CMEA Conference

So I went to part of the CMEA state conference yesterday, thanks to Whitney who got me a discounted pass by listing me as a spouse...but it has been many years since I've been to one of those. It seems like they've really scaled back, just less stuff happening and, I would imagine, less people attending. Times aren't as good as they used to be.

But it was a very good day for me; I attended a session on Finale 2010, which was supposed to be geared towards using it in the classrooms but really it was a session on "here's all the ways you can enter stuff in now". Not that it was bad - my 2005 version was feeling more and more obsolete as the session wore on.

At the end though - they raffled off a new copy of Finale, and of the 15 or so people who were at the session, I won! That was exceptionally exciting. It left me speechless really. The software normally retails for, at the academic price, $350. Wow! I'm stoked. This will hopefully take my composing to a whole new level...

But now I need a new computer to run it. Ha! Well, it's a good enough excuse I suppose.

The day ended with a feature concert that began with our Sac State Vocal Jazz Ensembles. They never disappoint in a concert, and this was truly no exception. SPECTACULAR groups. They are completely deserving of all of their Downbeat awards and then some, and are clearly one of the best collegiate vocal jazz groups around.

Too bad the program is being cut after this year to the California budget woes. Well, really, it's technically because the director is moving to Colorado to pursue doctoral work - at least that's the convenient excuse for dropping a program that was already being cut down again and again. But can you blame him? No. One can only work so long - part time - at something like this, which should be one of the ambassador programs of the whole system and could EASILY justify a full time position.

Does the University seem to care that one of its elite ensembles is just unceremoniously being scrapped? Nope.