Open Letter to PMEA Western Region Orchestra
In light of the difficult decision to cancel PMEA Western Region Orchestra, I wanted to share some thoughts with all those involved. Over the course of the day of rehearsal and during the concert, I had planned to share many of these thoughts. Since that opportunity is not available, I want to share some thoughts with all who would have been involved.
First, to the students. The past 18-24 months have been incredibly challenging for in-person music making. I was very much looking forward to meeting each of you and working as a collective group to create incredible music. Please know the decision to cancel was not made lightly. Your directors and PMEA leadership engaged in dialogue for several days prior to making this decision. Your safety is the priority for every single member of the organization.
Whenever a prospective student auditions for me at Grove City College and tells me they participated in a PMEA Regional festival, I know instantly they are a talented musician with a strong work ethic. Getting into Regional Orchestra does not happen by accident. Thank you for your dedication to your craft and striving for excellence. While we may not be able to be together, I would encourage you to read about each of the selections that we would have played.
The Hanson is one of my favorite works to conduct. Howard Hanson was an American composer and Director of the Eastman School of Music for 40 years. He dedicated his life to the encouragement, creation, and preservation of beauty in music, believing it to be an art form possessing unique power to raise to a new level both performer and listener. Hanson wrote this symphony as a “protest against the growing Schoenbergism of the time”. About the work, he shared the following at the premiere in 1930: “My aim in this symphony has been to create a work young in spirit, Romantic in temperament, and simple and direct in expression.” Throughout the work you hear musical conflict that leads to the release of the conflict/tension and results in absolutely gorgeous music.
I could write pages about this work and the other works, but I encourage you to think about Hanson’s ideals and goals with music. He stated in 1936, “We call upon ourselves to utilize this force (music) for the benefit of mankind…we study an art that is part of infinity itself. It is tangible, it is intangible. It is science, it is art. It is emotion, it is intellect.” Think about these ideas as we emerge from two years of a global pandemic and all the chaos that exists in the world. Think about this in light of your participation in a music festival with more than 150 students from more than 60 school districts. You are from different places and experiences, but we always have one goal as an orchestra: Make excellent music together.
To the parents. Thank you for your support of your children. As the parent of three children who are at various stages of music making, I know very well what beginning instruments sound like. I know how much time, energy, and money you have invested in lessons, rehearsals, concerts, and everything associated with the music industry. Thank you for encouraging your children when they struggle, for not letting them quit, and for praising them when they succeed. I thank you for all you do for the next generation of music-makers.
To the teachers. Thank you for your dedication to your students and your perseverance during the last two years. Thank you for working with, encouraging, and inspiring your students to achieve their best. Thank you to the ensemble directors for what you do on a daily basis to provide outstanding opportunities for your students regardless of whether they are participating in PMEA, youth symphony, or other events. Private teachers, thank you for working with, challenging, and mentoring this generation of musicians. I am sure lessons are not always only about music but include life lessons, encouragement, and mentoring as these young men and women determine what they will do next.
To the administrators. Thank you for supporting your teachers and students as they seek excellence in their musical craft. As a school board member, I see how much work administrators put into their teachers, students, and communities. Your work is greatly appreciated. I encourage you to continue your support of the arts and music. We need music in our world and especially the skills associated with hard work, dedication, beauty, and creativity. The students who were going to participate in this festival were doing so as a collective body of musicians with one goal: Make excellent music together. There was competition earlier in the process but once they hit that stage for rehearsals and concert, it was all about that goal. They know they cannot achieve as much alone as they can as a group and they would have spent the entire day working toward excellence. These young people are your student musicians, athletes, government reps, outstanding learners, and people who represent your school districts with great pride and joy. They are our future. We need to support them as they seek their path in the next stage of life.
In closing, I thank each of you for the invitation to conduct PMEA Western Region Orchestra. I encourage you to keep up the great work through the rest of this school year and beyond. Work hard in the classroom, the practice field, the rehearsal room, and the stage. Support each other and work together to achieve excellence. I was so excited to conduct that I got a haircut just for this event (my colleagues and students poked fun at my expense for a few days). While you won’t see my smiling face for this event, I will be thinking of each of you as you finish out this school year. I hope to work with you at some point in the future and welcome those of you attending PMEA All-State to stop by the Grove City College booth to say hello and introduce yourselves.
My very best,
Jeffrey M. Tedford, D.M.A.
Grove City College Chair, Department of Music | Director of Orchestras
President, Pennsylvania-Delaware String Teachers Association
Grove City Area School District Board of Directors
In light of the difficult decision to cancel PMEA Western Region Orchestra, I wanted to share some thoughts with all those involved. Over the course of the day of rehearsal and during the concert, I had planned to share many of these thoughts. Since that opportunity is not available, I want to share some thoughts with all who would have been involved.
First, to the students. The past 18-24 months have been incredibly challenging for in-person music making. I was very much looking forward to meeting each of you and working as a collective group to create incredible music. Please know the decision to cancel was not made lightly. Your directors and PMEA leadership engaged in dialogue for several days prior to making this decision. Your safety is the priority for every single member of the organization.
Whenever a prospective student auditions for me at Grove City College and tells me they participated in a PMEA Regional festival, I know instantly they are a talented musician with a strong work ethic. Getting into Regional Orchestra does not happen by accident. Thank you for your dedication to your craft and striving for excellence. While we may not be able to be together, I would encourage you to read about each of the selections that we would have played.
The Hanson is one of my favorite works to conduct. Howard Hanson was an American composer and Director of the Eastman School of Music for 40 years. He dedicated his life to the encouragement, creation, and preservation of beauty in music, believing it to be an art form possessing unique power to raise to a new level both performer and listener. Hanson wrote this symphony as a “protest against the growing Schoenbergism of the time”. About the work, he shared the following at the premiere in 1930: “My aim in this symphony has been to create a work young in spirit, Romantic in temperament, and simple and direct in expression.” Throughout the work you hear musical conflict that leads to the release of the conflict/tension and results in absolutely gorgeous music.
I could write pages about this work and the other works, but I encourage you to think about Hanson’s ideals and goals with music. He stated in 1936, “We call upon ourselves to utilize this force (music) for the benefit of mankind…we study an art that is part of infinity itself. It is tangible, it is intangible. It is science, it is art. It is emotion, it is intellect.” Think about these ideas as we emerge from two years of a global pandemic and all the chaos that exists in the world. Think about this in light of your participation in a music festival with more than 150 students from more than 60 school districts. You are from different places and experiences, but we always have one goal as an orchestra: Make excellent music together.
To the parents. Thank you for your support of your children. As the parent of three children who are at various stages of music making, I know very well what beginning instruments sound like. I know how much time, energy, and money you have invested in lessons, rehearsals, concerts, and everything associated with the music industry. Thank you for encouraging your children when they struggle, for not letting them quit, and for praising them when they succeed. I thank you for all you do for the next generation of music-makers.
To the teachers. Thank you for your dedication to your students and your perseverance during the last two years. Thank you for working with, encouraging, and inspiring your students to achieve their best. Thank you to the ensemble directors for what you do on a daily basis to provide outstanding opportunities for your students regardless of whether they are participating in PMEA, youth symphony, or other events. Private teachers, thank you for working with, challenging, and mentoring this generation of musicians. I am sure lessons are not always only about music but include life lessons, encouragement, and mentoring as these young men and women determine what they will do next.
To the administrators. Thank you for supporting your teachers and students as they seek excellence in their musical craft. As a school board member, I see how much work administrators put into their teachers, students, and communities. Your work is greatly appreciated. I encourage you to continue your support of the arts and music. We need music in our world and especially the skills associated with hard work, dedication, beauty, and creativity. The students who were going to participate in this festival were doing so as a collective body of musicians with one goal: Make excellent music together. There was competition earlier in the process but once they hit that stage for rehearsals and concert, it was all about that goal. They know they cannot achieve as much alone as they can as a group and they would have spent the entire day working toward excellence. These young people are your student musicians, athletes, government reps, outstanding learners, and people who represent your school districts with great pride and joy. They are our future. We need to support them as they seek their path in the next stage of life.
In closing, I thank each of you for the invitation to conduct PMEA Western Region Orchestra. I encourage you to keep up the great work through the rest of this school year and beyond. Work hard in the classroom, the practice field, the rehearsal room, and the stage. Support each other and work together to achieve excellence. I was so excited to conduct that I got a haircut just for this event (my colleagues and students poked fun at my expense for a few days). While you won’t see my smiling face for this event, I will be thinking of each of you as you finish out this school year. I hope to work with you at some point in the future and welcome those of you attending PMEA All-State to stop by the Grove City College booth to say hello and introduce yourselves.
My very best,
Jeffrey M. Tedford, D.M.A.
Grove City College Chair, Department of Music | Director of Orchestras
President, Pennsylvania-Delaware String Teachers Association
Grove City Area School District Board of Directors
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