Statistics for the last NEMFA Web News Bulletin and NEMFA NewsFlash that was emailed to the membership indicate that only a small percentage of what is sent out is actually opened. Of the September, 2011 Web News Bulletin, only 66 out of 255 emails were opened. Of the June, 2011 Web News Bulletin, only 83 out of 255 emails were opened. On the May, 2011 NewsFlash, only 79 out of 299 emails were opened. Let's see if this one fares better among the members!

 

MINUTES OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING, 12/09/11. WATERBURY, CT

 

The meeting was called to order by President Sal Cicciarella at 7:29 PM. Also present were: John Kuhner, Erica Howard, Rob Gattie, Gail Reynolds, Steffen Parker, Caleb Pillsbury and Bill Sittard.

 

The minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved.

 

The Treasurer's report was read and approved.

 

Rob Gattie, Co-coordinator of the Solo and Ensemble Festival, reported that the Northern Site auditions went well, with only a few problems which were solved, including the case of one adjudicator whose comments were questionable. The clarification of questions regarding selections available for adjudications were discussed, and it was agreed that use of appropriate languages (English or foreign) should be made clear, and that keys of pieces should be opted by performers within a reasonable interval of normal for designated voice part - i.e. a major second.

 

Steffen Parker, Co-coordinator of the Solo and Ensemble Festival, raised the question of public domain as it applies to music utilized by the Association.

 

Motion by Rob Gattie: That the Association not accept "Public Domain" as a concern for the Solo and Ensemble Festival music. Motion passed unanimously.

 

Motion by Bill Sittard: That the membership be notified of this information via the website, at the annual meeting, and by individual notification. Motion passed unanimously.

 

Erica Howard, Band Manager, reported that all was going well with the Concert Band preparations.

 

Gail Reynolds, Orchestra Manager, reported that the conductor for the 2013 Concert Festival has been contracted. Situations concerning band risers and clarinet parts written for A Clarinet were discussed.

 

Caleb Pillsbury, Chorus Manager, made note of welcome letters to students, and the use of sectional rehearsals.

 

President Cicciarella raised the question of a possible women's choir for the Concert Festival, and after considerable discussion, it was agreed by the Executive Board members that the concept was a good one; however, it was not the appropriate time to implement an additional ensemble due to economic concerns and housing concerns.

 

President Cicciarella also brought up the effectiveness of the current deadline and consequence policy, and it was agreed that the current policy was the best option.

 

The issue of promotional trifold brochures was relegated to Tom Reynolds and John Kuhner.

 

After some discussion, it was agreed that President Cicciarella would seek out qualified persons to update the audition lists.

 

The question of allowing students of school music organizations to apply for the Concert Festival as individuals and not through the schools arose, and after considerable discussion, it was decided that the Association rules regarding this type of situation should remain in place.

 

Don Hermance admonished that personal comments which do not relate to the Executive Board should not be included on email to the entire board.

 

Motion by Rob Gattie: That the membership dues for the Association be raised to $30. Motion passed unanimously.

 

The meeting was adjourned at 9:30.

                                                                                                            Respectfully submitted,

                                                                                                            

 

Donald L. Hermance    

                                                                                                           

Recording Secretary

This is our CONCERT FESTIVAL EDITION of the NEMFA WEB BULLETIN. We are now approaching the 85th ANNUAL NEW ENGLAND MUSIC FESTIVAL to be held at KILLINGLY HIGH SCHOOL, Putnam Pike, Dayville, CT during MARCH 15-17, 2012.

ALL of the CONCERT FESTIVAL FORMS have been bundled into one .pdf form that you can download here for your convenience. They are organized as follows:

Page 1 - Lodging and Accommodations
Page 2 - Area Restaurants
Page 3 - Ordering Concert Tickets
Page 4 - Ordering Concert Recordings
Page 5 - Ordering Festival T-Shirts
Page 6 - Ordering Souvenir History Book
Page 7 - Directions to Killingly High School

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE CONCERT FESTIVAL FORMS AS ONE BUNDLED .PDF FORM !!!

The TRIFOLD CONCERT HANDBOOK with the rehearsal/concert schedule and other NEMFA scheduling information may be downloaded by clicking here.

     March 15-17, 2012 - Killingly HS - Dayville, CT

     March 21-23, 2013

     March 20-22, 2014

     March 19-21, 2015

The 2012 New England Music Festival Chorus will be an outstanding opportunity to work with one of the Nation's Finest Conductor and Music Educator Dr. Daniel Gordon from Southeastern University. It has been exciting to work with him and his fantastic choice of repertoire for the ensemble this year. The high school students will have the opportunity to sing not only as a mixed chorus, but also in a large men's chorus and women's chorus allowing them the opportunity to experience different types of choral sounds and repertoire.  

 

It is vital that all students arrive with the notes and rhythms learned well so that Dr. Gordon can get to the music immediately. Twa Tanbou by far warrants a good amount of attention in terms of the Creole French and rhythmic vitality. Our accompanist, Kathleen Bartkowski has recorded rehearsal tracks for the website and they are an excellent opportunity for your students to work on the music without you. Check in once a while to make sure they are on track. We will have sectionals at the festival to check on preparedness, so help your students get ready so they can have fun in March.  

 

Rehearsal tracks can be found at the New England Music Festival Concert Festival Website:

 

www.nemfa.org 

 

or the Mount Mansfield Union High School Website:

http://www.mmu.k12.vt.us/activities/music/music1.html 

This will be a lot of fun! See you at Killingly!

 

Most Sincerely,

Caleb Pillsbury

2012 New England Music Festival Chorus Manager

 

Caleb Pillsbury is the Choral Director at Mount Mansfield Union High School, where he directs four choirs and teaches AP Music Theory and Guitar. He lives in Burlington, Vermont and participated in the festival three of his four years of high school. Caleb holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and was the 2010 University of Vermont Outstanding Teacher of the Year from the Chittenden East Supervisory Union.

Dr. Daniel Gordon currently serves as Director of Fine Arts Ministries at First Presbyterian Church in Lakeland, FL, and as Associate Professor of Music Education at Southeastern University. Dr. Gordon formerly served on the faculty of the Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam, where he directed the historic Crane Chorus, the Chamber Choir, and served as Chair of Music Education. Dr. Gordon's resume also included four years as the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Ottawa Choral Society, where he prepared choirs for performances with world-renowned conductors including Pinchas Zukerman, Helmut Rilling, Franz Paul Decker, Joel Revzen, and Duain Wolf.

 

            As a professional conductor, Dr. Gordon's accomplishments include appearances with the English Chamber Orchestra, the Bath Philharmonic, and Ottawa Symphony Orchestra. Choirs under Gordon's baton have performed at ACDA and MENC conferences and in Canada and the United Kingdom. In 2003, Dr. Gordon received the SUNY Research Foundation Award for his work on "Teach Music in New York City," a congressionally directed grant that placed highly qualified music teachers in New York City public schools.

 

            At First Presbyterian Church, Dr. Gordon directs or supervises a wide range of activities for one of the most dynamic and increasingly diverse worship arts programs in central Florida. His Chancel Choir was recently chosen to host the worship service for the state ACDA convention that was held in Lakeland. At Southeastern University, Dr. Gordon conducts the eighty voice Concert Choir and the select Chamber Choir. In 2006, the Concert Choir joined forces with the Imperial Symphony Orchestra and the Lakeland Choral Society in a performance of Sir William Walton's masterpiece, Balshazzar's Feast.

 

            Dr. Gordon received his graduate degrees from Florida State University where he studied conducting with Rodney Eichenberger, Andre Thomas, Clayton Krehbiel, and Colleen Kirk. After twelve years teaching at universities in Virginia and New York, Dr. Gordon has returned to Florida where he continues his professional activities and remains dedicated to working with choirs of all ages. His wife, Mary Grace, is a professional singer and actress; his son, David, is a junior at Rollins College majoring in Computer Science and Music; and his son, Britt, is a sophomore at the Harrison High School of the Performing Arts where he majors in theatre.

 

2012 NEMFA Chorus Program:
Heilig...................................................................... Felix Mendelssohn
Alleluia .............................................................................. Paul Basler
Ave Maria ...................................................... Cesar Alejandro Carrillo
Cripple Creek.................................................................. arr. Ken Berg
Twa Tanbou ............................................................ Sydney Guillaume
Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal ........................................ Alice Parker
Make Our Garden Grow ..............Leonard Bernstein arr. Robert Page  

 

 

 

. 

Band Manager Erica Howard reports that everything is ready to go with the 2012 New England Music Festival Symphonic Band.

Please see conductor Carolyn A. Barber's biography and program in the block below.

 

2012 NEMFA ORCHESTRA WELCOME LETTER

 

Dear NEMFA Orchestra Members,

 

Congratulations upon being selected into the 2012 New England Festival Orchestra! All of the information below is vitally important and must be read by both you and your sponsor. You will be held responsible for its contents, so please read it now.

 

Our conductor this year is Mr. Andrew King. Mr. King is the Music Director of the Purdue University Symphony and Philharmonic Orchestras and the Assistant Conductor of the Lafayette Symphony. Mr. King has been a guest conductor and clinician at music festivals throughout the United States. His orchestras have performed on at Carnegie Hall in New York, the Grand Hall of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic and Kapella Hall in St. Petersburg, Russia, and on tour in Cracow, Prague, Vienna, and Budapest. For more information about Mr. King, please visit the Purdue University web site.

 

MESSAGE FROM THE CONDUCTOR,

 

Congratulations on being accepted to play in this year's New England Music Festival Association Orchestra! I am really excited about the repertoire that we have chosen for the festival. We will be performing music from three very different pieces from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I have included some links below to YouTube videos of the music we are playing. Please take some time to not only learn your parts but to listen to as many different recordings as you can. Notice the way different musicians interpret the same printed music and think about why one interpretation or another has the greatest impact on you.

 

It is always a special experience to work with new musicians for the first time, and one of the greatest joys in making music comes from the different ideas musicians bring to a piece of music. This can only happen if you have listened and thought about the music. Everyone's goal should be to come to the first rehearsal prepared to play every phrase with a musical idea. I've really enjoyed working with the Festival committee, and I'm excited to meet you all and make music together!

 

Cheers,

 

Andy King

 

INFORMATION FROM ORCHESTRA MANAGER

 

 

2012 Program:

Danzas Fantásticas, Op. 22 Mvt. III: Orgiaby Joaquin Turina                 

Afro-American Symphony (Revised Version) Mvt. IV: Lento, con resoluzioneby William Grant Still

Symphony No. 4 in F minor Mvt. IV: Finale Allegro con fuoco by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

           

CONDUCTOR'S RECOMMENDED LISTENING SOURCES FOR THE CONCERT LITERATURE

(Please don't limit yourself to only listening to these few recordings! A.K.):

 

Tchaikowsky:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM7zr6qCvEg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUrxQ9BA-ls&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjWFhaKiSVk

 

Turina:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua9zC_zVNZU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmhoXXWrIMc&feature=related

 

Still:

Movement 4 Lento, con risoluzione of the Afro American Symphony No. 1 is not available on YouTube but may be purchased for $1.49 at the following site (recommended recording is Fort Smith Symphony, conductor- John Jeter.

http://www.classicalarchives.com/work/272855.html#tvf=tracks&tv=music

 

CANCELLATIONS. If an emergency forces a cancellation, have your director/sponsor contact the proper NEMFA officials at www.nemfa.org. and myself at reyoldsgail@comcast.net. We will need your contact information in order for us to tell you what to do with the music. Sometimes it is mailed to me, and other times directly to your replacement. It all depends on the date of the cancellation. You will be billed for unreturned music.

 

ORIGINAL MUSIC, COPIED MUSIC & FOLIOS. Please use only #2 pencils to LIGHTLY mark your music. Only original music is to be used at the festival. Both the folders & music (including any copies) must be returned after the concert. Students who loose or return music in poor condition will be charged for replacement parts. Replacements parts are very expensive!

 

TCHAIKOVSKY MEASURE NUMBERS. EVERY PLAYER MUST add measure numbers at the beginning of each line of music. To aid you and help insure accuracy, here are the measure numbers at each of the letters for mvt. 4: A= 30, B= 60, C=92, C=119, E=149, F=173, G=239 H=257, I=284.

 

STRING PLAYERS AND MUSIC, additional information. Please lightly write your last name on every part, original or copied. All music must be returned in the folders after the concert. Any string player who gets a xerox copy of one or more of the pieces will get a stand partner who has an original for use at the festival. If for some reason a xerox is NOT in your folder, please download and use the copy of the bowed music from the nemfa.org site (a notice to this effect will be placed in your folder so it will be very clear to you if I am asking you to get your own copy from nemfa.org .) You will still be required to turn in all copies after the festival.

 

BOWINGS for STRINGS - Strings are to visit www.nemfa.org to download bowed parts for all of the three pieces. These parts may be used for practice, but originals must be used at the festival. Each stand will have at least one original copy to use at the festival. Please transfer the bowings LIGHTLY in #2 pencil onto the original music.

 

MUSIC STANDS - Bring a folding music stand with your name clearly marked on BOTH sections.

 

WINDS/BRASS must check for transposing parts. If you have such a part, be sure that you either: a) can transpose on sight, b) have written out your part before coming to the festival, c) bring the 'appropriate' instrument, or d) contact me if you need further assistance. Be sure that you play in the correct key.

 

DRESS CODE. Visit nemfa.org for the dress code.

 

WHAT TO BRING TO REHEARSAL

1. A pencil with an eraser.
2. Percussion: Bring mallets & sticks. Triangle, woodblock and other instruments will be provided to you on site.
3. Strings bring accessories (rockstops, anchors, rosin, mute if needed, extra strings and an extra bow if possible).
4. Woodwinds & brass bring necessary accessories and extra reeds, etc. Oboe 1 bring a tuner to give the orchestra 'A- 440'.
5. ID TAGS on your instrument case. Keep a copy of your instrument's identification information at home.                                   

REHEARSAL PROTOCOL

1. Food or beverage other than water is not allowed.
2. Gum is not permitted during rehearsal.
3. Hats or hoods are not permitted during rehearsal.
4. TEXTING or other use of cell phones during rehearsals is prohibited. It is disrespectful to the conductor and the ensemble and distracting to you and surrounding students. If this rule is ignored, cell phones may be collected during rehearsal time, and handed back out at the completion of the rehearsal segment (excluding breaks).

Students and their sponsors are responsible for acquainting themselves with the new policy and preparing accordingly. Students, directors, sponsors or parents may not dispute seating changes or request seating re-auditions. No student may request to audition for a higher seat within their section, other than first chair.  There are no challenges.

• FIRST CHAIR SELECTION POLICY & PROCEDURE: Section leaders will be decided at the festival through an audition process.  At the first rehearsal, all strings will be seated in score order within their assigned sections.  The first chairs will be vacant.  During the first rehearsal, players who wish to audition for first chair will submit their names to the Orchestra Manager.  Auditions will be held as soon as possible, probably commencing during the first hour of rehearsal. Excerpts from the concert music will be used for the audition.  First chairs will be announced after all auditions are complete.  After the first chair is assigned, the section will fill in the remaining seats in score order. In the event that no student(s) auditions for first chair, the seating based upon score will be used.


• NON-FIRST CHAIR SEATING POLICY : Students may be moved within their section for any of the following reasons:

1. Reseating resulting from the adjustment made to accommodate the student who wins first chair. Students may be reseated by chair or by stand (depending on divisi requirements).
2. If a student is found to be noticeably less prepared than surrounding students, and demonstrates little progress within the first rehearsal, the student may be reseated further back in the section at the discretion of the Conductor and/or the NEMFA Orchestra Manager.  This will be done without an audition.
3. Absenteeism may result in students being reassigned further up either by chair or by stand (depending on divisi requirements).

 

Your director/sponsor can contact me with questions. Please do not contact me yourself.

 

Gail Reynolds

NEMFA Orchestra Manager

 

Andrew King is the Music Director of the Purdue University Symphony and Philharmonic Orchestras and the Assistant Conductor of the Lafayette Symphony.  Mr. King has been a guest conductor and clinician at music festivals throughout the United States.  His orchestras have performed on at Carnegie Hall in New York, the Grand Hall of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic and Kapella Hall in St. Petersburg, Russia, and on tour in Cracow, Prague, Vienna, and Budapest.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Symphony No. 1 "Afro American" (mvt. 4, Lento).....William Grant Still

You might remember that at the beginning of June I was working on the NEMFA archives collection that is being stored at the Harvard, Massachusetts Public Library. Old programs back to 1937 with more years ever since are being filed along with old Bulletins. The collection, known as the John R. Hansen Memorial Archives of the New England Music Festival Association, has been organized by member of the staff of the Harvard Public Library. Programs and Bulletins are stored chronologically in boxes in a climate-controlled historical room in the Harvard Public Library. The hours of operation of the Harvard Public Library, Route 111, Harvard, Massachusetts 01451 are as follows:

Library Hours - Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday - 10:00 - 9:00
Friday Saturday - 10:00 - 5:00 10:00 - 4:00
(Sat. 10:00 - 2:00 in June, July & August)
Sunday closed

Directions to the Harvard Public Library - From Route 2, take Exit 38 (Rts. 110/111) toward Harvard Common. Continue through the red blinking light on 111S. Past the school zone, take a right onto Pond Rd. The Library is on the right with parking available in front of the entrance to the building.
From Route 495, take Exit 28 (Rte. 111) and go toward Harvard. Continue on Route 111 toward the center of Harvard. Upon entering the school zone, take a left onto Pond Road. The Library is on the right with parking available in front of the entrance to the building.

I am still in search of any printed materials regarding any NEMFA concerts or related activities from 1928 to 1939, although I would welcome other materials that you, our membership, might come up with that you would deem to be worthy of saving in our archives.

As of 1 September 2008, the following Concert Festival Programs are not in our possession in the archives at the Harvard Public Library: 1928-1935, 1937, 1939, 1940, and 1941. The following Major Organizations Festival programs are not in our possession as well: 1939, 1940, 1941, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956 and 1957. Additionally, I would welcome the donation of any recordings of past NEMFA concerts. Right now, our collection only includes concerts from the late 1990's to the present.

Another area that we have very little on records is that of old photographs. Certainly, photographs tell a million stories about our past festivals, as well as providing some insight into the daily life going on around those festivals at the time the photographs were taken.

The NEMFA Heritage Book published in 2007 will be updated with current officers and festival locations added as a short addenda to the present book. I am presently working on these addenda and hope to have it completed shortly. If you haven't yet seen the NEMFA Heritage Book, there are still plenty available. Remember, that each book is only $10.00 eachand may be obtained by sending a check of $10.00 (payable to "NEMFA") plus $2.50 shipping and handling to the following address:

New England Music Festival - Heritage Book, PO Box 102, Templeton, Massachusetts 01468

If you would like to submit an article for this Bulletin regarding NEMFA-related or music education-related topics, please feel free to send it to me via e-mail at treynold@worldpath.net or via snail mail at NEMFA News-Bulletin, PO Box 102, Templeton, MA 01468.

Cordially,

Thomas E. Reynolds

 

Editor, NEMFA News-Bulletin

by Thomas E. Reynolds, Chair, Lowell Mason House Subcommittee

(Reprinted from the Massachusetts Music News, Fall 2011, Vol. 60, No. 1, pps. 51-53)

 

On March 14, 2010, Ms. Cynthia Grammer, President of the Massachusetts Music Educators' Association, asked me to take on a project that surfaced in late February/early March in the Town of Medfield. It seemed that a house on 25 Adams Street was in danger of being demolished.

 

On the surface, it would not appear to be a particularly special dwelling... that is, until it was discovered that this house, built after 1694 and sometime in the mid 1700's, was the birthplace of Lowell Mason, the first person to introduce music education to the public schools of the United States through his work in the Boston Public Schools. The music of Lowell Mason can still be heard in churches and schools across the country. In addition to his role introducing music education to American public schools, the prolific 19th-century American composer is famous for many hymns, including "Nearer My God to Thee. He is also the founder of the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston. But while Mason's musical legacy still endures almost two centuries after his death, the future of a historic landmark associated with his early life in Medfield remains uncertain.

 

On March 3, 2010 the Medfield Historical Commission unanimously voted to impose a one-year demolition delay on Nauset Construction Corp., the potential buyer of Mason's birthplace at 25 Adams Street, during a public hearing on the matter. A large turnout at the meeting provided the first signal that there was great interest in the Town of Medfield over this project. During the standing-room only hearing at Medfield Town Hall, the Historical Commission heard passionate testimony about the historical significance of Lowell Mason and his place of birth. While the condition of the house has deteriorated in recent years, outside consultants have agreed that the house is basically structurally sound and that restoration is worth exploring.

 

The Meetings Begin

Thirty-five people were present at the first organizational meeting, including neighbors of the Mason House property, two selectmen, the developer (buyer), the seller, numerous interested citizens, and three persons representing the Music Education constituency (Jerry Kazanjian of MMEA Retired, and a resident of Medfield; Thomas Reynolds MMEA Central District Chairperson and Chair of the MMEA Lowell Mason House Subcommittee, and Tim McGee, music educator and MMEA member of Sharon High School). Everyone, including the developer, was united in their desire to see all parties-the developer, the seller, and, what we later dubbed ourselves, The Friends of the Lowell Mason House-reach a win-win outcome. The most viable option for the house was for it to be moved, at a preliminary price tag of $40-$50,000.

 

Ideas were presented regarding the possible uses for the house. One suggestion was renting space in the Lowell Mason House for the offices of an organization such as MMEA. Another idea considered was renting first floor space to a music teacher for studio lessons or small recitals. Still another suggestion was to present chamber music concerts indoors and band concerts outdoors, with the possibility of student band groups touring and performing at the facility. A small museum could be a part of the house. Yale University and the University of Maryland have works of Lowell Mason in their collections that are affiliated with MENC. Perhaps some contents could be lent or given to the Lowell Mason House to become part of the museum collection. It could also serve as a local art gallery with art shows and concerts as part of rotating programs at the house. It would enable local artists to display and sell their work, an economically viable alternative. After the meeting, things began moving very quickly in a positive way. An e-mail news list was developed, along with website: www.lowellmasonhouse.com. The group voted to be known as the Lowell Mason Foundation and initiated plans to become a 501c(3) nonprofit organization. An aggressive fund raising campaign was begun, and within a year, we had raised $60,000.00...enough to move the building to a new site. The preparation of the new site, construction of a foundation with a full basement, and the actual movement of the building to its new site came to be known as the "Phase I" of the project. An informational brochure was printed and made available to interested parties. The web site was modified to accommodate online fundraising capabilities. A promotion video for Medfield TV (Cable 8) was made and shown extensively.

 

After looking at a number of different options, the Lowell Mason Foundation decided to accept a piece of land offered by the town of Medfield at 60 Green Street, adjacent to the Stephen Hinkley Memorial Park, with the Medfield Historical Society acting as fiscal agent until the new Lowell Mason Foundation could obtain its own 501c(3) non-profit status. Consultants provided guidance on structural engineering, architecture, and historical restorations, and determined costs to move the house to its new location.

 

 

The Movement of the House: Apr. 19,2011

On April 19, just 13 months after the project began, the Lowell Mason House was moved from Adams Road to its new home on Green Street in Medfield. It took an entire day to move the house a distance of just over one mile. Utility crews accompanied every foot of the move, making certain that utility lines were properly cleared as the house made its way to its new foundation with a full basement on town-owned land near the Stephen Hinkley Park on Green Street. The move has not been without its share of difficulties. While the building is structurally sound, the external cosmetic appearance of the Lowell Mason House is, at present, poor. The Lowell Mason House, in its present form, looks far less attractive than it does on the artist-rendition of it on the Lowell Mason Foundation Fund-Raising Brochure, and some families in the neighborhood have not been particularly enthused. Restoring the cosmetic appearance of the building in its new neighborhood is Phase II. Significantly more money is needed now, so that work on the internal and external restoration of the building may begin.

 

The Momentum Continues to Build

The Lowell Mason Foundation, Inc. is now certified as a 501-c3 organization and is in a continuous fundraising campaign to raise enough funds to bring the house to the next phase of restoration at a level that will be museum-quality when finished. With continued financial support and encouragement, the Foundation will have the backing it needs to complete this important task of preserving this historical property so significant to the history of music education and church music here in the United States. The members of the Foundation look forward to developing a closer partnership with MMEA as the project moves forward in the next phase of its completion.

 

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. Make checks payable to: The Lowell Mason Foundation, P. O. Box 913 Medfield, MA 02052. Your contribution is tax-deductible as a charitable contribution to the extent provided by U.S. tax law. ·

 

- Thomas E. Reynolds is music director at The Bromfield School in Harvard, Massachusetts, is a member of the Lowell Mason Foundation, Inc. Executive Board, and presently serves as Past District Chairperson of the Massachusetts Music Educators' Association Executive Board. He also serves as a member of the Executive Boards of the New England Music Festival Association and the John Philip Sousa Foundation.