Greetings Vancouver Branch Teachers!
It has been a busy time since the January AGM and I would like to take this opportunity to update the membership on the various projects the Executive currently has in progress.
In the way of announcements, we are very pleased to note that honorary memberships have been granted to three retiring teachers; Toni Meyer, Marilyn Glazer, Ailsa Zaenker have each enriched our association and we thank them for their many years of dedication. We also have four recipients of the 25 year BCRMTA membership pins – Katherine Au, Teresa Ho, Mei-Jane Quong and Barbara Zielinksi – congratulations!
After much deliberation and investigation, it was decided that the Branch will not be purchasing a piano in the immediate future. Facility considerations are too complex and given the wide geographical location of the branch (spanning UBC to Burnaby and beyond), there is no logical location to best serve a majority of members. In lieu of this project, the Executive has been exploring other avenues to benefit the membership. There will be more information in the next few months but in the meantime here our ideas:
– Professional Development Bursary for teachers
– Revival of the Pedagogy Awards for diploma level candidates
– Subsidized Alexander Technique classes (4 sessions)
– Body Mapping workshop with a certified clinician from Portland, Oregon
– Lowering of 2019 Branch fees (amount TBA)
– CMW mini Festival for all instruments in November at the Canadian Music Centre
The bcrmta.org website continues to be refined and updated. Recently, a page with information for parents and prospective RMT members was added in simple and tradition Chinese. There is a now an In Memoriam page dedicated to teachers who have been a part of the Vancouver Branch at some point in their careers; if you would like to make an addition with an article and a picture, please contact the webmaster. Also, be sure to check the Branch Calendar page for upcoming events as well as the News and Notices page for information on recital space at Tom Lee Downtown and Showcase Pianos on Broadway. A full listing of 2018/2019 Branch events will be published during the summer but please note that the Winter recital will be held in early December, the Celebration of Excellence will be in March, and the Spring recital will be in May, exact dates TBA.
The 2019 AGM will be an important event with several critical issues to be voted on. From a practical stand point there will be bylaws to streamline, as well as a presentation on the SPG to determine its direction, dates, and the new committee. The Executive will also propose a branch name change from “Vancouver” to “Vancouver/Burnaby” to better reflect the geographical reality of our members.
There is much to be done and we are excited about these new developments. In the meantime, the Executive looks forward to engaging with our teachers at the upcoming Luncheon on June 4 and the Social Media workshop on June 18, please visit the website for full details.
Respectfully,
Barbara Siemens
President – Vancouver BCRMTA