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Welcome

Welcome to the Tennessee Chapter of the American String Teachers Association. We are an organization committed to advocacy for education in the performance of violin, viola, cello, bass, guitar, and harp. Our membership includes private and public school teachers, professional performers, luthiers, amateur players, and university students and teachers. To become a part of our growing and exciting Tennessee string community, please visit http://www.astaweb.com/membership.htm.

Coming Events

TNASTA Luncheon

The 2011 Annual Tennessee String Teachers Luncheon will be in the TN Ballroom B of the Gaylord Opryland Hotel at 12:30-1:30pm on Friday, April 8th during the Tennessee Music Educators Conference. Cost will be $10 each.

Please e-mail Sara Johnson at saranjohnson@comcast.net with your reservation for the luncheon by April 1st. We look forward to seeing all TNASTA members at this wonderful event.

New information is posted for the 2011 State Solo Competition which will be conducted this year using applicant recordings.

Please click HERE for more information.

Southeastern String Orchestra Festival
University of South Carolina

Dear Orchestra Director:

We are very excited to host the First Annual Southeastern String Orchestra Festival this coming September (23-25), 2010 and are hoping that you will apply to bring your top string orchestra to join us. Our main goals are to inspire young musicians, and increase their awareness of the talent that is in our field.

We are now accepting applications (as we have a limitation of approximately 100-120 musicians) to be a part of this festival. The best part is that there is No Cost to participate. The only cost that you will incur is for travel and hotels. We will provide a list of hotels that are both close to town, or slightly outside that include breakfast upon acceptance to participate.

For a detailed schedule of events CLICK HERE. The Second Annual Donald Portnoy International Violin Competition will take place that same weekend, and your students will be able to observe the finals. Also, USC Symphony will perform its first concert of the 2010-2011 season on that Thursday evening, featuring violinist Rachel Barton Pine. Tickets will be provided free of charge for those participating in the festival.

As you can see on the next page, we have a lot planned and believe this will be a tremendous inspiration for your students going forward. Please feel free to e-mail us with additional questions, and we¹ll get back to you as soon as possible:

Dr. Donald Portnoy, Director of Orchestras: dportnoy@mozart.sc.edu
Mr. Neil Casey, Assistant Director of Orchestras: ncasey@mozart.sc.edu
Charlene Rackley, Administrative Director: charl@mailbox.sc.edu
Or call at: (803) 777 -7500
Hope to hear from you soon-

Donald Portnoy
Neil Casey
Charlene Rackley

Seeking Student Involvement...

Students of the string profession are an extremely important resource to help us pursue ASTA's mission. Do you know of a college or university that could benefit from the creation of an ASTA Student Chapter? If so, please send information to kari@astaweb.com. ASTA is currently offering special incentives for starting new Student Chapters.

We also have another great deal for student members to become active in the 2008 National Conference. This is a great place to get student ASTA members together and involved. To encourage this, we offer complimentary student registration to the conference in exchange for volunteering at least 16 hours. More information can be found on our website or by contacting Deanna at (703) 279-2113, ext. 24 or deanna@astaweb.com by February 8.

Tennessee Arts Commission Funds are still available through two Arts Education grant categories:

Teacher Incentive grants provide professional development funds for arts specialists, classroom teachers, roster teaching artists, and school administrators to attend arts integration training or opportunities that will benefit their career. Funds may be used as reimbursement for travel and/or registration fees as well as stipends. Training may include in-state, out-of-state, or international opportunities. Maximum request is $1000. Application deadline is at least 30 days before the PD opportunity begins.

Grant Guidelines may be accessed at

www.arts.state.tn.us/guidelines/fy08/guidelines_ae-ti_fy08.pdf

Arts Education Mini-Grants provide funding for one day or short term projects utilizing one of the Commission's approved Artists-in-Residence. Applicants may include schools, school systems, and 501(c)3 organizations. Maximum request is $1000. Application deadline is at least 30 days before the project start date.

Grant Guidelines may be accessed at

http://www.arts.state.tn.us/guidelines/fy08/guidelines_ae-mg_fy08.pdf

F. Michael Combs
Executive Secretary-Treasurer and
Publications Editor for the
Tennessee Music Education Association
865 573-2994; fax 865 577-9584
http://www.tnmea.org

The mission of TMEA is: To promote the advancement of high quality music education for all.

The Certificate Program is a framework for the graded periodic assessment of the string instrument student's technical progress and musical development. Through the program, students earn Certificates of Achievement as they complete each level of competency. The program is designed to encourage and motivate students, and to recognize their progress. It is open to all students, preschool through adult.