Finale Fireworks

I have to say it--The National Anthem Project Finale was spectacular. Really spectacular. Everything came together so perfectly--the kids, the teachers, the weather, the Oak Ridge Boys, the "President's Own" Marine Band, the VIPs, the press, and the Members of Congress.

Articles:
National Anthem Project -- Video of Morning Event
Students sing national anthem at Washington Monument
Singing along to the national song
Hundreds Of Children Commemorate Flag Day
and many more!

The congressional side of things was an adrenaline filled 35 minutes and so I will narrate using a "time line" sequence. But first, let me set the scene.

It was a sunny day that began cloudy with cool and comfortable temperatures. Our heroine, me, decided to bring along a rain coat as the ground was still wet and the clouds had yet to part. Sunscreen was forgotten (my skin saved by HS bringing an extra tube--too bad I missed a spot on my face-now bright red). SKJ was a busy bee flying around as she was one of the event's planners along with EH. HS, new addition to the department, was in charge of the congressional check-in while CW and myself would be escorting the arriving Members of Congress. Senator Larry Craig (ID) was scheduled to speak at the press conference that began at 1:45pm. Representative Dennis Moore (KS) was set to arrive to meet with MENC Past-President David Circle at some point. Representative Jerry Moran was set to arrive to meet with a school group from his district--25 or so kids somewhere in the mass of 5,000 kids--all wearing red shirts.

1:30 pm -- CW calls for update from Craig's office, but unable to reach his contact. A good sign, but contingency plans for teleprompter and Dr. M finalized. All while the Marine Band performs.
1:40 pm -- Craig's office calls and says they are five minutes away. CW and ARN pace nervously and ARN finds back way onto stage for minimal travel time from car.
1:43 pm -- Band finishes two minutes early. Press conference begins! Remainder of MENC staff begin to pace.
1:44 pm -- Craig arrives! CW apologies for rushing the Senator and the kind-hearted Senator says not need to apologize and runs with CW using back path.
1:45 pm -- Craig calmly sits in chair on stage and speaks eloquently a few minutes later. CW and I let out huge sigh of relief. Feet hurt from running in heels.
1:48 pm -- Rep. Dennis Moore arrives escorted by blogger EWL. Introductions are made and quiet jollity ensues as Rep. Moore is an old friend of the project.
1:54 pm -- Rep. Moore slips into VIP seating with David Circle.
1:58 pm -- Oak Ridge Boys come on stage and make brief comments about the project.
2:00 pm -- Thousands of red t-shirt clad students, parents, teacher, and onlookers sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" together.
2:01 pm -- HS brings Rep. Jerry Moran to stage. I jump a stone wall in a skirt suit to find his students before they leave! Thank goodness CW and I had planned ahead so I knew where they were.
2:02 pm -- Sen. Craig gives comments on camera. CW takes him to see Oaks as they are old friends. Find Kansas students for Rep. Moran before they leave and get them to stay. Student steals teacher's cell phone from his pocket without him noticing.
2:03 pm -- Rep. Moran talks with students and takes pictures in front of the monument.
2:05 pm -- CW makes mad dash to Capitol Hill to facilitate meeting between school group and Senate office.

So while it was only 35 minutes...it was intense! I need to watch the video of the event because I missed most of it running around. And I have to include this picture of Sen. Craig on the left because it's just so great.

It doesn't end there! Today, the school groups are doing patriotic music performances at the national monuments. SKJ is escorting Mrs. America, Marney Duckworth, to go see the different groups and has been so kind as to send me a photo. What an amazing experience for all of the students and teachers!

And then tomorrow we have the kids all participating the Drum Corps International competition in Annapolis, Maryland to wrap it all up!

Around the water cooler: Water cooler? Was there a water cooler at the Washington Monument? I must've missed it. A special thank you to ML for my present -- a red, Swingline stapler!!!!

Everyone loves pudding!

Hello all!

This week has just flown by for Gov. Relations and Outreach! On Tuesday night we had an MENC Government Relations Task Force conference call to work on a new advocacy resource. Keep your eyes peeled. I've also been getting ready for Tuesday's Advocacy Webinar titled, Working with Allies -- Associations and Businesses. If you are an MENC member, you are invited to register!

Today the MENC Legislative Memo is coming out. One great piece of news in the Legislative Memo that I want to share is that Congress passed a resolution in support of music education. The House passed the resolution on April 26 and the Senate passed it on Tuesday. Because it is a "concurrent resolution" it will not go to the president as many bills do, but rather gives a "sense of Congress". The conclusion of the resolution reads,

"Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that music education grounded in rigorous instruction is an important component of a well-rounded academic curriculum and should be available to every student in every school."

This week CW and SJ have been feverishly working on plans and invitations for The National Anthem Project finale June 14-16. (Shameless plug--you should come and sing with the thousands of school children plus the Oak Ridge Boys!) I have been working on the project since before it began and can't believe we're almost at the end. I think it has been a fantastic project for music education and has really highlighted the importance of music education to an audience that hadn't always been so supportive in the past.

Around the Water Cooler:

Part One -- Sweeps: I read an article about how Idol ratings are down and I have to say I'm not surprised. With Melinda now out of the competition I realized I'm not actually that excited about the finale. Then again I also realized I'm not that exicited about the finale regardless of who's in it. I'm still a big Blake fan, but I'm okay if he doesn't win. And I'm SO GLAD that Joey is in the finals of DWTS. GO JOEY!! I have to say the season finale of Ugly Betty last night blew my socks off--wow!! LOVE the show for so many reasons. Grey's had some shockers, but I'm disappointed in this season's portrayal of marriage so overall I was not as impressed.

Part Two: Stumbled upon this earlier in the week...love it!

The Intersection

Hello all!

This has been quite the interesting week--full of intersections between politics and music!

This week Gov. Relations staffer CW finished up our new book of congressional quotes of music education (with the help of designer KR). It is the third edition of Music for All and you can get your first look at it at MENC's Centennial Celebration. We have a fantastic collection of quotes so I asked CW for his favorite to highlight. It is from Senator John Kerry who said,

"We know that children who learn music are better equipped for success in life. Music education enriches children’s lives by helping them develop a sharp mind, abstract reasoning skills, and self-confidence as they grow into adults. Along with giving children a positive outlet for their energy, music education helps keep our young people on track, out of trouble and in school. Music education is an invaluable and essential part of education for young people, and investing in it is good for our kids, our schools, and our communities. I thank the National Association for Music Education for their commitment to this issue, and look forward to supporting their efforts in our new Congress."

In another intersection of politics and music, this week the AP asked presidential candidates questions what music they last purchased. What interesting answers and a great idea to bring that to political stage! You get a better feel for them as people after you read what music they are listening to.

Finally, we're working on the MENC Legislative Memo for May and CW writes the Congressional Corner. This month we're profiling Senator Chris Dodd and CW found he regularly listens to his iPod. In fact, there is a web site where you can request music or podcasts to be put on his iPod for him to listen to. Check it out and request what you think he should listen to!

Under the category of disclaimer, please note that nothing is this blog should be considered as any kind of an endorsement whatsoever!

Have a great week and "see" you next week!

Around the Water Cooler: How did it get to be May and how are we down to the final weeks of both American Idol and Dancing With the Stars?! While I'll probably be a little sad to see the two shows end, I'm really looking forward to Nigel Lythgoe's OTHER reality show (he's AI's Exec. Producer), So You Think You Can Dance. Come to think about it, Nigel's really given music and dance a national stage in a cross-cultural and cross-generational way unlike anything else I can think of.

Interviews and Parking

Hello all!

Well this has been quite a busy week for the Government Relations and Outreach Department. We've also been interviewing for an assistant and have narrowed the field!

All of this interviewing made me reminisce back to when I interviewed for MENC. I remember that when I came the beautiful cherry blossoms were in full bloom and greeted me when I arrived excessively early. As I sat in my car waiting for a more appropriate time to come inside, I thought, "What a beautiful place to work," and knew I would like it instantly. Of course the fact that my parking space was in full view of my interviewer's office didn't strike me until AFTER I started the job. And we all know who drives what car...there may be 58 of us, but we still know when an "new" car arrives... ;)

People definitely have their favorite parking spaces, too. The most controversial is which "side" you park on. When you drive into our parking lot, you can either park on the right side or the left side. People are very particular as to which side they park on. I, along with several others, have theorized that where you park is a direct result of where you parked for your interview. In fact, I have found few exceptions--except me. But I have a good reason! I changed sides after someone kept hitting my car with their door and leaving marks. I'm sure they didn't realize they were doing it, but regardless, my car is happier on the "other" side. This picture is of the "right" side.

Also interesting (and maybe only to me) is the incidence of the "pull-through" and the "back-in." Because we have somewhat staggered hours at MENC, the "pull-through" works well. Those arriving earliest (and therefore leaving earlier) pull through to the front spaces so they can leave in a forward manner. Then those arriving later park behind them, but can pull through when they leave because the early employee cars are now gone. The "left" side, as pictured here, are clearly "pull-through" people as evidenced by every... single...car in the picture. The "right" side adheres in the morning, but I've found more people on the "right" side leave the office for lunch and so disorder follows in the parking lot as employees are forced to use reverse when leaving.

There is also one car lover who truly loves his car and his parking reflects it. So much so that it begs mention. He parks in the same space every day in the back row so no one will park by him. He also always backs into his space to give a clean start every time. Just in case anyone considers parking next to him, he's started parking in the middle of two spaces to clearly say, "Stay away!" It makes me smile. And not park in the back row.

Isn't it amazing how much you can tell just from a parking lot? Thankfully we have a wonderfully maintained and well-kept parking lot (thank you JR) and we are a rather flexible bunch!

Around the Water Cooler: I'm so proud of Blake. I was really worried about him after last week and frankly, disheartened. I LOVED his rendition of "You Give Love a Bad Name" and think it is the most orginal version of a song on American Idol over all six seasons. Really. I think he is a true artist that belongs in today's pop music scene. GO BLAKE!!

MENC Webinars: Behind the Scenes

Hello to all!

This week we have had a flurry of activity in the Government Relations Department. We've been working on a series of advocacy materials to roll out for the Centennial Congress so now is crunch time on all three sets of materials. We also welcomed a "new" Outreach Manager on Thursday! I say "new" because we'd already been working with SKJ for some time. Congratulations and we're so happy to have you working with us!

Last night was also one of our MENC Webinars. For those of you who may not have heard of a "webinar," it is a web seminar. You log-on from your home computer and see the powerpoint presentation as the speaker goes through it and hear them speaking through your speakers or your telephone. There are a variety of interactive tools including immediate-results polls and a question and answer box where your questions are answered by the speaker on-air.

This webinar was titled "New Leader Warm-up, Tuning Up for Your New MEA Role." It specifically targeted new MEA leaders (mostly president-elects) but was open to any leaders who wanted an MENC-refresher. MENC President-Elect Barbara Geer was the featured speaker with several staff members, including Dr. Mahlmann and myself, also participating. Although I've done quite a few webinars, I'd never actually spoken on one of them until last night!

The webinar pre-conference began 45 minutes before the actual webinar. Barbara and I were joined by our webinar moderator and we worked out some of the timing issues since I was turning the slides as Barbara was presenting from her home in North Carolina. As people began logging in about 15 minutes prior to start, we turned out the "previews" which is a series of rotating MENC promotional slides much like you might see at the movies. At this point all of the MENC presenters had gathered in the same room.

And then, we were off! Within the first few minutes, there was a problem so the operator pulled our line out of the conference to talk to us offline. It was at that point that I realized Barbara might be cuing for a new slide, but I couldn't hear her! I quickly asked the operator to have the person email our technical support for immediate assistance and was placed back into the conference. I went ahead and flipped the slide guessing that it would be the appropriate timing. Thankfully it was!!

The presentation then rolled smoothly on and it was time for MENC staff to present! We all did a fantastic job (if I say so myself). Then, fellow blogger EWL helped me queue up the questions for our moderator. Because of the number and variety of questions coming in, we had to direct our moderator which questions needed to be asked and in what order. It is a hectic and adrenaline-filled 25 minutes of Q & A! Of course it appears effortless to the viewer.

And then it was done...for now! Our next webinar, Working with Allies - Associations and Businesses, is open to all members. If you would like to sign-up, simply click on the webinar link. Using your member number and the discount code MENCFREE you can join us on May 22nd. We hope to see you there!

Around the Water Cooler: I'm only slightly okay with no one going home on American Idol. As RF mentioned, she'd guessed that was the "big surprise." I have some advice for Blake...he needs to keep his chin down. I've seen up his nose entirely too many times. He likes to accentuate the notes with a head nod up...and I can't take it anymore. Really. If he can fix that and add a little more of his personality and flavor back in, he can still be my favorite. But until that time, I'm rooting for Jordin and Melinda. And maybe Phil if he can keep the country sound. :)

I love marching bands!

There really is just something fantastic about a marching band--a crisp day, the sun reflecting off of the freshly polished instruments, the sound of warm-ups being played, focused musicians, the colors and movements of the colorguard, the drum major's metronomic arms, and then the combination of sound you can feel and visual elements you can see--you just can't beat it.

This week at MENC we were fortunate to have the Coronado High School Marching Band from Henderson, Nevada, stop by MENC headquarters. Led by MENC teacher Danielle McCracken, the band was in town to play at the Cherry Blossom Festival. They gave the MENC a performance of Sheryl Crow's Soak Up the Sun and Zoot Suit Riot by the Cherry Poppin' Daddies. They also played their fight song. (You can always tell a good fight song when you hear it and somehow instinctively know the words and boy was it a good fight song.) They then got a tour of the building, had some cookies, and learned more about what it is that MENC does before heading off on their way. It was a real treat to have them visit!

In case you can't tell, I'm a band person and in particular a marching band person. As someone who never "settled" on a particular instrument but tried a variety of them, I ended up in colorguard in high school. As a result, most of my friends were in band and I was practically an honorary member. I got to see first-hand the effect of music on students and noticed that the same people in band and orchestra were the same people in my honors classes. Having witnessed the effects of music education first-hand, I decided I wanted to use my government background to help promote music education. And that is how I landed here at MENC! So thank you to Miss Stockhouse, my high school band director, for her amazing work with students!

Around the Water Cooler: Well, she did it!! Fellow blogger RF WON my March Madness NCAA (free) pool!! It's the first time I've lost my own pool. After the Final Four, I sprang to the lead as the only one to correctly pick both of the final two teams. Sadly, I chose Ohio State to win and RF correctly chose Florida. So with a margin of only 30 points, she will be taking the trophy home!

In other news, I'm shocked that Gina went home on American Idol. Apparently all of her other fans are like me and didn't vote. What a shame. Like Blake, I feel Gina brought something a little different each week which made the show interesting. No shock that Shandi from Dancing With the Stars went home though. With the scores so close, it's down to popularity.

On a tangent, this is a fascinating article on Larry King in the NYT! And kudos to CBS’ “Face the Nation” host Bob Schieffer who intrinsically knows the power of music--"“If I knew what a band could do for your life, I would have taken guitar lessons a long time ago...The chicks love it!”

Adventures in Advocacy!

Hello Blog Readers!

It's a beautiful day here in MENC-land with blue skies! I hope it is just as beautiful there.

Did you know that advocacy is quite the adventure? Well, it is! This week's adventure took CW and I to Capitol Hill to talk to several offices about The National Anthem Project Curriculum Kit. As you likely already know from the MENC Legislative Memo (unabashed plug, sign up here!), we are hoping to create and disseminate a national anthem curriculum kit to send to every public school in the country, but need funding to do so.

Now, CW and I are very familiar with Capitol Hill after both having worked there for years. Yet we still stumbled across a secret place neither of us had seen before. Within about 50 yards of the Capitol is this beautiful little brick enclave. It was sunken down a bit and had a gurgling fountain in the middle and had stone seats all around. This is picture CW took with his cell phone. (Better quality to last week's advocacy day photos--maybe we should've used his phone instead of the cameras!) It was quite the welcome retreat from the bustling halls and sidewalks of Capitol Hill, so we sat there for a few minutes taking it all in. Unfortunately, a group of about 15 or so tourists also soon stumbled upon it and it became slightly less serene. ;)

From there we headed towards Union Station and were not allowed to cross the street by several imposing policemen and police vehicles. We knew something was coming, but we weren't sure what. It turned out to be the presidential motorcade. And considering the nine or so armored SUVs (not to mention all the police) and what I believe was a helicopter overhead, I'm guessing he was in the car. We tried to get a picture (again with the camera phone) but could only snap a few--this one you can see one of the police cars in front followed by two of the gazillion black SUVs. I think my favorite part of the motorcade is always the person whose job is to ride filming the motorcade while standing up through a hole in a van.

Well those were our adventures in advocacy this week!! Tune in next week to see what exciting adventures we have!

Around the Water Cooler: There's a new lead in my NCAA pool! DP from the web team has taken a strong lead as we go into the Final Four games this Saturday and the final game Monday night. I still have a chance to win, though, so my hopes are pinned on Ohio State to win it all. In other news, I was only slightly surprised that Chris Sligh went home on American Idol and that Paulina went home on Dancing with the Stars. I love both shows and am rooting for Joey Fatone to win DWTS!! Maybe I should start a Dancing with the Stars pool, too... (free of course!) Until next time!

Ain't technology grand?

Hello blog-readers! It is a pleasure to "meet" you and welcome to the MENC blog!

I want to talk today about the fascinating world of technology. Technology is supposed to make things easier. I appreciate that. The problem becomes when technology turns on you. And that's what happened to the Government Relations department last week.

Our department (CW and I) went to Arts Advocacy Day on March 13 which is hosted by Americans for the Arts and MENC is a National CoSponsor. They have all sorts of fantastic events on Capitol Hill including a breakfast where they invite Hollywood stars and Congressional leaders who support the arts. There was also a hearing held after the breakfast on the importance of the arts and funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

As I also do the MENC Legislative Memo, I thought it'd be great to take pictures and put them in the next Memo so both CW and I took our...wait for it...DIGITAL cameras. And this is where technology takes a turn. We have ONE and I mean only ONE picture that came out. Look for it in the March memo. (Shameless plug--sign up now!) What's more, we've realized that both of us were so mesmerized by the great, the fantastic Wynton Marsalis, that neither of us took a picture of him at the breakfast.

So here's what most of the thirty-some-odd pictures look like. On the right is the legendary Jane Powell of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers fame. She's the one at the podium if you can make it out. See how fuzzy and dark it is?

Then there's this picture on the left. That's the Chairman of the Interior Appropriations Committee Norm Dicks (D-WA). Not only is he a great speaker, but he's also a very powerful Congressman that supports the arts. Yet another unusable, blurry photo from the breakfast.

After the breakfast we headed over the hearing that Chairman Dicks was having on the arts featuring many of the same folks that were at the breakfast. As the hearing was held in a small room, all of the members of Congress and the speakers were seated around a conference table. The room was filled to capacity and they would only let new people in as others left--and I'm talking fire code full, not chairs full. And the picture reflects that. CW and I had to stand in the back huddled with about ten others. I have put in "nametags" to try and help sort through which people we care about. This IS one picture we got of Wynton--well the back of his head. Did I mention how eloquent he is? You can also see the back of actor Chris Klein's head. (He was in Election and the American Pie movies). If only I'd been one of the four photographers shown in this picture--I'd have gotten a better shot.

So while I appreciate technology, I have to say that sometimes I just wish I still had my film camera.

Around the Water Cooler: One thing about me that you'll definitely learn--I'm from Indiana. That means I have basketball in my blood so March Madness is a very important time of year. Since there aren't a huge number of sports fans here, I started my own NCAA March Madness pool. This is the third year running and after last night's close call wins by Memphis and Ohio State, a fellow blogger is tied in FIRST with SKJ and AW. Unfortunately I'm in second, but I'm not out yet! Having won the last two, I'm looking for a three-pete. Will keep you posted...