School

Present.  Chris Hill, Charlene Ledoux, Marjorie Nelson, Muriel Orcutt, Steve Organek,  Laurie Strubbe, Larry Veal, Melissa Waterhouse, Alison Yankowskas.

1.  Approve Minutes from November 2008 Board Meeting.

2.  Treasurer’s Report.  Laurie Strubbe reports that our current balance is $10,675, including Stringfest registrations.  We have also received one rebate check from the national office for $750.

3.  Discuss High School Orchestra Festival with Chris Hill.  Chris Hill is the conductor of the UNH Orchestra.  He is working with Larry Veal, also of the UNH Faculty, and Charlene Ledoux, our President, in formulating a day during which high school string students can participate in an Orchestra Day at UNH.
 We need to get a list of students auditioning for All-State, and also send registration forms to ASTA members for their own students.  We want a full orchestra, with UNH Wind players participating, and possibly some UNH string students, if needed.
 On March 20, 2010, Larry Veal with be performing with the UNH Orchestra in the Johnson Theatre.
 On October 18, 2009, there will be a young violinist performing with the UNH Orchestra.  Chris Hill will send us a calendar of the UNH Orchestra Concerts, which we can place into Stringenda.
 Chris Hill will conduct the orchestra for Orchestra Day, and Larry Veal will assist.  Teachers of participating students also need to be there.  Only one movement of a major piece will be played.
 Johnson Theatre is difficult to reserve.  Perhaps we should rent the Stafford Room.  We need to find out the cost. 
 The end of October or April seems to be the best time frame.  Larry will check the available dates.  Chris will select the music.  The registration fee would be $20 for members, $30 for non-ASTA members.
 The Orchestra Festival at UNH would be sponsored by NHASTA.
A sample day schedule:  Register at UNH at 9:30 am
   Rehearse 10 am to 12 noon.
   Buy lunch there at the MUB.
   Sectionals take place 1:30 pm until 2:45 pm.
   Full orchestra rehearsal runs from 3 pm until 4:30 pm.
   Call time 6:30 pm.
   Concert begins at 7 pm.
Information will be placed in Stringenda, on UNH and NHASTA web sites, in music schools’ brochures, Ouarter Notes, etc.

4.  Update on Co-Sponsored Workshop April 4th with NHMEA.  Marjorie Nelson, chair, will contact Laurie Meeder to place information about the workshops on our own web site.  Marjorie is mailing out well over 100 letters with registration forms, but NHASTA does not qualify for a postage discount.  We do not do enough mailings.  Marjorie will ask Julie Lyonn Lieberman if we can include an additional $50 for her travel, in our check to her for our portion ($450) of her $750 fee.  This would bring our total fee for her to $500.
Marjorie will send information also to the Presidents of Maine ASTA, Massachusetts ASTA, and Vermont ASTA.  She will e-mail Lynn Roman to place info into Stringenda,
as well as to Josh Desrochers, to place into NHMEA’s Quaarter Notes.
Marjorie passes out letters and registration forms to Board members for the Saturday, April 4 th  2009,  trio of workshops, from 9 am until noon.

5.  Updated list of Membership.  Charlene Ledoux says that the most recent membership list seems not to include everyone.  For example, Muriel Orcutt is not listed.  Sometimes the timing of a membership renewal can cause one to be omitted.  Every month Charlene will e-mail our National membership chair for an updated membership list, and then forward this list to Melissa Waterhouse, our own membership chair.
Members can only register with one state; it does not matter where you live.
The Board votes to allow ASTA teachers from other states to participate in NHASTA activities free of charge.
However, only NHASTA members can be on our Executive Board.
Stringfest registration forms will only be mailed to paid up members of NHASTA.

6.  Final Details of Stringfest March 28, 2009.  Muriel Orcutt, host, reports that parents will provide snacks and pizza to sell that day.
Technical difficulties found in the Virginia Reel arrangement for Orchestra Three are discussed.  This piece is too difficult for the students to perform.  The Executive Board reaffirms that we MUST ALWAYS read through Stringfest music ON OUR OWN INSTRUMENTS during our annual Fall meeting BEFORE approving Stringfest music in the future.  We cannot be in too much of a hurry to read through our selections before final approval.
Alison Yankowskas will contact Beverly Manning, Conductor of Orchestra Three, about changing the Stringfest program.  The Virginia Reel will NOT be performed.  Instead, ALL four movements of the Bartok Suite (not just the first movement) will be performed, along with the William Tell Overture.  If Beverly agrees to this change, then Alison will notify all the participating teachers.
Our total students this year at Stringfest will number around 264.
Marjorie Nelson will help out with Orchestra Three, and Melissa Waterhouse with Orchestra Two.  Each orchestra needs teacher helpers to assist the conductors.  Charlene Ledoux will be available for emergencies all day.  Her cell is (603) 801-0315.

Our next meeting will be our Annual Meeting at Stringfest in Goffstown on March 28, 2009.

Respectfully submitted,

Marjorie Nelson, NHASTA Secretary