A BIG thank you to the ACDA-MN members (176 persons—more than ½ of all attendees!!) who generously pledged and/or donated $3,210 to the F. Melius Christiansen (FMC) Endowment Fund matching gift challenge during Summer Dialogue. After a lively competition between districts, the Southwest District took home ‘Chris Johnson’ the Pig, the award for participation. Congratulations!
Your contributions are very much appreciated and will help guarantee a vibrant future for choral music in Minnesota. The life-changing impact your donations make is clear in the testimonials from some of our Summer Dialogue scholarship winners:
FMC donors, thank you for providing young conductors with the opportunity to attend the ACDA-MN Summer Dialogue. The experience provided me a real ‘shot to the arm’ to rejuvenate my spirit as a teacher and conductor. In addition, I was able to meaningfully engage with more of my fellow directors. Thank you FMC for helping me to connect with my Minnesota choral family!
Alex Gerleman, Shakopee High School
After teaching several years in another state, my introduction to ACDA-MN was made possible by this scholarship. Summer Dialogue was very helpful to me, both personally and professionally. Meeting other choral directors who teach in many different areas was both inspiring and rejuvenating!
Miriam Augsburger, Dassel-Cokato Middle School
As I just completed my first year of teaching on a part-time basis, the FMC scholarship allowed me to participate in this year’s Summer Dialogue without needing to worry about the cost of the registration fee. Thank you to the donors who make it possible for people like me to attend such an enriching event.
Brandon Berger, St. Michael-Albertville High School
The experiences and the tough questions addressed at Summer Dialogue will have a more significant impact on my thoughts and plans in the coming year than anything else I have previously been a part of. The conversations and presentations will help all of us address the challenges and opportunities we face in the coming years.
Michael Jeffrey, Pine Island Public Schools
Through this annual gathering of choral educators at many grade levels, I was able to talk with other directors about what works in their programs, and to discover that many of us struggle with the same issues. Thank you for supporting this opportunity!
Julie Schramke, Achieve Language Academy
SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION REMINDERS!
Due December 1, 2016
ACDA NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Minneapolis, MN – March 8-11, 2017
Application due December 1
Must be ACDA-MN member
- UNDERGRADUATE – Junior or senior vocal music education majors
- GRADUATE – Students in choral conducting
- CONDUCTORS – Who are in their first six years of teaching
WORLD SYMPOSIUM ON CHORAL MUSIC
Barcelona, Spain – July 22-29, 2017
Application due December 1
Must be ACDA-MN member
Please consider submitting an application for these special scholarship opportunities! To learn more and find application details for ACDA-MN’s FMC Endowment Fund scholarships, please visit: http://forms.acda-mn.org/
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
The annual Give to the Max Day will be held on Thursday, November 17. We invite and encourage participation from our ACDA-MN members on Give to the Max Day. Contributions of any amount are most welcome!
Best wishes for your 2015-2016 choral music endeavors!
Gratefully yours,
Dawn Thomsen
Director of Development
FMC Endowment Fund