Annual Fall Conference 2022
TFMC DISTRICT VI FALL CONFERENCE
GOOD SHEPHERD EPISCOPAL CHURCH, AUSTIN, TEXAS
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2022
The Fall Conference was opened at 9:00 a.m. by President Marcia Edwards following breakfast served by the Wednesday Morning Music Club of Austin.
Attendees:
Etude Music Club of San Antonio—Lois Armor, Mary Eck, Marque McKay, and Cookie Nattinger
New Braunfels Music Study Club—Barbara Houde
Arpeggio Festival Music Club, San Antonio—Judy Gorrell
Crownridge Music Club—John Isaacks
Opus 64 Music Teachers Club—Sue Bachus, Brett Bachus and Julie Adams
Gonzales Music Study Club—Vida Burnett
Suzuki Strings of San Marcos, Festival District 6-1—Deanna Badgett
Wednesday Morning Music Club—Sue Bilich, Felicity Coltman, Michelle d’Arcy, George Edwards, Marcia Edwards, Kathryn Govier, Greta Gutman, Janie Keys, Julia Klueva, Virginia Kniesner, Lee Meyer, Beth Moreno, Ann Palmer, Charles Palmer, Katharine Shields, Estelle Singer, Don Singer, Angela Smith, and Linda Tietz
Guest—Irene Travis
The members were welcomed by the President, and America the Beautiful was sung, accompanied by Brett Bachus on piano.
Angela Smith gave a welcome to Austin for the host Wednesday Morning Music Club and announced the 100th Year Anniversary of the club to be held in the spring.
Lois Armor of the Etude Music Club of San Antonio gave a response of thanks to the Wednesday Morning Music Club.
Michelle d’Arcy presented “Poems Inspired by Music.”
Due to exposure to Covid, Guest Speaker Robert A. Duke spoke to the group via Zoom. The title of his entertaining talk was, “Eleven years of piano and I can’t get a date”: How to inspire effort, develop skill, and elicit joy.
The musical performance of a trio from the Inside Out Steelband, directed by CJ Menge, was quite special. Those present enjoyed viewing these unusual instruments.
The Memorial Service was conducted by Virginia Kniesner of the Wednesday Morning Music Club. Virginia began by announcing the recent death of Sue Breuer on September 29. Virginia mentioned some of Sue's accomplishments on the club, district, state, regional and national levels of the Federation of Music Clubs. A more complete Memorial Service for Sue will be presented at the next fall conference. The District VI members honored in this service were Deyon Patsie Denman, Alma Juanita Champion Meier, and Eugenia Worley Schoch.
State of the District club reports followed the Memorial Service. Clubs reporting were Etude Music Club of San Antonio, Gonzales Music Study Club, Wednesday Morning Music Club, New Braunfels Music Study Club, Crownridge Music Club, Opus 64 Music Teachers Club of Austin, and Arpeggio Festival Music Club. All written reports (Appendix A) are filed with the minutes .
The business meeting began with information that the minutes of the last meeting had been read by email and approved.
Reports were presented by President Edwards (Apprneix B) and 2nd Vice President Judy Gorrell (Appendix C). VP Judy Gorrell announced an increase in the Junior dues for the Festival Clubs. The dues are now $30.00 for studios with 0 – 16 students and an additional $1.50 per student above 16 as of September 2022.
President Edwards read the Auditor’s Report (Appendix E), submitted by Johnana Clark, and it was approved.
Treasurer John Isaacks reported a beginning balance on July 1, 2021, of $5,624.26. The closing balance on June 30, 2022, is $5,277.54. Treasurer Isaacs also reported a CD valued at $5,000. The bank balance for the CD stands at $5,202.56 (Appendix D).
Under new business, the members present voted to approve the 2022-2023 budget. Then President Edwards presented Standing Rule 6 which required a correction. The vote passed. The change deleted the number “4” in sentence 4. (See Appendix F below.)
Brett and Sue Bachus brought information on the possibility of a District Festival Competition.
President Edwards announced that the next biennial Board Meeting will be held in June 2023 in San Antonio. Etude Music Club will host.
The meeting was adjourned by the President at 12:35 p.m. with the singing of Happy Trails. See Appendix G for the Credentials Report.
Mary Eck, Recording Secretary
Appendix A
“State of the District” Club Reports
Arpeggio Festival Music Club (6-3) (read by President Judy Gorrell)
This has been a roller coaster year for District 6-3. We had planned to have a live Festival on January 29th and at the beginning of January, everyone started catching Omicron. At the last minute, we had to change our Festival to be online. We changed all the deadlines and informed the teachers and judges. Students and parents had to quickly make videos and pdfs of their music and send them in to us. We scheduled the Theory Test to be on Zoom and gave the sealed tests to the teachers to distribute to their students. Fortunately, since we had online festivals for the past 2 years, almost everyone knew what to do!
The other roller coaster event was moving out of the original Arpeggio location on Loop 1604 and packing everything up for storage while the new location of Arpeggio could start being built. The new Arpeggio is located right next door to the other Arpeggio on Boerne Stage Road in the Leon Springs Business Park, suites 201 and 202. It is going to be even larger and have more studios! This will help because we are increasing in enrollment in our Festival. The new location is now finished and ready to go!
We had 5 teachers enter a total of 25 entries in the State Festival this year. The results were 21 Out-Standing awards and 4 All-State Winners. We are so proud of all of them! If a student receives the rank of Out-Standing, then they were considered for the All-State Winner plaque and that is wonderful!
The next 6-3 Festival will be held at new Arpeggio Music Academy on Saturday, January 28th, 2023. Teachers need to start picking out pieces for their students now and mark their calendars.
Submitted by Judy Gorrell
Mike Gorrell , TFMC District 6-3 Festival Chair
Crownridge Music Club (read by John Isaacks for club president Anna Kiefer)
Crownridge Music Club had a successful 2021-2022 club year. Meetings were held on Zoom, and the Festival for District 6-2 was held virtually, with several hundred participants. In May 2022, with the decline of Covid, Crownridge was able to have its first in-person meeting/luncheon since 2020. At the luncheon, club members Mary Davis and Virginia Kane were named lifetime members of NFMC.
The 2022-2023 club year is off to a good start. Meetings for this year are in a hybrid format, both in-person and online. So far, Crownridge has five new members. This summer, club members began the onboarding process to the new Vivace system. The District 6-2 Festival is returning to an in-person format and is scheduled for Saturday, February 4, 2023 at San Antonio College. A virtual option for Festival will still be offered for students that prefer the online event. Mary Thomason and Martha Taplin are co-chairs for the Festival event.
Gonzales Music Study Club (read by President Vida Burnett)
This year we plan to read some dramas based on the stories of great hymns which will involve several people each time.
There will be a program of patriotic piano music and a soloist will sing “America the Beautiful” in November. December will be a lunch with singing Christmas carols. There will be some organ music during January. In February we will have some student musicians play the piano before festival. We plan to have someone tell us about music therapy and her work.
Our October meeting will be a social gathering with each telling of any musical programs or activities they did or heard this past year, and a guest telling about a program at RoundTop. We also plan to honor our long time treasurer who is 99 years old.
Opus 64 Music Teachers Club (read by President Sue Bachus)
Opus 64 Music Teachers Club has 17 teacher members and the Opus Junior Club has 170 student members. Two of our teachers have moved out of state but continue to teach their Austin students remotely. Our annual District Festival is planned for Saturday, March 4, 2023 and will be held in person at Texas State University. We also will accept student video submissions from students who are concerned about Covid or Flu.
Appendix B
Report from TFMC District VI President Marcia Edwards, Fall Conference, Oct. 8, 2022
First I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the Wednesday Morning Music Club for agreeing to host this conference and to all the members who have offered a helping hand. These include Beth Moreno, Kathryn Govier, Linda Tietz, Virginia Kniesner, Charles and Ann Palmer, my husband George Edwards, Katharine Shields, and Angela Smith—and many others who took the time on a precious Saturday morning to attend. Your support is greatly appreciated!
I also appreciate the team of District VI officers who will serve with me until June 30, 2023: 1st VP Virginia Kniesner, 2nd VP Judy Gorrell, Recording Secretary Mary Eck, Treasurer John. Isaacks, Historian Cookie Nattinger, Parliamentarian Mary Thomason, and Auditor Johnana Clark. Thank you to all our participants for getting up early and making the trip to Austin! I hope that you feel that your time has been well spent. Your presence has certainly been greatly appreciated.
A very special thank you to Sue and Brett Bachus, who led the effort to obtain contributions from local businesses. We are very grateful to Capital Music and to Strait Music for their generous donations to our conference. We are also grateful to Good Shepherd for providing this lovely space for our meeting.
Finally kudos to Michelle d’Arcy for her splendid presentation of Poems Inspired by Music; to Dr. Robert Duke for sharing his insights and experience with music learning; and to Angela Smith and CJ Menge for some terrific steel drum music. A special thanks to Brett Bachus for the piano music. We didn’t know until the last minute whether the piano would be available, so Brett had precious little time to prepare.
Our next regularly scheduled meeting will be the biennial Board meeting in June 2023. As you heard earlier, this meeting will be hosted by Etude Music Club of San Antonio, under the leadership of Lois Armor. You will be notified when the date has been set.
Appendix C
Report from District VI 2nd VP Judy Gorrell, October 8, 2022
There are some changes beginning this year regarding the Festival Clubs.
1. A vote was taken at the TFMC Convention and now the cost of registering a Junior Club is $30 for a studio with 16 members or less, and an additional $1.50 per student above that.
2. Junior club dues are due by November 1. Senior club dues are due by October 1. There is a late fee of $5 after the deadline.
3. If a Junior club does not pay their fee by November 1st, you cannot register for the Festival until dues are paid.
4. There will be a new spreadsheet form to be filled out for Junior and Senior Club dues, which has already been sent out by Jennifer Key. This spreadsheet will also be available on the TFMC website and it should be sent back to Dawn Humphrey. There will be a Paypal option to pay your dues, but they prefer a check for payment. If you pay with Paypal, your club will be paying the extra 3% fee charged by Paypal.
5. Jennifer Key will be assisting Dawn to make sure everyone pays their dues.
6. Jennifer Key has sent out an email to Festival Chairs about ordering ribbons and the deadline to respond back is October 10th.
7. All Junior Clubs must use Vivace to enter Festivals starting this year.
We want to encourage more students to apply for the NFMC Scholarships. The application fee is $20 or less and the deadlines for entries for most scholarships is either March 1st or May 1st each year.
It was announced that the TFMC All State Festival will remain as an online event next year.
A couple of Fun Facts about Festivals – There were approximately 4800 Festival entries in Texas this past year and there are 32 Festival Chairs in Texas.
Judy Gorrell, District VI 2nd VP
Appendix D
Reports from TFMC District VI Treasurer John Isaacks
1. Budget Report of the Treasurer of the TFMC District VI for the Fiscal Year July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022
Income Predicted 2021-22 Actual 2021-22
Member Clubs. Annual Club Dues ($20.00 x 7) $140.00 $140.00
Fall Meeting Host Fall Meeting Registration Split $145.00 $110.00
1st National Bank-Shiner CD Interest ($5,000 @0.85%) $ 42.68 $ 42.67
TFMC Pro-Rata Rebate 2021-2022** $440.00 $332.02
Total Income $767.68 $624.69
Expenses
Administration Unplanned/Miscellaneous ** $100.00 $ 68.31
Marcia Edwards President Expense Allowance ** $250.00 $ 68.31
Mary Thomason Past Pres. Expense ’17-’18 * $250.00 $250.00
IPFAC (Opera in the Ozarks) Annual Membership $100.00 $100.00
IPFAC (Opera in the Ozarks) Donation $ 50.00 $ 50.00
Festival Chairs Pro-Rata Awards 2021-2022 ** $200.00 $200.00
Fall Meeting Host Venue Allowance $ 50.00 $ 0.00
Total Expenses $1,000.00 $860.31
* 3rd of 4 payments
** This income or expense cleared the bank in fy 2022-2023
2. Report of the Treasurer of the TFMC District VI for the Fiscal Year July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022
Opening Balance (July 1, 2021) $5,624.26
Income
Opus 64 Club Annual Club Dues. $ 20.00
New Braunfels Club Annual Club Dues. $ 20.00
Etude Club Annual Club Dues $ 20.00
Arpeggio Club Annual Club Dues $ 20.00
Wednesday Morning MC Annual Club Dues $ 20.00
Crownridge Club Annual Club Dues $ 20.00
Gonzales Club Annual Club Dues $ 20.00
Arpeggio Club Fall '21 Meeting Income Split. $ 110.00
1st National Bank-Shiner CD Interest $ 42.67
Total Income $292.67
Expenses
Marcia Edwards Venue Expense Zoom 18-Jun-21. $ 15.98
Wells Fargo / Harlan Clarke Admin Expense New Checks. $ 33.31
IPFAC (Opera in the Ozarks) Donation $ 150.00
Mary Thomason Past Pres. Expns. 2017 -18 $ 250.00
Sue Bachus Pro-Rata Award 2020-21 $ 47.00
Judy Gorrell Pro-Rata Award 2020-21 $ 47.70
Mike Gorrell Pro-Rata Award 2020-21 $ 47.70
Mary Thomason Pro-Rata Award 2020-21 $ 47.70
Total Expenses $639.39
Closing Balance (Jun 30, 2022) $5,277.54
3. Proposed Budget of the Treasurer of the TFMC District VI for the Fiscal Year July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023
Income Predicted 2022-23 Actual 2022-23
Member Clubs. Annual Club Dues ($20.00 x 7) $140.00
Fall Meeting Host Fall Meeting Registration Split $157.50
Spring Meeting Host Spring Meeting Registration Split. $ 75.00
1st National Bank-Shiner CD Interest ($5,000 @0.85%) $ 42.68
TFMC Pro-Rata Rebate 2022-2023. $392.66
Donations Gifts to District VI $250.00
Total Income $1,057.84
Expenses
Administration Unplanned/Miscellaneous $100.00
Presenters Payments for Presentations $250.00
Marcia Edwards President Expense Allowance $250.00
Mary Thomason Past Pres. Expense ’18-’19 * $250.00
IPFAC (Opera in the Ozarks) Annual Membership $100.00
IPFAC (Opera in the Ozarks) Donation $ 50.00
Festival Chairs Pro-Rata Awards 2022-2023 $200.00
Fall Meeting Host Venue Allowance $ 50.00
Spring Meeting Host Venue Allowance $ 50.00
Total Expenses $1,300.00
* 4th of 4 payments
Appendix E
Auditor’s Report
October 4, 2022
To the Members of the TFMC District 6:
I received copies of the financial records frorn treasurer John lsaacks for the purpose of auditing the financial dealings of the TFMC District 6. I found them to be in proper order and do approve thern.
Comments:
Mr. lsaack provided a spreadsheet detailing the income and expenses of the district which was easy to understand. He answered rny questions to my satisfaction. He made a supplemental report to explain additional expenditures not covered in the original report.
Signed by Johanna Clark Oct. 4, 2022
Appendix F
Amendment to TFMC District Standing Rule #6
The amendment which was approved involves deleting the “4” in the 4th sentence below:
“Every year in June, TFMC may send District VI a pro-rata rebate check, which is a partial return of the year’s dues and fees paid to TFMC by District VI members. The rebate has a cap of $500. It is listed as income in the District Budget. District VI shall use the TFMC pro-rata rebate to award the 4 Festival chairs equally up to $50 per year. The combined total of the awards shall not exceed the portion of the rebate that comes from festival fees. After the awards are subtracted, the remaihnder of the pro-rata rebate shall stay in the District VI bank account as income.
Appendix G
Credentials Committee Report
The following reports officers and chairpersons attending the TFMC District VI Fall Conference held on Oct. 8, 2022 in Austin, TX, at Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd presented by the Credentials Committee:
NFMC Officers ____0____
NFMC Chairs ____1____
TFMC Officers ____1____
TFMC Chairs ____2____
District VI Officers ____6____
District VI Chairs ____1____
Club Officers ____12____
Club Members ____32____
Life Members ____5____
Marcia Edwards, Virginia Kniesner
Credentials Committee
