This last weekend, I attended the Midwestern Region’s music therapy conference (#mwamta12). It was hosted in my home town, good old Iowa City, IA. What a treat it was. Attendance was pretty high for a midwestern regional – I think we were around 200. There were sessions on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I spent most of the time at my exhibit booth (see picture). I had to do quite a bit of running around, so I brought in the big guns for help. Thanks Mom!!
Mom to the rescue
I sold quite a few of my lullaby CD’s, and also sold Rachel Rambach’s CD, Time to Sing Hello. Dr. Robert Krout also contributed some items, such as guitar instruction books and CDs. My band, Slip Silo, performed on Friday night, and we moved quite a few albums as well. Overall, a very successful weekend!
Though I didn’t make it to very many sessions, there were still many highlights. The town hall meeting regarding master’s level entry was quite productive. Everyone’s ability to articulate their ideas and concerns in a respectful way was impressive and admirable. It will be very interesting to see how everything plays out.
Judy Simpson and Kimberly Sena Moore had an awesome presentation about advocacy and state recognition. It is quite clear that state recognition is the next big task for the profession. It got me excited about talking to legislators and “grass tops” (e.g., the decision-maker who lives next door and you didn’t even know it). Cool things are happening across the nation, and Judy and Kimberly are on top of it. I just found out that Judy, Kimberly, and AMTA president Dr. Mary Ellen Wylie (as well as others I’m sure) are in Washington, D.C. TODAY advocating for the arts. Don’t let them do all the work – you can help! Check out the “take action” section. It only takes a couple minutes.
Everyone have a great week!
Matt