A letter from the President
of the SCBDA, Scott Rush.

Other Letters

June 1, 2009

"Spring 2009"

Dear Colleagues:

I consider it a privilege and honor to serve as president of the SCBDA. As I begin my term, I am humbled and awestruck at the work that has been done over the past seventy plus years of our association. Our band programs have gotten better and our music instruction has grown stronger. The men and women who have served in positions of leadership have set the bar high. I believe that South Carolina has the finest professionals in our business. The South Carolina Band Directors Association has a long and proud history and we should take pride in what we have accomplished. Our future is bright and we will continue to work hard at making our music programs the strongest in the country. "Music IS instrumental to success" and we must be proactive in promoting this to every person we come in contact with.

Although we are stronger than ever, we should "never stop learning and growing." I've asked the event chairs to continually look at best practices and to create ways to set the standard for others to emulate. This can be best accomplished if all of the creative minds of the association work together (synergy) to share ideas. We are especially fortunate to have many young guns, newbies to the profession, who need to get involved and infuse their ideas into the process. If something is not working, make a proposal and send it to the appropriate committee. The worse thing that can happen is a healthy discussion. I firmly believe that this is what makes our association special… we are the sum of all its parts and are made up of exceptional people doing extraordinary things. As an extension of this idea, I hope that we can establish some type of process where we can share ideas and teaching strategies that are happening in our rehearsal halls. I'll share more at our fall meeting.

As an extension of Martin's letter from a year ago, I would like to address our financial state of affairs. Last year, the committee was charged with the responsibility of creating a "rainy day" fund to cover expenses in case of an emergency. As most of you know, we are financially dependent on our marching events and are one hurricane away from a financial disaster. Since last year, we are about two-thirds closer to establishing the dollar amount necessary for this fund. We have decided to proceed with the same fee structure for next school year in hopes that we can reach our goal. We have decided to lower the All-State fee to $10 per student (down from $15) for next school year. This was done, in part, because in previous years, we waived the All-State fee. As we approach this magic number for our emergency fund, the finance committee will take a serious look at lowering other fees. I think that both strategies are financially sound … establishing an emergency fund, and revisiting our fee structure once the emergency fund is in place. The finance committee will review the fee structure each year and monitor our financial situation to make sure that we continue to provide high quality events.

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Leah Cordé to the SCBDA Board. Leah has been named as our new All-State chairperson. She has served on the All-State committee for years and has worked tirelessly during the All-State auditions, as well as the All-State clinic weekend, serving in many capacities. She brings a wealth of experience to this post and we wish her well as she hits the ground running. This position was created when Joe Meshach was named as our new president-elect.

I hope this letter finds you preparing for or already enjoying the summer break. Enjoy this time to travel, spend time with family, visit friends and renew and refresh yourself for the new school year. I hope that you will also take this time to recharge your batteries. Find time to "hone your skills," read a book, or take a graduate class. If there is ever anything that I can do to help, don't hesitate to contact me. It is an honor and privilege to serve you.

Musically yours,

Scott Rush
SCBDA President