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Jeff Sandquist
Jeff Sandquist
Jeff Sandquist currently serves as the Chair of MAAE. He served for a number of years as the secretary and vice-chair of MAAE. His history with the Alliance goes back over 20 years to the beginnings of what is now the MAAE. In addition to his work for MAAE he is a past-president of; Southwestern Division of the American Choral Directors Association, Missouri Choral Directors Association, Missouri Music Educators Association, Central District MMEA, and Arts Rolla!. He continues to serve SWACDA as the Honor Choir Coordinator. In real life he is recently retired from the music department chair and choral director position for the Rolla Public Schools, a position he has held for twenty-five years.
In a recent interview with MAAE Executive Director, Phyllis Pasley, Jeff had this to say:
E.D. What are some favored ways of spending spare time?
J.S. - I love to travel - both in-state...in country and international
E.D. - What personal achievement gives you the greatest satisfaction?
J.S. - Making music with choirs (of all ages) and at this time of COVID it is what I miss the most.
E.D. - What brought you into MAAE?
J.S. Robert Gifford....and a desire to be of service to my peers. The belief that the Alliance had the ability to be stronger than any of the individual member organizations on their own, and the conviction that it was the right thing to do for students of Missouri.
E.D. - In your tenure as chair, tell us what educational issue that MAAE has addressed that you believe was most beneficial to Missouri's arts ed community?
J.S. - There are a myriad of challenges facing arts educators. The Alliance's role in advocating for students, arts education, and the importance of the arts in our lives; the continually evolving and developing relationships between the Alliance, DESE, and other arts organizations not currently involved with the Alliance. The impact of Fine Arts Education Day has also been incredible over the years as I look back on it. Just the number of students who had the opportunity to take part in the event, and to be a part of something bigger than themselves.
E.D. - Are there any particular initiatives of MAAE that are of significant personal interest to you at this time? If so - tell me which issue and why it is important to you.
J.S. - Several: AEDP...and the RIDE Committee....equity is a huge issue on ALL fronts as we move forward. Through the work of the RIDE committee I have grown to better understand the challenges faced by many of my peers. Once AEDP is up and running it will provide much needed information as we strive to better serve ALL of the students of Missouri.
E.D. - What do you see as pivotal issues to be addressed moving forward?
J.S. - Funding/Advocacy/Minutes of Instruction....with the changes in MSIP. I fear that we might lose some of the teaching time that we have taken for granted over the years. With the financial challenges facing the state and all of our school districts advocating for the importance of arts programs will be even more necessary. All of this is happening at a time when the students need the arts more than ever...How best to communicate the importance of arts programs to the stakeholders and decision makers? An investment in the arts is an investment in the future.
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