From the D3 President

Hello, D3!

What an amazing festival season it has been!

As I sit to compose this letter I am flooded with memories and mixed emotions. The last few months have been a blur of snow, ice, flooding, 2-hour delays, and amazing student experiences. By the time Band Fest is over on May 11, I will have spent over 52 hours driving or riding to PMEA events, I will have spent 15 nights in hotels, and I will have told over 1000 students to leave all electronic devices in the auditorium before auditions. I will have consumed countless cups of coffee and way too many donuts and danishes. I will have missed 17 days of school for PMEA events. I will have spent priceless time getting to know colleagues, conductors and amazing young people from our district and from all over Pennsylvania. To say that I will miss this would be a huge understatement. I have enjoyed my time as PMEA District 3 president immensely. Thank you for making this opportunity possible and for giving of your own time every year to provide your students with these awesome experiences!

We could not do these events without the hard work of our hosts. Thank you to Kassy Buente, Jason Venesky, Brennan Bell, Lora Strayer, Gavin Virag, Zach Karcher, and Tom Bowser for hosting events this year. All of you worked to put the experience of the student above all else and it showed in your work. Please take some time to look at the photos in this newsletter and reminisce about a great festival season. There is also important information regarding mini-grant applications, summer conference grants, and the music department of the month initiative below.

Thank you for being an amazing group of educators. I look forward to staying in touch with all of you and visiting next year's festivals when able. Please do not hesitate to contact me for anything. I am still president until July 1st. After that I will be immediate past-president for 2 years and I will continue to serve D3 as the Chorus Fest coordinator and as a representative on the state Student Performing Events Council (SPEC). I leave you all in good hands next year with Dr. Ryan Beeken from IUP leading the charge!

Thanks for everything!

-Becky

School Email: rsensor@dasd.k12.pa.us

Personal Email: mrssensor@gmail.com

Website: https://tinyurl.com/mrssensormusic

Please send any news of retirements or job openings to rsensor@dasd.k12.pa.us or mrssensor@gmail.com !!!