This past week I went to the music department to ask about there up-and-upcoming trip to the Minnesota Music Educators Association Midwinter Clinic (MMEA) in Minneapolis. I ran into three helpful people to answer a few of my questions sent through an email interview.

My first interview started with SMSU’s Choir Director Dr. Stephen Kingsbury. I asked him why the SMSU music department attends MMEA?

“We do this for several reasons.  First of all, it’s a great opportunity for our students to learn more about their craft by attending many of the wonderful workshops that are offered.  It’s also a great opportunity for them to attend performances in order to see what is going on musically across the state at various levels of education.  Our students also get to hear a wide variety of interesting and appropriate repertoire by attending these performances.  The in-service also provides a great opportunity for our students to meet and network with a wide range of in-service and pre-service educators from across the state.

                The program also maintains a booth on the exhibit hall floor for the purposes of recruiting for the program and the university.  At the booth, we have the opportunity to speak with high school students, their parents, and their teachers.  Many of these students are wonderful performers who are looking for a place to attend college.  By having a booth, we have the opportunity to meet them and to start developing the important relationships that might lead to a student deciding to attend SMSU.”

My second interview with Noah Anderson explained what they do at MMEA.

“There are quite a few things we can do at MMEA. There are tons of learning sessions, presentations, and workshops that we can attend. The All-State music ensembles give their concerts throughout the conference. Other schools from around the state perform as well. Plus, the conference has an expo-type showroom where you can network, buy music, get more information on schools. Plus [access] of networking possibilities, which are always beneficial. There are sessions on topics that aren’t always covered in our classes, so we can get a little insight there. Plus, it’s always great to gather new ideas from teachers who have years of experience.”

Lastly, I interviewed Illana Peter about the opportunity to play in the Intercollegiate Honor Band. I asked her about what they do and what the benefits are of the Intercollegiate Honor Band? Illana Replied with,

“The intercollegiate band at MMEA practices for about a day and a half, then gives a concert the following morning. Members are given the music in advance so they are mostly prepared to play, and the rehearsals are just about putting all of the parts together. Something that I find beneficial about the Intercollegiate Honor Band is getting to experience a different director’s conducting techniques and styles which might be completely different than ones of the director you’re used to playing under. You also have the chance to meet lots of people from schools all over Minnesota, forming connections that you might need in the future. Regular bands practice pieces as the whole group that will perform for months before the concert, but this band has every member practicing alone for a month or so and then puts it all together within a three-day conference. It’s pretty amazing.”

Sound’s like a very educational, fun-filled weekend. Good luck SMSU’s Music Department.