President’s Note
I hope that everyone had a festive Fourth of July celebration, and that you are all enjoying some much-deserved rest during the hot summer months.
In the spirit of some summer reflection, I’d like to share two key words that I’ll be focusing on during my term as TMTA President. I would love to hear your input and ideas as we go forward!
The first word is “access”. As I think about our TMTA activities, I would like us to imagine ways in which we can improve access for students and teachers around the state. This could have many meanings. Perhaps we can brainstorm creative financial strategies for students from lower-income families, hybrid or online offerings for students in rural parts of our state, or more enrichment events in various locations around Texas to ensure that we are serving all of our teachers. We also need to find ways to deliver our existing content online, both for students who have moved out of the area but still study with TMTA teachers, and for students who prefer the convenience online instruction. Some specific things that your TMTA officers will be considering at our upcoming summer retreat are how to offer the theory test and World of Music exams remotely. These conversations will be a great complement to our new online “All-TMTA” ensemble program and our online “Lone Star MTA” local association.
The second word is “adaptability”. How are we adapting to serve our students and their families in 21st-century Texas? Are we meeting our students in their own musical cultures, helping them to learn their instrument in a way that enables them to deepen their enjoyment of the music they already know while also introducing them to the long tradition of Western classical music? Are we crafting our policies in ways that serve the multiple family structures present in our communities? Is TMTA adapting within its own structure to welcome timely input from as many different voices as possible within our organization?
I would love to hear any and all of your thoughts on these matters! TMTA is a wonderful resource for thousands of teachers and students all across our state, and I want to make sure we grow even stronger.
In service to you all,
Richard Fountain
