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Workshops » Networking « Song Swaps « Musical Jams
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| 10" Annual Gathering is
October 13-15, 2000
Camp Kutz, Warwick, New York
Musicians, Educators, Parents, Families, Librarians, and All Youth Advocates
CMN gatherings are like a reunion of old friends, an open & welcome meeting
ground for new friends, a child-friendly, family-oriented atmosphere
to sing and ceiebrate healthy songs for a healthy world
Registration and information :
CMN, PO Box 1341, Evanston, IL 60204
(847) 733-8003 » of fice@emnonline.org
partial scholarships are available,
d ace
CMN 2000 GATHERING PRESS LIST
Organizations and Publi ations (from Caroline)
Mothering Magazine
PO Box 1690
Santa Fe, NM 87504
Alliance for Arts Education (AAE)
Kennedy Center for the Parforming Arts
Washington, DC 20566
202/416-8800
kcaaen@mail.kennedy-ceijter
Music Educators National (Conference
1806 Robert Fulton Dr.
Reston, VA 22091
703/860-4000
mbmenc@aol.com
Teachers & Writers Collaborative
5 Union Square West
New York, NY 10003
212/691-6590
info@twe.org
Young Audiences, Inc.
115 E. 92nd St.
New York, NY 10128
212/831-8110
arts4kids@earthlink.net
Asian American Arts Alliag
74 Varick St., Ste. 302
New York, NY 10013
212/941-9208
artsalliance@earthlink.net
American Folklore Society
4350 N. Fairfax
Arlington, VA 22203
703/528-1902
Alliance for the Arts
330 W. 42nd St., Ste. 1701
New York, NY 10036
212/947-6340
afta@ix.netcom.com
American Federation for thd
41 E. 65th St.
New York, NY 10021
Arts
212/988-7700
pubinfo@asaweb.org
New York Foundation on th
155 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10013
212/366-6900
artswire@artswire.org
e Arts
American Library Assn. (ALA)
Public Information Office
50 E. Huron St.
Chicago, IL 60611
312/944-6780
New Jersey State Council qn the Arts
20 W . State St. #306
Trenton, NJ 08625-0306
609/292-6130
njsca@njartscouncil.org
New York State Council o
915 Broadway
New York, NY 10010
212/387-7000
nysca@artswire.org.
Folksong in the Classroom
PO Box 264
Holyoke MA 01041
Music for Minors
97 Hillview Av.
Los Altos CA 94022
Peaceable Schools, Lesley ¢
29 Everett St.
Cambridge MA 02138
National Coalition of Educa]
PO BOX 679
Rhinebeck, NY 12572
Newspapers (See also Patri
the Arts
Newsletter
Pollege
tion Activists (NCEA)
ia Shih’s Press List for other newspapers — mailed to only East Coast addresses on
her list!
Long Island Parenting Mag:
Heather Hart
585 Stuart Av. Suite LL30
Garden City, NY 11530
Phone 516-227-0270
Fax: 516-227-2127
Zine
Warwick Valley Dispatct:
Attention: Anne, Calenda}
PO Box 594
Warwick NY 10990
Phone: 845-986-2216
Fax: 845-987-1180
Warwick Advertiser
Stan Martin, Editor
Calendar of Events
10 Oakland Av.
Warwick, NY 10990
Phone: 845-986-2061
Fax: 845-782-1711
of Events
Warwick Chamber of Commerce
Attention: Linda Glohs
Fax: 845-986-6982
Greenwood Lake News
Ron Nowak, Editor
Calendar of Events
PO Box 1117
Greenwood Lake NY 10945
Phone: 845-477-2575
Fax: 845-477-2577
New York Times
Laurel Graeber, Columnist
Children’s Events and Actjvities Section
Weekend Edition
Fourth Floor Culture Dept
229 W. 43 St.
New York,m NY 10036
Cornwall Local
Calendar of Events
35 Hasbrouk Av.
Cornwall NY 12518
914-534-7771
Hudson Valley Parent Maghzine
1748S. St.
Newburgh NY 12550
Lisa Mannetti, editor
914-562-3606
FAX 914-562-3681
Newsday (regional New Ydrk paper)
c/o Liza Burby
631-549-4483
Radio Programs (See al:
contacted on her list)
The Imagination Parade
WFDU - FM 89.1
Paul Butler
4 Ann St.
Greenwich, CT 06830
WFMU
Box 1568
Montelair NJ 07042
greasy@wfmu.org
Patricia Shih’s Press List for other radio stations — only East Coast addresses were
PADDYTALE S AND PADDYTUNES
Patrick O’Shea
WBZC FM 88.9
Burlington County Colleg
Pemberton NJ 08068
609-894-9311 x7584
609-894-9440 FAX
paddytunes@aol.com
WBAI
Matthew Finch, Arts Diregtor
120 Wall St. 10" Fl
New York, NY 10005
212-209-2800
212-747-1698 FAX
WKWZ-FM
Jack De Masi
Syosset High School
70 Southwoods Road
Syosset, New York 11791
516-364-5745
GROWLER RADIO
Bob Sakayama
WNYE FM 91.5
112 Tillary St.
Brooklyn NY 11201
Janice Buckner Learn Alonk Show
WHRU-FM 88.9
126 Radio
Hofstra University
Hempstead, NY 11550
516-421-2231
516-421-1050 FAX
KIDS POWER HOUR WFAS-AM 1230
Karl Keleman
37 Byway
Hartsdale NY 10530
914-693-2400
kidstalker@aol.com
New York Kids
Chris Catanese
WNYC 820 AM
1 Centre St.
New York NY 10007
212-669-2615
212-669-8557 FAX
http://www.nykids.org
WBSU FM Warren Kozir¢:
Seymour College Union
Brockport State Universit;
Brockport, NY 14420
716-395-5626
WNYE-FM 91.5
Joseph De Persia
112 Tillary St.
Brooklyn NY 11201
718-250-5800 x 821
The Carousel
David Zinovenko
WPKN 89.5FM
2479 n. Benson Rd.
Fairfield, CT 06430
203-378-4520
zinovenko@aol.com
Chickens R People 2
WMPG FM 90.9
Marieke
96 Falmouth St.
Portland ME 04103
207-780-4943
207-780-4590 FAX
Kids and Classics
WAVX FM
Jonathan Leveen
119 Tillson Av.
Rockland ME 04841
Time for Young People/A|phabet Soup
WBRS 100 FM/Leana Lyons
Brandeis University
415 S. St.
Waltham, MA 02254-911
617-736-4786
The Playground
WERS-FM 88.9
Melinda Richards
126 Beacon St.
Boston, MA 02116
617-824-8804 FAX
Kids on the Radio
WOMR-FM 91.9
Lisa Brian/ Joan LeBlanc
PO Box 975
14 Center St.
Provincetown MA 02657
508-487-2619
Children’s Program
WUNH-FM
C/o Katie Freda
University of New Hampshfire
Durham NH 03824
The WRIU Children’s Sho’
Bill Parker
WRIU FM 90.3
326 Memorial Union
Kingston RI 02881
401-874-4949
billwriu@aol.com
The Kids Show
WGDR FM 99.1
Goddard College
PO Box 336
Plainfield VT 05667
802-454-7762
Just Kidding
WDEV 550 AM
Box 550
Waterbury VT 05676
802-244-7321
Long Island Professional] Child Care Organizations
Nassau County Child Care Council
Sheila Cohen, Community| Advocate
516-358-9250
Suffolk Child Care Counci
Carol Slippen
643 1-462-0303
Nassau County Assoc. for|Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
516-877-3906
Suffolk AEYC
631-325-0829
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PRESS LIST iota
DAN OUELLETTE
EAST BAY EXPRESS
2032 PRINCE ST
BERKELEY CA 94708
MIKE FLYNN
THE FOLK SAMPLER
BOX 827
SILOAM SPRINGS AR 7
JACKIE ALPER
“PROGRAM DIRECTOR
cu
RENSS Y INS]
aaa omega
WUMB RADIO
CHILDREN’S PROGRAM qj
UNIV. OF MASS. AT Bd
100 MORRISSEY BLVD
BOSTON MA 02125
NEWSDAY
CULT ARTS WRITER
235 PINELAWN RD
MELVILLE NY 11747
JOAN BRENNER
WOMEN’S NEWSPAPER
PO BOX 1056
HUNTINGTON NY 11743
030
ISLAND EAR
MUSIC EDITOR & CALEN'
PO BOX 309
ISLAND PARK NY 11558
Fel
& CALEN:
PATRICIA SHH
L4 WFUV
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
FORDHAM UNIVERSITY
BRONX NY 10458
VICTORY MUSIC
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
PO BOX 7515
BONNEY LAKE WA 98390
CABLEVISION
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
1 MEDIA CROSSWAYS
ITUTE WOODBURY NY 11797
U-BEN AULETTA
IRECTOR CHILDREN’S MUSIC DIRECTOR
STON
SOUTHAMPTON CAMPUS
SOUTHAMPTON NY 11968
! NEWSDAY
je’ CALENDAR
!* 235 PINELAWN RD
MELVILLE NY 11747
NEW YORK TIMES
| MUSIC EDITOR
229 W 43
NY NY 10036
t SUFFOLK LIFE
MUSIC EDITOR & CALENDAR
PO BOX 167
RIVERHEAD NY 11901
i)
“GOOD TIMES
QAR EDITOR & CALENDAR
BOX 268
GREENVALE NY 11548
¥ LONG ISLAND PARENTING
CALENDAR
PO BOX 214
ISLAND PARK NY 11558
WPBX, LONG ISLAND UNIVERSIT eae
WBAI
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
505 8TH AVE
NY NY 10018
HUDSON RIVER SAMPLER
-~ PROGRAM DIRECTOR
WAMC
17 FERN AVE
SCHENECTADY NY 12306
MARYLAND MUSICIAN
7510 HARFORD RD, 2ND FLO
BALTIMORE MD 21234
eet
VILLAGE VOICE
MUSIC EDITOR
842 BROADWAY
NY NY 10003
NEW YORK TIMES
CALENDAR
229 W 43
NY NY 10036
“LONG ISLANDER
MUSIC EDITOR & CALENDAR
313 MAIN ST
HUNTINGTON NY 11743
“REVIEW NEWSPAPERS
CALENDAR
PO BOX 1
RONKONKOMA NY 11779
PAMELA AMMEN
PRODUCER, ACOUSTIC WOODS
PO BOX 306
CIMARRON CO 81220
WALTER GRAHAM
PRODUCER
ACOUSTIC CONNECTION
5151 PARK AVE
FAIRFIELD CT 06432
LEE MICHAEL DEMPSEY
SMITHSONIAN FOLKWAYG
414 HUNGERFORD DR,S1.444
ROCKVILLE MD 20850
KATHY & STEVE PETERS
CROSSCURRENTS & KKFT}
3617 N. S9OTH
KANSAS CITY KS 66104
229 W 43
NY NY 10036
Bau
CALENDAR
ADELPHI UNIVERSITY
GARDEN CITY NY 11530
~ WRHU
CALENDAR
HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY
1000 FULTON AVE
HEMPSTEAD NY 11550
ANSON OLDS
NORTHEAST FOLK FESTIV)
WAMC
318 CENTRAL AVE
ALBANY NY 12206
‘A,0U GIANSANTE
WNYC, NEW YORK KIDS
1 CENTRE ST
NY NY 10007
je
[NEN
AL
STEPHEN IDE
FOLK MUSIC REVIEWER
PATRIOT LEDGER
400 CROWN COLONY DR
QUINCY MA 02269
GLORIA HAYS
IRIE MUSIC/WORT
WEST 7488 BREEZY PT
BEAVER DAM WI 53916
MICHAEL STOCK
WLRN-FM
172 NE 15 ST.
MIAMI FL 33132
KUCA 91.3 FM
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
UCA PO BOX 4911
CONWAY AR 72035
MARY CLIFF
WETA RADIO
BOX 2626
WASHINGTON DC 20013
\_/MARK CORSO
WRSU-FM
11 CHESTER CIRCLE
NEW BRUNSWICK NJ 08901
PROGRAM MGR
FOLK PROGRAM
KSOR JEFFERSON PUB RADIO
CENTRAL HALL SOSC
ASHLAND OR 97520
WCWP
CALENDAR
LIU RADIO
BROOKVILLE NY 11548
\" WuSsB WFUV
CALENDAR CALENDAR
UNION BLDG FORDHAM UNIVERSITY
SUNY BRONX NY 10458
STONY BROOK NY 11794
/ WPKN WFDU
CALENDAR “ CALENDAR
244 UNIVERSITY AVE
BRIDGEPORT CT 06601
YY WBAB
CALENDAR
235 RT. 109
BABYLON NY 11702
FORESTEDGE PRODUCTIONS
NORTHEAST FOLK FESTIVAL
STAR ROUTE 62
BOX 27
GREAT BARRINGTON MA 01230
WIFF
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
PO BOX 797
JEFFERSONVILLE NY 12748
KARL KELEMEN
HOST, KIDS POWER HOUR
WFAS
37 BYWAY
HARTSDALE NY 10530
FAIRLEIGH DICKENSON U
TEANECK NJ 07666
_ WGSM
CALENDAR
900 WALT WHITMAN RD
HUNTINGTON NY 11743
WANDA FISCHER .
HUDSON RIVER SAMPLER ($
WAMC ra
318 CENTRAL AVE. © ot yo"
ALBANY NY 12206 is
JC BOUCHARD
PRODUCER
CHUO-FM, UNIV OF OTTAWA
85 UNIVERSITY STE.227
OTTAWA, ONT K1N 6N5 CANA
Children's Music
Network
Connecting people who celebrate the positive power of music in children’s lives
13th ANNUAL
NATIONAL GATHERING
October 10-12, 2003
Omni Hotel, Downtown Los Angeles, California
Magic Penny Award presentation to
SUNI PAZ
Spanish bilingual singer / songwriter / educator building a bridge between two cultures
For Musicians, Teachers, Librarians, Children, Parents, Families, & Youth Advocates.
We come together to foster cooperation, cultural diversity, self-esteem &
empowerment through music for & by young people—and have fun in the process.
—= Workshops Include ———————
Peace & Justice Songs Songwriting with Children
Songs in Spanish Bilingual Songs
Homemade Instruments Songs about the Environment
Music for Early Childhood & School Age Children
Songs about Difficult Issues & Feelings
es & Many More
Lots of Song Swaps:
Zipper Songs
Rounds
Playground Games
& More
Among the special guests: Guy & Candie Carawan, Faith Petric, Deborah Pittman, Katherine Siva Saubel
Fee Includes All Meals, Workshops, e Childr,
& Special Presentations We ee tb
ACME,
Scholarships Available . ~ @°
3 =< -
Teacher Credits Available
a Childcare at Event Y K Y,
Information:
CMN Office (847) 733 8003
office@cmnonline.org
THE
CHILDREN'S MUSIC NETWORK
P.O. Box
1341 _ Evanston, Illinois 60204-1341
847/733-8003 (voice & fax)
office@cmnonline.org
www.cmnonline.org
COOPERATION, CULTURAL DIVERSITY, SELF-
ESTEEM, & EMPOWERMENT THROUGH MUSIC
Continuing Education Credit
Course Title: Finding Our Voices and Celebrating Our Cultural Roots: Multicultural Music
Strategies for Today’s Classrooms
Course Description: This course will provide teachers with specific strategies—tools—
ideas that can be taken directly into the classroom to support national multicultural education
requirements. Participants will attend the Children’s Music Network National Gathering that
will offer general sessions and a series of workshops focusing on Spanish language songs and
cultures, and understanding our cultural roots through folk music - hearing our elders voices
through their storytelling and music.
Course Objectives:
i To identify appropriate songs in Spanish that will support the children’s
understanding of the language and culture of their own heritage or that of their
classmates.
2 To learn and understand the stories behind the songs. Putting the songs into a
historical context.
To learn about and explore various cultures through music.
To learn how understanding other cultures through music and storytelling can be a
means of eliminating stereotypes.
5 To learn the stories first-hand from elders that were part of the historical context of
many of the songs and pass this knowledge on to their students.
RW
6 To learn techniques to successfully write songs with children.
7 To learn effective methods and strategies to use music to teach the state
standards-based curriculum that supports improvement in student reading and
writing skills, multicultural education, and language acquisition/development.
8. To design lessons for the classroom that incorporate the new knowledge learned.
The Advocacy Center is available throughout the conference. This is a place where
teachers, directors/principals, and staff can come together to work on various advocacy issues
related to children/youth, including peace education, social justice, anti-bias curriculum,
diversity, and equity. The Center will expand on the workshops and presentations by
providing resources, activities and networking opportunities. Peace Camp youth leaders and
staff will be in the Advocacy Center at various times during the Gathering to demonstrate how
to incorporate these ideas into classroom settings.
Target Grade Levels: Early Childhood Education through Sixth Grade Content Area/Topic:
Multicultural Education/Music
Class Dates: October 10, 11, 12, 2003
Class Meeting Hours: The following are meeting times for workshops and
presentations.
October 10: 7:00-10:00pm
October 11": 9:00-10:15 Session 1 Workshops 2:30-4:30 Elders
Panel
10:30-11:45 Session 2 Workshops 4:30-5:30 Annual
CMN Community Meeting
1:00-2:15 Session 3 Workshops 7:00-11:00 Round
Robin
October 12": 8:45-10:00 Session 4 Workshops
10:15-12:00 = Magic Penny Award/Tribute to Suni Paz
1:00-2:00 Closing Circle
Class Location: Omni Hotel, Downtown Los Angeles
Total No. of Class Hours: 16 hours (equivalent to one unit credit) Total
Outside Preparation Hours: 30
Homework Assignment: The homework assignments are as follows:
a! Participants will plan and design three interactive lessons that incorporate
knowledge they learned. The lessons will be appropriate to their grade level of
instruction. The interactive lessons need to support student learning and inquiry.
2 Participants will submit documents that include:
2.1 The detailed lesson plans;
2.2 A one-page reflection paper on their effectiveness and/or student
documentation of the experience (written statements, songs, stories, pictures,
etc.)
c. Participants will complete a survey on the impact of the experience. The
survey will be sent out November 14, 2003 and will be returned with the
homework assignment by November 30, 2003.
Outside Preparati iT c i Date: November 30, 2003 (or otherwise
arranged with the instructor).
Mailed to: Dr. Christine Lamm, Fullerton College, 321 E. Chapman Ave., Fullerton, CA
92832
Course Fee Amount: Included in the registration
Project Instructor: Chris Lamm, Professor, Social Science Division, Child Development &
Family Life Department, Fullerton College
Co-Instructor: Stephani Rosenberg, Teacher, Los Angeles Unified School District
Attended MW gathering c. 2003 Chicago;
sent 05 Nat Gath pkts; sent 08 packets
Heba Abbasi
3406 S. 55th Av.
Cicero, IL 60804
Krys Muldrow
3737 S. Paulina
Chicago, IL 60609
Char & Luetta Curtis
8232 S. Cornell
Chicago, IL 60617
Norine Gutekanst
121 S. Elmwood
Oak Park, IL 60302
Greg Fundis
2147 W. Potomac
Chicago, IL 60622
Linda Robertson
639 N. Taylor
Oak Park, IL 60302
Taylor & Brenda Ingram
8001 S. Francisco
Chicago, IL 60652
Mail ret 9/05--
Amal Ali
7050 Mather Av. #3E
Chicago Ridge, IL 60415
Mail Ret 10/05
05-WI
Office of the Principal
Phoenix Middle School
414 Beloit St.
Delavan, WI 53115
05-WI
Office of the Principal
Eastview Elementary School
507 Sage St.
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
05-WI
Office of the Principal
Williams Bay Junior High
School
P.O. Box 259
500 W. Geneva St.
05-WI
Office of the Principal
Fontana Elementary School
450 S. Main St.
Fontana, WI 53125
05-WI
Office of the Principal
Fontana Elementary School
450 S. Main St.
Fontana, WI 53125
05-WI
Office of the Principal
Wileman Elementary School
1001 E. Geneva St.
Delavan, WI 53115
05-WI
Office of the Principal
Turtle Creek Elementary
School
1235 Creek Rd.
Delavan, WI 53115
05-WI
Office of the Principal
Darien Elementary School
124 S. Walworth St.
Darien, WI 53114
05-WI
Children's Librarian
Lake Geneva Public Library
918 W. Main St.
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
05-WI
Office of the Principal
First Lutheran School
1101 Logan St.
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
05-WI
Office of the Principal
First Lutheran School
1101 Logan St.
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
05-WI
Office of the Principal
Mount Zion Christian School
2330 Hwy. 120
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
05-WI
Office of the Principal
St. Francis De Sales School
130 Main St.
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
05-WI
Office of the Principal
Traver Elementary School
W3490 County Rd. BB
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
05-WI
Office of the Principal
Reek Elementary School
W4094 S. Lakeshore Dr.
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
05-WI
Office of the Principal
Central Elementary School
900 Wisconsin St.
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
05-WI
Office of the Principal
Woods Elementary School
N2575 Snake Rd.
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
05-WI
Office of the Principal
Central Elementary School
900 Wisconsin St.
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
05-WI
Office of the Principal
Star Center Elementary
School
W1389 Lake Geneva Hwy.
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
05-WI
Office of the Principal
Lake Geneva Middle School
600 N. Bloomfield Rd.
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
05-WI
Office of the Principal
Lake Geneva Middle School
600 N. Bloomfield Rd.
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
05-WI
Office of the Principal
Denison Elementary School
900 Wisconsin St.
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
“Sic net"
oul atonal
A Gathering for Children's Music Wy,
October 21,22,23,2005 ~ ®
Lake Lawn Resort—Delavan, Wisconsin
10 miles outside Lake Geneva
11/2 hours from Chicago—1 hour from Milwaukee
The Magic Penny Award and tribute will honor Ruth Crawford Seeger,
whose books of children’s folk songs are classics still used in classrooms
For Educators, Musicians, Families, Librarians, Parents,
& All Youth Advocates
->——————— SAMPLE WORKSHOP TOPICs ———————_
Multicultural/multilingual songswaps + Songwriting + How to Read Music
Music For Children with Disabilities + Peace & Justice Song Swap
Ecology + Early Childhood Roundtable + Teaching Group Music Lessons
Marketing & Publicity How-Tos For Performers + Instrument Making
Registration fees, including meals, start at $200 for members;
children under age 4 free.
For best prices, register before September 21.
More details at www.cmnonline.org
CMN Office 847-733-8003/office@cmnonline.org
SA e D
r - q e
\ We Contact the CMN office for GP
scholarship & teacher credit information .
~t
Mailed 10/11/05: 2005 Gathering
Sent 08 Reg mig
Office of the Principal
Phoenix Middle School
414 Beloit St.
Delavan, WI 53115
Office of the Principal
Williams Bay Junior High School
P.O. Box 259
500 W. Geneva St.
Williams Bay, WI 53191
Office of the Principal
Fontana Elementary School
450 S. Main St.
Fontana, WI 53125
Office of the Principal
Fontana Elementary School
450 S. Main St.
Fontana, WI 53125
Office of the Principal
Wileman Elementary School
1001 E. Geneva St.
Delavan, WI 53115
Office of the Principal
Turtle Creek Elementary School
1235 Creek Rd.
Delavan, WI 53115
Office of the Principal
Darien Elementary School
124 S. Walworth St.
Darien, WI 53114
Children's Librarian
Lake Geneva Public Library
918 W. Main St.
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
Office of the Principal
First Lutheran School
1101 Logan St.
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
Office of the Principal
Mount Zion Christian School
2330 Hwy. 120
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
Office of the Principal
St. Francis De Sales School
130 Main St.
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
Office of the Principal
Traver Elementary School
W3490 County Rd. BB
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
Office of the Principal
Reek Elementary School
W4094 S. Lakeshore Dr.
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
Office of the Principal
Central Elementary School
900 Wisconsin St.
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
Office of the Principal
Woods Elementary School
N2575 Snake Rd.
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
Office of the Principal
Central Elementary School
900 Wisconsin St.
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
Office of the Principal
Star Center Elementary School
W1389 Lake Geneva Hwy.
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
Office of the Principal
Lake Geneva Middle School
600 N. Bloomfield Rd.
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
Office of the Principal
Lake Geneva Middle School
600 N. Bloomfield Rd.
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
Office of the Principal
Denison Elementary School
900 Wisconsin St.
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
Office of the Principal
Eastview Elementary School
507 Sage St.
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
oa
¢
en Fi Foa FHF Fo ora ly
A Gathering for Children’s Music
October 6 - 8, 2006
Walker Creek Ranch, Petaluma, California
1 1/2 hours from Bay Area airports
For Educators, Musicians, Librarians, Families
ALL YOUTH ADVOCATES
A weekend of singing, dancing, networking, making friends, and learning new songs
Magic Penny Award Presentation
Nona Beamer
To honor her work preserving traditional Hawaiian music, dance and stories
Workshop Topics
International Songs and Games; Circle-time Songs; Singing with Older Children; Songs in Spanish
Songs of Environmental Awareness; Playing the Harmonica; Using Homemade Instruments
Easy Guitar for Teachers; Body Percussion; Success Tips for Children's Performers
Critique for Songwriters; and much more!
Registration fees including meals and lodging start at $205;
rl $160 with meals and camping; single day $60 - $100; discounts for families 2
Scholarships and ECE Credit Available °
Information:
Ingrid Noyes (415) 663-9755 or
CMN Office (847) 733-8003 or
office@cmnonline.org 53 bY
fri cs www.cmnonline.org 5 f;
pos
PQ Ton gyre ® afl |
SB Lu 1 Us A som
October 3, 200
Bonnie Lockhart
Songs and Music Games from Around the World
1032 Winsor Ave
Oakland, California 94610
540/451-2005
bonnie@bonnielockhart.com
www. bonnielockhart.com
Dear Early Childhood Education Stud
Attache! you will find a copy of the Course Requirements for academic credit for
your participatibn in The Children’s Music Network Gathering. Please submit your
write-up of youF conference experience to me, at the above address, by November 15.
The Guidelines are meant to stimulate your thinking about the Gathering and what
you experienced there. If you want to write in some other format, or deal with other
issues, just contact me and let me know what you are thinking, and there’s a good chance
that what you want to do will meet the requirements.
Feel fre¢ to contact me if you have any further questions about completing the
work for this cqurse credit.
Yours it] song,
Praag”
Bonnie Lockhart
COURSE REQ|
MUSIC FOR C}
The Children’s
1 ECE Semeste|
Association of
Please respond
Bonnie Lockhay
In order to qual
1. The titles of
conference.
2. A descriptid
fo)
Bonnie Lockhart
Songs and Music Games from Around the World
1032 Winsor Ave
Oakland, California 94610
510/451-2005
bonnie@bonnielockhart.com
www. bonnielockhart.com
UIREMENTS
HILDREN
usic Network Gathering
| Unit/ Credited from California State University, East Bay, through the
Vhildren’s Services
(0 all points below, and return your response by November 15 to
it at the address above
ify for credit, submit a critique of your conference experience including:
each of the workshops or presentations you attended during the three day
in of one or more experience from the conference that remains especially
(or has been]
3. A descriptig
disagrees an)
4. A descriptio
response req
sharing.
5. Any other cq
vivid, p ive. Address why it was important and how it might be
used in your own work.
n of anything that was probl ic—ideas or songs with which you
(i why. Were any presentations confusing or unclear?
n of any songs or ideas you shared in workshops or songswaps, and the
kived. You could also write about resistance or blocks to your own
bncerns or thoughts about the that you want to write about.
The Children’s Music Network
17th Annual National Conference
September 28-30, 2007
Holiday Turf Inn
205 Wolf Road, Albany, New York
CMN’s 20th Anniversary
of connecting people who celebrate
the positive power of music in children’s lives
Magic Penny Award and Tribute
to Sarah Pirtle for her work using children’s music for peace,
conflict resolution, & environmental education
Keynote by Kim & Reggie Harris
performing artists & teachers of African-American cultural heritage
Over 16 hours of creative & practical
Workshops, Discussion Panels, & Master Classes, & Song Swaps
with a wide range of topics & techniques for working with all age groups
For a full list, see the CMN Web site at www.cmnonline.org.
For registration information:
The Children’s Music Network si
Phone & Fax (847) 673-2243 « office@cmnonline.org 4
Local area contact: Terri Roben (518) 399-2080
Weekend fees start at $200 without housing; preregister to guarantee space
Limited scholarships available e Teacher half-day special rates available
The Children’s Music Network
17th Annual National Conference
September 28-30, 2007
Holiday Turf Inn
205 Wolf Road, Albany, New York
CMN’s 20th Anniversary
of connecting people who celebrate
the positive power of music in children’s lives
Magic Penny Award and Tribute
to Sarah Pirtle for her work using children’s music for peace,
conflict resolution, & environmental education
Keynote by Kim & Reggie Harris
performing artists & teachers of African-American cultural heritage
Over 16 hours of creative & practical
a Workshops, Discussion Panels, & Master Classes, & Song Swaps
with a wide range of topics & techniques for working with all age groups
1? For a full list, see the CMN Web site at www.cmnonline.org.
For registration information:
if : + The Children’s Music Network 5 Sh :
oe J Phone & Fax (847) 673-2243 + office@cmnonline.org (pM
Local area contact: Terri Roben (518) 399-2080
Weekend fees start at $200 without housing; preregister to guarantee space
Limited scholarships available e Teacher half-day special rates available
10/20/07 e-mail Evaluation of 2007 Workshop Organizing
This questionnaire went to 18 people. 11 Replied. 6 actually answered the questions. A handful
of the responses were actually relevant.
Most interestingly, several people were not aware that that the workshop descriptions and bios
were posted on the CMN website for many months prior to the conference. (They were notified
that these would be posted online.) We sent some follow up emails and learned that they do not
visit the CMN website - most felt they had little reason to check it out, and it didn’t occur to
them that any conference info might be found there. We need to get more traffic to the website!
Other presenter’s responses indicate that they were unaware that we sent 2 requests asking
them to inform us of any specific needs - white boards, chart paper, etc. Only two presenters
replied that they needed supplies, yet several suggested later that it would have been nice for
us to ask if they needed anything! We did! Twice!
So although people are getting their emails and responding to them, they’re not taking in the
content. They immediately respond with lots of “©” and “xoxox”, but we need to make sure that
the actual content is understood by the recipients!
It seems that our biggest challenge for next year will be finding ways to even better define what
types of workshops members will be attending, and what they can expect from a coaching
session or a master class as opposed to a song swap. We may have to find ways to gently
express the need for attending members to be respectful of the expert in a master class, and
conversely find ways to encourage workshop leaders to “open up’ a workshop if it lends itself to
that.
We had several goals that we set for ourselves this year: having everything ready to go to press
at an early date; providing each track with a variety of different styles of workshop; and making
sure to have something in every time slot for every track.
The year Marci and I presented, we didn’t know we were presenting until a week before the
conference, no - one met us or welcomed us, no - one told us what room we were in, no - one
checked if we had water or other necessities, no - one thanked us for presenting or even
seemed to be aware that we were on site. We wanted to change that, to make sure the
presenters knew they had a contact on site that could assist if needed, and that the presenters
knew that their time and effort was truly appreciated.
We feel we have achieved these goals and are setting new goals for next year!
Below are the responses we received in response to a follow up questionnaire.
Where can we make improvements leading up to the conference in regards to
communication and information?
As always, the earlier decisions can be made, the better for planning purposes.
I think you did a fine job communicating. Thank you.
I thought everything was well documented. From what you told me, perhaps an email to
everyone about 2 weeks prior (could be a copy of the acceptance email) stating the title,
length, time and description of the workshop would save you some emails of people who
have forgotten everything about their workshop!
| would have liked to have the Workshop titles and descriptions before the conference.
(This comment was made from a presenter who was unaware that the info was on the
CMN website)
I thought that your communication with us as workshop leaders was clear, timely and
helpful.
| think you did a great job, especially with the clearly delineated tracks and scheduling.
The communications were very timely in terms of letting people know that they'd be presenting. It would be great for
presenters to receive the full workshop line-up by email at least a month before the conference, and it would be good
if this were a tentative line-up so that changes could be made in the event of a really legitimate concern about the
schedule.
Did you have any things that you liked or didn’t like once you arrived at the
conference?
How workshops were scheduled - maybe schedule all the songswaps at once? So then
the swaps don't interfere with workshops for the same age track?
I think things ran pretty smoothly. It would of course be nice if someone could check-in with
presenters and see if anything is needed - but organizers are so stretched at that point, that I'm
not sure about the practical aspects of that happening.
I'm probably not the person to ask, as a BOD member I was in a different position from
most presenters. I felt you two had a handle on everything, and even tho workshops were
moved, it seemed that everyone got to where they needed to be.
This is not about the workshops, but | prefer when we gather at a camp or conference
center. Less sterile than a hotel. And without a car, | felt trapped there, unable to get out
into nature. | wouldn't want to get in a car, but | would have liked to take a walk, just to
get out of hotel air. | did take a short walk behind the hotel, but we were almost
completely surrounded by very busy roads.
The changes in room locations of workshops was a bit confusing, but that didn't seem
to be you - it seemed like the hotel made things a bit difficult in that area.
| really appreciate you gracefully nipping a potentially runaway discussion during my
workshop. As is most often the case, it's better to show than to tell.
| didn’t like finding out at the conference what the workshop schedule was. This might've been my fault so I’m not
blaming you. | am not sure whether | was supposed to look up the schedule beforehand. It would be really good to
give people as much info as possible soon as possible.
How can we make the lives of the presenters easier once you are on site?
Chocolate?
I had a huge group show up to a room full of chairs. I went in early and started moving things
about, and a few people willingly joined me ...but it would have been nice to have the room
more cleared. One thing I really appreciated is that people came to the workshop at or near the
starting time - not 15" late like 2 years ago when I presented to a largish crowd on music and
literacy. Sunday mornings are tough....esp. after a Round Robin that goes 'til 1:30!
Provide water bottles (always a nice touch at conferences I present at - at least offer
them), have someone appointed to check in with each presenter about 5 minutes before the
workshop (kind of a room monitor to last-minute trouble shoot, move chairs, etc.), and if
there is a quick turnaround before the next workshop offer assistance in vacating the
room.
My life was very easy! You did a great job!!
You did a good job as far as | can see! Be visible and available. Ask early on if people need chart paper or white
board or something similar to write on. If possible, drop in on the workshops or have someone keep track of how the
workshops are being attended, for future reference and planning purposes. | liked receiving the workshop sheet in my
packet. The process seemed very organized. The evaluation form didn’t ask about workshops specifically, except to
recommend them for next year. Perhaps the form should ask people's opinions specifically about the workshops.
With regard to the E.C. Song swap, | think people don’t just want to record it, they want to be in the room because
songs often involve motions and sign language. They want to share their own songs and have a chance to interact and
exchange ideas with others in early childhood (you do that more during a swap than you would in a regular workshop).
| would not plan anything else that appeals only to early childhood people in conflict with the song swap, but that’s just
my bias. I'd put it in the EC track. | think that’s what people would like, at least if you consider how they voted with
their feet during our timeslot.
For the techie workshops an LCD projector, screen and laptop speakers would be helpful
Any other feedback and thoughts are welcomed.
Couple quick things:
| think it needs to be more clearly communicated what the difference is between a
songswap and a workshop. | think some folks expected all of the workshops to be swaps
and that creates an interesting tension for the presenters.
I had a huge group show up to a room full of chairs. I went in early and started moving things
about, and a few people willingly joined me ...but it would have been nice to have the room
more cleared. One thing I really appreciated is that people came to the workshop at or near the
starting time - not 15" late like 2 years ago when I presented to a largish crowd on music and
literacy. Sunday mornings are tough....esp. after a Round Robin that goes 'til 1:30!
For me, this went very smoothly. However, I present a lot and am not thrown when I have
to make last-minute adjustments. Maybe we're seeing a trend - the early childhood
workshops seemed to draw the largest audience, so those presenters need to bring more
handouts, have more space.
Thanks Erin Lee and Marci, for handling it all so professionally and well!
Wonderful conference! Thank you!!
It was great, | can't think of any problems with the workshops--you guys did a fantastic
job! Nice selection--| loved all the workshops | went to, and my own went well, too.
Thanks for all!
| just love you ladies.
I thought it was a great workshop schedule. It felt like there could have been more
overall - one more track (one more workshop at each
time) would have been nice. I would have liked more thematic songswaps
(environmental songs, peace/conflict resolution songs, etc.), and I heard that
expressed by other participants.
I think it is great that you had the schedule worked out so far in advance (at least it
seemed like you did), because that allows for some of the publicity to mention specific
workshops. The only drawback to this is that it is harder for a new attendant to the
conference to offer a workshop. It might be nice to plan the majority of the workshops
far in advance, but to leave a few openings for new CMN'ers to lead workshops too.
Again, great work! All the workshops I attended were wonderful.
More kid-friendly workshops in the future. This was the first time | brought family.
One thing that has changed significantly over the years, is how the workshops are led.
In the past, there was a clear directive to have them be more of a cooperative venture
versus being a one-person presentation. There are some workshops where it makes
perfect sense to have the presenter take charge and tell us all they know in the allotted
time. Others | think would be better if the presenter presented less and facilitated more.
Even if it necessitates allowing some extra words in the workshop description, | think it
would be good if it specified how presentational, and/or how group-process it will be.
First, | just want to thank you for taking the time to organize the workshops for the conference. | feel sure it’s a
thankless task at times, requiring lots of follow-up and organization. So a big thank you for taking it on!!!
My biggest disappointment with the workshop was the scheduling, which we already discussed. The early childhood
song swap is a VERY popular workshop for people who work with that age group, so to schedule another workshop at
the same time for basically the same group is practically a guarantee that the other workshop will be lightly attended.
| had several people tell me they really wanted to come to our workshop but they just couldn’t miss the song swap
because that’s where they get lots of their ideas and new songs for the coming year.
The result of the schedule conflict was that our workshop was only attended by about 10-12 people. This was in
comparison to 40-50 who attended Carole’s workshop. | think our attendees seemed to enjoy it, but we did A LOT of
work in advance to present to such a small group. Hugh Hanley is a frequent presenter at national conferences on
early childhood, and it was his first CMN conference, so | felt especially bad about the impression it made on him.
People would've really benefited from hearing what Hugh had to say! And Amy is wonderful, too!
Hugh also said he was disappointed that he didn’t leave the conference with much new material he could use. My
response was, “Well, if you’d been able to attend the early childhood song swap, you’d have had more!” Overall,
Hugh did have a great time so | hope he will come again.
| am trying to recall whether you sent out info about the workshop line-up beforehand. It could’ve come and somehow
| missed it. | know | sent an email asking when we were scheduled, and got back a response just with my time slot.
But | wish I'd been specifically sent a line-up in advance letting me know the whole schedule (and like | said, maybe |
got it but just somehow neglected to look at it). Since it was my first time leading a workshop, | wasn’t sure what the
procedure was. | probably would've raised a ruckus about being scheduled opposite the song swap, and perhaps we’d
have had a chance to make a change. | don’t know what the criteria are for deciding to make a schedule change, but |
think we'd have had a pretty good argument in favor of doing that.
| am not sure what | think about having a whole song swap “track,” as | suspect most people do not come to the
conference to attend all song swaps (whereas they might come to attend all EC or performance). | do think the song
swaps are good for building community, which is a big part of what CMN is about, so they are an important part of the
conference!
Sorry I’ve ranted on about this. | really like both of you, and | don’t want you to feel like it’s anything personal. | hada
great time at the conference, and | enjoyed the workshops | attended, all of which had more people at them than ours.
You will probably hear this from other people, but | heard some really negative responses to Lili Levinowitz’s workshop
on Music Together. Generally people were offended by the ban on recording and Music Together’s overall attitude
about placing limits on people performing Music Together songs. | know they want to protect their materials, but it
seems so counter to the CMN spirit, where we are all about sharing music and welcoming others to share our songs
with children. | spoke with at least one person who felt that it was a thinly-veiled sales job for Music Together, giving
out the message that “if you want to know more about our songs and our teaching methods, you should do our
training and join Music Together.” I've had some exposure to Music Together and | actually really like the program,
but | don’t think CMN should be holding a workshop that promotes a particular company, even if it really is a good
company!! If that were the case, why not promote Marie Hopper’s Musicare, or Kindermusik, or one of the others? |
would suggest not having a Music Together workshop in the future, unless it’s some kind of showcase in which all the
companies are invited to talk about what they offer. That might be interesting.
Once again, | really want you to know how much | appreciate your work on the workshops!!!!_ You have my sincere
gratitude.
It occurred to me that a really easy way to solve this problem in the future is to put the early childhood song swap on
the early childhood track. That way, nobody doing a workshop for early childhood has to be up against the song swap.
This song swap is distinct from most others with its focus on that age group. Most of the others seem to be geared to
certain subject matter.
We need to add workshops for kids to go to...fun stuff
More panel discussions
Workshops: Super. One of the best in recent years in this regard. What an amazing bunch. Elise
- none better, Mr. Billy - awesome! Sally's, David & Jenny - all great. And everyone had the
same comments on all the others.
Thank you for sharing your wealth of talents, both in organizing and onstage. You
brought such great energy to the gathering and were a joy to work with. Thank you for
making us all feel so at home!
The Children’s Music Network
20th Annual National Conference « :
A gathering for people who celebrate the positive
power of music in children’s lives
When: October 8-10, 2010
Where: Presentation Center
19480 Bear Creek Road, Los Gatos, California
Magic Penny Award presented to Ruthie Buell (Uncle ‘eo
inspiring teacher, artist, radio broadcaster,
to honor her lifetime contribution to children’s music
Keynote presentation by Peter Alsop
singer, songwriter, educator, humorist po
Workshops, Song Swaps,
Discussion Panels, & Master Classes
with a wide range of songs, topics, & techniques for
working with all age groups. For a full list, see the CMN
Web site, www.cmnonline.org.
Registration Information
The Children’s Music Network
Phone & Fax 847/673-2243 office@cmnonline.org
Local area contact: Liz Hannan 650/342-1759
Register by August 1 to guarantee space
and best prices.
Limited scholarships available; contact
the CMN office. ECE Credit Available.
AN EXAMPLE OF HOW TEXT MIGHT BE COMMUNICATED TO THE FLYER
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
The Children’s Music Network [biggest font, across top]
17* Annual National Conference [next line, smaller font]
[space line]
October 8-10, 2010 [next smaller font]
Presentation Center
19480 Bear Creek Road, Los Gatos, California
[space line]
a gathering for people who celebrate the positive power of music in
children’s lives
Magic Penny Award & Tribute [still smaller font, but quite visible]
to [name] [3-4 word description] for her lifetime contribution to
children’s music
[space]
Keynote presentation by [name] [descriptors]
[2-line space]
Over 16 hours of creative & practical
Workshops, Song Swaps, Discussion Panels, & Master Classes
with a wide range of songs, topics, & techniques for working with all
age groups
For a full list, see the CMN Web site, www.cmnonline.org.
[space]
Early bird discount until August 1—Limited scholarships available
[For this contact section, break lines as needed]
For registration information:
The Children’s Music Network
Phone & Fax 847/673-2243 office@cmnonline.org
Local area contact: Liz Hannan 650/342-1759 [This line shouldn't be a
bigger font than the CMN office info]
POSSIBLE PLACES TO PUBLICIZE THE NATIONAL GATHERING; focus: N. Cal., 2001
We don't have a database or list of national places, and there's nothing at all in the
gathering binder of collected stuff. Sing Out! sends me a form each summer for their
events calendar, so | have already sent that in. Here are some other places I've culled
from my files.
FROM THE 1998 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SEARCH
| don’t know anything about these groups—they’re just regional ones | found on the
lists—and may not be appropriate for this kind of mailing. But might be sources.
Mothering Magazine
PO Box 1690
Santa Fe, NM 87504
They're bimonthly. Deadline for the Sep/Oct issue is in July. Don’t know the deadline
for the next earlier issue, which might be better.
San Francisco Chronicle
Classified Dept (only #s we have) 415/777-7777
Golden Gate University
Dept. of Urban & Public Affairs
Arts Administration
536 Mission St.
San Francisco, Ca 94105
University of San Francisco
College of Professional Studies
(no address)
National Institute of Art & Disabilities
551 23 St.
Richmond, CA 94804
510/620-0290
nia@thecity.sfsu.edu
American Alliance for Theater & Education
3418 N. Narrows Dr.
Tacoma, WA 98407
602/965-6064
aateinfo@asubm.inre.asu.edu
The Getty Institute for the Arts
1200 Getty Center Dr., Ste. 600
Los Angeles, CA 90049-1683
310/440-7315
mnowatt@getty.edu
Gathering Publicity List_p.2
National Council of State Arts Education Consultants (NCSAE)
Visual & Performing Arts
Office of the Superintendent of Instruction
Old Capitol Bldg., P.O. Box 47220
Olympia, WA 98504-7200
360/753-7389
gmay@ospi.wednet.edu
Alliance of Artists Communities
210 /SE 50" Av.
Portland, OR 97215
503/797-6988
San Francisco Performing Arts Library & Museum
399 Grove St.
San Francisco, CA 94102
415/255-4800
info@sfpalm.org
National Alliance for Media Arts & Culture
346 Ninth St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
4115/431-1391
namac@namac.org
California Arts Council
1300 | St., #930
Sacramento, CA 95814
916/322-6569
cac@cwolcom
Oregon Arts Commission
775 Summer St., NE
Salem, OR 97310
503/986-0082
oregon.artscomm@State.OR.US
Washington State Arts Commission
234 E. Eighth Av.
P.O. Box 42675
Olympia, WA 98504-2675
360/753-3860
wsac@artswire.org
Gathering Publicity List_p.3
FROM 1999 LIST (I have no addresses)
California Kindergarten Assn.
1710 Amphlette Blvd. Ste. 117
San Mateo, CA 94402
Music for Minors
(are member, so will get mailings)
Association of Children’s Librarians
Headstart
Kindermusic
Montessori
Reading Council
San Francisco Main Library Children’s Librarian
Children’s Library North Beach Branch
Hidden Villa (whatever that is?)
San Francisco State College, Early Childhood Development
Delta Kappa Gamma (an early childhood development sorority)
American Orff-Schulwerk Assn., Northern Cal. chapter
San Francisco Folk Music Club newsletter The FolkNik
OTHER IDEAS
California Association for the Education of Young Children (CAEYC)
National #: 800/424-2460
Susan Hopkins probably knows the state address
College education depts
Cultural centers
Sassafras (newsletter of the People’s Music Network, CMN’s parent group)
PMNSFS@HVI.net
Gathering Publicity List_p.4
Ask Susan Hopkins for a local contact for the Peacable Schools group
Ask José-Luis Orozco and Suni Paz for contact info for groups they work with. See if
you can get them to make personal contacts with those groups re the gathering. We
have the membership form in Spanish if that’s a help.
Radio Stations
A local interview for the MW gathering in Ohio brought in some people. Arrange
an interview with Ella Jenkins to be aired maybe a month or 3 weeks before the
gathering? This year we’re hoping to keep walk-ins to a minimum, so don’t
necessarily want last-minute publicity.
There's always a desire to reach out to people underrepresented in CMN, such as
people of color. That’s hard to do, but if you have ideas, use them. NC members
might be associated with such groups in their own work, and maybe could be the
outreach person or at least write (or have you write for them) a letter to go out to their
group with gathering info.
SAMPLE OF LOCAL PLACES TO DISTRIBUTE FLYERS LATER ON:
children's and adult bookstores
libraries
PTA newsletters
school music teachers
music stores
community centers
Publicity List for 2010 National Conference in the San Francisco Bay
Area
Compiled by Liz Hannan, Conference Chair
| found all the "Parenting" ones at preschools, libraries and rec centers.
| asked all the teachers in the area to print and post the flyer for their faculty rooms.
| also asked CMN folks in different areas to post the flyer on boards at their music
stores/studios, libraries and rec centers.
Organizations—
Kindermusic
Music Together
Parenting on the Peninsula, www.ponthep.com
Home Schooler Group
Music for Minors Group
(These two groups really do not let you post flyers,etc. So | joined them and have
been chatting about the conference. Eventually they will have all the same info
just not in the flyer format with graphics.)
American Montessori Society (National)
Bay Area Montessori Association
(SF to Marin to Sonoma to Sac to Stockton to Merced to Monterey to SF)
Catholic schools in SF, San Jose and Oakland Diocese
School districts (Again | am using my connections.)
Publications—
Bay Area Parent, www.bayareaparent.com (Peninsula, SF, Marin)
Bay Area Parent, www.bayareaparent.com (this includes Silicon Valley
Family Navigator, www.bayareaparent.com (this includes the East Bay)
India Parenting Magazine, www.indiaparentmagazine.org
SF Catholic (this is a paper that goes out to all the Catholic churches in the SF diocese.
Sing Out! www.singout.org
Dirty Linen, www.dirtylinen.com
08 sent the 2 Ill.
06 marked these labels to recognize if came back
(104 sent, 6 ret so far 8/18/06)
Gen ing > 7/31/99 not on other lists.
Mailed c. 8/9/01 & c. 7/29/06 [06 sent 64; got
back 2 a/o 8/10/06]
Addresses updated as we get new ones
and
INQUIRERS FOR '99 & '01 GATHERINGS WHO
DIDN'T JOIN, THOUGH SOME ATTENDED _, or
joined & lapsed sent 06
and
Inquirers re ‘01 gathering, inquirers re ‘99 gath.
who didn’t attend, & '99 attenders who didn’t join
Lynn York
PO Box 11
Casper CA 95420
Ted Kuster & Mary Jue
2463 32" Av.
San Francisco, CA 94116
Gerri Lyn Ashton
393 Lagunita Dr.
Soquel CA 94073
James Bannister
806 Fourteenth St.
San Francisco CA 94114
Franz M. Schneider
1044 Monterey St.
Hollister, CA 95023
Sondra Simpson
Extend A Day Child Care
1043 Serpentine Ln., Ste. F
Pleasanton, CA 94566
Carol Cesena
11410 Cmto. Armida
San Diego CA 92131
Francie Dillon
2758 26th St.
Sacramento CA 95818
Pat Field
5999 Mayflower Ct.
San Jose CA 95129
Lee Gordon
18730 Romar St.
Northridge CA 91324
Donna Holscher & Andrew Decker
PO Box 1674
Cottonwood CA 96022
Hilda Jurado
2500 Vineyard Av., Ste. 200
Oxnard CA 93030
Peter McDaniel
910 N. Cedar St. #9
Inglewood CA 90302
Steven Miller
1073 S. Crescent Heights Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90035
Sage Mountainfire
PO Box 464
Ukiah CA 95482
Carol Nimic
260 Boulder St.
Nevada City CA 95959
Monique Rossier
PO Box 4417
Whittier CA 90607-4417
Jennifer Russell
2542 Montrose Av.
Montrose CA 91020
Richard Thomason
843 Mendocino Av.
Berkeley, CA 94707
Caroline Draper Swift
5297 Westside Rd.
Healdsburg, CA 95448
Andrea Kuster & Paul Lyons
323 Gates
San Francisco, CA 94110
Suchi Branfman
2545 Beverley Av.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
Karen Rae Kraut
7663 Jayhawk Dr.
Riverside, CA 92509
Rachel Jackson
PO Box 894
Bolinas, CA 94924
Stephanie & John Proctor
1515 Smokey Mountain Dr.
Petaluma, CA 94954-1537
Paula Clay
2280 Woodland Trail
Cumberland, WI 54829
Unity Nguyen
3237 California St.
Berkeley, CA 94703
Phyllis Hiller
PO Box 406
Petaluma, CA 94953
Amy Rosenbaum, Program Director
Association of Children’s Services
3021 Brookdale Av.
Oakland, CA 94602
Ameena Muhammed
1226 Rose St.
Berkeley, CA 94702
Marta Molina
3516 Gray St.
Oakland, CA 94601-3724
Jenny Liu
1449 E. 32™ St., #B
Oakland, CA 94602
Gloria Ortiz
3488 Davis St.
Oakland, CA 94601
Lauramichele Agigian
Ohlone School
950 Amarillo Av.
Palo Alto, CA 94303
Ginny August
900 Glenhill
Fremont, CA 94539
Zida Bateau
2025 Lincoln St.
Berkeley, CA 94710
Kris Brown
PO Box 681
Inverness, CA 94937
Barbara Christwitz
3568 Vista St.
Clearlake, CA 95422
Jin Dorst
Ohlone School
950 Amarillo Av.
Palo Alto, CA 94303
Diane Ferlatte
6531 Chabot Rd.
Oakland, CA 94618
Emsley Fraser
1214 Greenway Dr.
El Sobrante, CA 94803
Lynn Herrick
467 Cumberland
Burlingame, CA 94010
Cathy Trout Hesson
8660 Uva Dr.
Redwood Valley, CA 95470
Tracy Johnson
47 Lansdale Av.
San Anselmo, CA 94960
Kathy Kelly
1301 Pacheco St.
Santa Clara, CA 95051
Malcolm Margolin
Heyday Books
PO Box 9145
Berkeley, CA 94709
Padde McCrery
PO Box 746
Forestville, CA 95436
Susan Milstein
5804 Owl Hill Av.
Santa Rosa, CA 95409
Lydia Oey
2519 65" Av.
Oakland, CA 94605-1908
Laurence Ostrow
71 Mariner Green Dr.
Corta Madera, CA 94925
Annette Pirrone
443 Center Blvd.
San Anselmo, CA 94960-2285
Jan Prater
1264 Dogwood Dr.
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
Bob Roden
945 Fresno Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94707
510-526-8618
br@bobroden.com
Kayima Rogers
117 White Oak Cir.
Petaluma, CA 94952
Jerry Rubin
PO Box 267
Lagunitas, CA 94938
Lee Ann Welch
PO Box 462
Saratoga, CA 95060
Rita Wilson
Center School Library
2900 Armstrong
Travis A.F.B., CA 94535
Clara Yen
1391 Moselle Ct.
Livermore, CA 94550
Eric Angress
Melissa Mathis
1341 California St.
Berkeley CA 94703
Pam Davies
531 S. Twelfth St.
Coeur d'Alene ID 83814
Hillary Fielding
1107 Laurel Av.
Felton, CA 95018-9518
Ivonne Urrea
2410 San Mateo St. #5
Richmond, CA 94804
Joyce Gibrick
4450 Moraga Av.
Oakland CA 94611
Nick Holbrook
2230 McGee Av.
Berkeley CA 94703
Nancy Noto
22093 Stocklmeir Ct.
Cupertino CA 95014
Charlotte Patterson
212 Princeton
Mill Valley CA 94941
Bill Rogg
333 Encina Av.
Redwood City CA 94061
Betty Schreck
689 Creston Rd.
Berkeley CA 94708
Edward Silberman
1535 Grant St.
Berkeley CA 94703
Peggy Tunder
11 Salix Av.
Woodacare CA 94973
Sonia Wyman
1324 Marlesta Rd.
Pinole CA 94564
Ron Kean
7609 Saddleback Dr.
Bakersfield, CA 93309-1234
Beth Lawson
Mountain View Public Library
585 Franklin St.
Mountain View, CA 94041
Keith Cary
404 Central Ln.
Winters, CA 95694
Rosena C. Weaver
20 Harvey Road
Deerfield, NH 03037
Barbara Harris
635 Tuallitan Road
Los Angeles, CA 90049
Ken Cooper
2903 Carolyn Way
Sacramento, CA 95818
Sonia Rawal
3028 College Av.
Berkeley, CA 94705-2506
Elizabeth Pittman
326 Jorgensen dr.
Pittsburg, CA 94565
Ed Hilton
824 Lincoln Av. #B
Alameda, CA 94501
Leslye Lawrence
5000 E. Walnut
Soquel, CA 95073
Lynn Quinones
720 Park Glen
Martinez, CA 94553
Mary Latham
1213 El Camino Real, #1
Burlingame, CA 94010
Pat Field
5999 Mayflower Ct.
San Jose CA 95129
Gretchen Guidotti
PO Box 7103
Berkeley, CA 94707-7103
Vicki Legion
2395 Bryant St.
San Francisco, CA 94110
Vanya Green
4100 Manila Av.
Oakland, CA 94609
Roseann Beeman
777 Moraga Rd.
Lafayette, CA 94549
Carolyn Power
167 Fifteenth Av.
San Francisco, CA 94118
Aaron Reaven
486 36" St.
Oakland, CA 94609
Laura Barbe
Barbe Performing Arts
3637 Snell Av. #260
San Jose, CA 95136
Laura Kramer
2712 St. James Rd.
Belmont, CA 04002
Next two not CA local
Linda Plant
501 Shannon Dr.
Greenville, IL 62246
Mark Hofeditz
621 Hale Av.
Edwardsville, IL 62025
Bad addresses, etc., all groups above
Davi f
512-66" St.
Oakland CA94609
Joined but lapsed
sent 06
Urban_Harmeny Mevement
c/o The Contemporary A Cappella Society
1850 Union St #4 PMB 1449
Mail ret unknown fall 03
ion Fi
1633-Oxferd St. #D
Berkeley -CA94709
Joined but lapsed 02
MarkcFish
p ‘ fied-S Distr
85D-Churehit Av.
Joined ‘but lapsed 03
Deena Goidel
621 North Terrace Av., #66
Mail ret 2/03
Cherida-Gruenfeldt
6430 Redweed Rd.
Joined but lapsed 00
Lisa Haller
Returned
Liz Hannan
Baortagert > CA94010
Returned (Given gift mem 4/04)
Anitajenes-
14 Miner-ct
Navate-CA 94947
Returned
bauratcramer
2742-StfamesRd-
Belmont, CA—04002
joined but lapsed 02
teste Lambert
2781-Santeandro Blyd #214
—Leandro, CA 94578
2395 Bryant St
JOined but lapsed 02
Lynne Seerist
— PO Bex 4272-
—Senera CA 95370
Returned
Santa Rosa,CA 95407
Returned
Eugene-OR—97404
Mail ret 6/03, order exp
MariorieP
180-Clydesdale
Danville CA-94526
Mail ret 6/03
PautSafar
40-W,38"-St
Mail ret 6/03
C ‘gti
2839 Regnart Way
Mail ret 6/03
Kathy Kelley
328 Post St #14
Mail ret 6/03
jennifer Russel
2542 Montrose Av.
Mail ret 8/06
tsebelLaitem
Costa Mesa CA 92627
Mail ret 8/06
Keele Bodhi
1454 Ridgeweed Dr
Mail ret 8/06
jesse White
PO-Bex9289
Mail ret 8/06
Leuise Raymend
416A Staten Av.
Mail ret 8/06
istinaS
651 Fergusen Rd.
Mail ret 8/06
Atannatenes
295-Grau- Dr
Mail ret 8/06
Grace Hamada
1475-Webster St
Mail ret 8/06
Arayknipe
——_965 Cascade Dr.
Mail Ret 8/06
Hockomock Valley Music Together
PO-Bex 1404
Mail ret 10/06
No mail address:
Desi Soto (faxed)
Joined
Schneider above
831/637-1794
Children, Parents, Families, Musicians, Educators, Songwriters, and Performers
Come together to foster cooperation, cultural diversity,
self-esteem, and empowerment through music for young people!
The Children’s Music Network
9" Annual National Gathering
October 15 -17, 1999
Walker Creek Ranch, Petaluma, California
60 miles north of San Francisco
in the golden rolling hills of Marin County
A Special Presentation by
Bess Lomax Hawes
and a Musical Tribute to
Malvina Reynolds
Registration fees for the full weekend start at
$160 for Adults, $120 for Kids 8-15, and $80 for Kids 3-7
and include all meals, lodging, workshops, dances and concerts
ECE Credit Available
Delicious Food * Heated Cabins # Child Care Provided
Just a sample of the workshops:
Play Party Games & Dances * Song Swap for Ages 1 to 3 * Roundse Maraca Making
Classroom Music Teacher Support Group * Hambone & Body Rhythm
Tree Songs at the Grandmother Oak Tree * Singable Books & Circle Activities
Hands On: Performing with Sign Language * Bilingual Environmental Songs of the Americas
Nature Songs & Stories © Sing It, Say It, Move It, Play It: An Orf¥-Schulwerk Class
Registration and Information: CMN, P.0. Box 1341, Evanston, IL 60204
(647) 733-8003 © cmn.cp@worldnet.att.net
CMN ANNUAL CONFERENCE GUIDE
Like all other aspects of CMN, this guide has evolved over many years. Originally it was
a paper binder holding a collection of mailing pieces, registration forms, budgets, and
other materials from several years’ gatherings that would serve as a resource for chairs.
When one conference was over, the binder passed to the CMN office for any needed
updates and then went to the next chair. But then we moved toward a long-held dream:
having a start on the next year’s gathering before this year’s occurred. That meant that
more than one person needed the material at the same time. So we copied pages. And
then computers and e-mail erupted, and we got an even longer lead time in place, so
that nowadays usually at least three conferences are in some stage of development
simultaneously. Also, practices, policies, and such seem to change more frequently than
they used to. So it’s more practical now to keep the guide documents in electronic form.
Many conference chairs, though, print out the guides and organize them in a binder
according to their own work patterns.
What the Guide Contains
General—
Date and Location Rotation Schedule
Insurance
General Weekend Description (may be useful for publicity or responses to inquiries)
Conference-related policies.
Also see the CMN Policies and Procedures document's sections on the conference.
This is found in the board and reps’ toolkits on the Web site.
Site Selection—
General Space Needs
Meeting Room Size
Site Questions
Cost Assessment
Insurance
Contract—
Food Costs/Choices
Contract Specs
Administration—
Conference Organization Chart (lines of communication and responsibility)
Chairs’ Duties
Timeline Example
Chair/Board Relationship
Money Handling Guide
Expense Voucher
Budget and Fees—
Possible Budget items
Budget and Fees Development Process
Committees—
Committees list
Guides for many committees/work areas
Flyer—
Flyer guide
Flyer Art Examples List
Flyer Placeholder Text
Publicity—
Media Packets
Publicity Basics
Publicity Tasks
Sample PSA
Sample PRs
Misc Publicity Contacts
Program—
Opening and Closing
Round-robin
Magic Penny
Keynote
Vendors—
Sample handouts
Materials finder
Sponsors—
Benefits chart
Sample solicitation letter
Other—
Teacher credits
Registration
Sales tables
What Is Not in the Guide, but Available in the CMN Office to Re-use or Adapt
For Planning—
Multi-year comparisons of budgets, food costs, net income, and other such information.
If you have questions, ask: there may be a file to answer them.
Many kinds of statistics:
Attendance by year/age group/period/geography and more
Scholarship awards history
Registration flow; i.e., what percentage of the final registrations came in during which
period
To Re-use or Adapt—
Files of all of the conference-related materials going back for most of CMN’s history.
They include registration mailing pieces, confirmation mailing pieces, program books and
folder sheets, flyers, budgets, workshop lists, and more.
Registration staff materials (developed/adapted for each year):
On-site registration forms
On-site pricing charts
Registration staff instructions
RELATIONSHIP OF NATIONAL GATHERING CHAIR TO THE BOARD
Persons who take on the job of organizing the national gathering have the
most cordial thanks of the board. Gathering organizers play a major role in
CMN.
The gathering is expected to produce a substantial profit to help fund the
organization's general operations. The gathering is the most visible example
of CMN at work for the membership at large and for the public, so there is a
need to maintain both continuity of image and the standards we hold up in
our corporate life. Yet, in most cases, each year's chair is doing this for the
first time. This freshness enlivens, brings in new ideas and new people, and
shares out the work of CMN. At the same time, it means that the chair may
not know the inside history of the gathering and may not have given the kind
of thought to the overall picture that board members have done. Therefore,
the chair must work closely with the board and the CMN National
Coordinator. Certain items need to be approved by the Executive
Committee.
KEY PIECES: PROCEDURES and APPROVAL
KEYNOTER (Also see Magic Penny)
1) The keynote committee works with the gathering chair to develop a list of
potential presenters and designate their preference order. (See separate
guidelines for choosing.)
2) The chair sends the list, including preferences, to the Executive
Committee for approval. (If a specific board member has been assigned
as gathering liaison, the chair first consults with that person as to the
suitability of each person on the list.)
3) The keynote committee contacts the proposed presenter and, if accepted,
discusses specific desired arrangements, but without committing to
details.
4) The committee discusses proposed arrangements with the chair, then
gets back to the keynoter to finalize.
FLYER
1) Concept and first draft: A full-page gathering announcement appears in
the
spring issue of Pass /t On! This may be the same design used as the
general
flyer, or may be a different design.
(a) The page may be produced by the P/O! graphics designer and then
serves as the general flyer; OR
(b) The gathering publicity committee produces a draft flyer, which
may also go into P/O!.
2) In either case, the design, including the text, is developed in consultation
with the national office, and must be approved by the Executive
Committee.
Procedures and Approval _(Cont.)
BUDGET
1. The gathering committee develops a budget, using budgets and final
financial reports from past gatherings as a resource, working with the
National Coordinator. As part of budgeting, registration fees are set to
produce the desired profit.
2. The proposed budget and price schedule must be seen by the Executive
Committee before prices are publicized.
GENERAL
As an organization still forming in some respects, we are learning as we go.
We've developed traditions, but some procedures and processes and policies
are still being developed and refined. Since most of the work always has
been and still is done by volunteers with limited time and energy, there has
not always been time to clarify or write down what we do or think ought to
be done. Therefore, gathering organizers need to be in close touch with the
national office and the board liaison person throughout the process.
CMN NATIONAL CONFERENCE BUDDIES
WHAT BUDDIES DO
After being notified who your buddy is, the two of you get in touch well before the
conference to begin getting acquainted, to allow the newcomer to ask about what to
expect, and to set a time and place to meet at the beginning of the conference. If at all
possible, both parties should plan to arrive in time to attend the newcomers circle
together at 5:00 on Friday. If one or both can’t make it that early, meet soon afterward.
Experienced buddies: Take the initiative to check in with your partner several times
during the weekend. Perhaps have lunch or dinner together on Saturday when the new
person will probably have begun to accumulate questions. Meet again at the end of the
weekend.
COORDINATING BUDDIES
Attendees sign up on their registration forms to be or request a buddy. They are
asked for some personal information as a basis for matching them with someone with
common interests if possible. Some give it, some don’t.
The CMN office feeds the information to the buddies coordinator, who makes matches
and informs both parties, giving their contact information.
Try to get matches made at least three weeks before the conference for those who
have come in by then, and the others as soon as possible. This is to give the parties
time to connect before the conference.
In notifying people who their partner is, remind them what is expected as described
at the top of this page—don’t assume that they already have it in mind, no matter
how experienced. The aim is to get the newcomer to feel already connected before
arrival. Emphasize that both are urged to arrive in time to attend the newcomers
circle; this will be a new thing for some repeat buddies.
If someone registering for Saturday only requests a buddy, try to match them with a
board member. (You decide whom to ask—even one who hasn’t signed up as a
buddy.)
Prepare a list of all of the matches as a reference at the registration desk. If by
conference time there is anyone unmatched:
1. the coordinator should take the initiative to invite the newcomer to the
newcomers circle and ask conference organizers for time early in the opening
program to ask for a volunteer buddy, and/or
2. write the be-buddy’s name on the match list in case of newcomer walk-ins.
8/07
SOME ITEMS THAT MIGHT BE INCLUDED IN THE CONFERENCE BUDGET
INCOME
Registration fees
Sales tables
Program book ads
Donations
Fund raising on site (not done often; if done, usually organized by board; doesn’t
refer
to silent auction, which belongs in the CMN general budget)
Vendor fees
Sponsor contributions
EXPENSES
Food (including any taxes and/or service fees)
Attendee housing
Meeting rooms
Eqpt. Rental
Shuttle (CMN-provided tranportation from a local airport shuttle drop-off point to the site
when needed for a distant location; usually gas money for a volunteer)
Keynote (The board selects the keynoter and sets the keynote budget, the overall figure
of
which appears in the conference budget as a line item.)
Special presentation
Child care
Postage
Printing/copying
Phone
Publicity
Supplies
Professional services (cost of national coordinator’s time related to the conference)
Site comp, chair (the chair may have her/his registration fee waived by request)
Site comp, NC (national coordinator’s food and housing)
Misc.
Notes:
1. Phone, printing, postage, etc., include expenses incurred by organizers and the CMN
office
2. The board wants the comps listed as separate items
3. The Magic Penny happens at the conference but is not considered a function of the
conference itself, so related expenses are part of the general CMN budget, not the
conference budget.
4. Budgets from past years are available from the CMN office.
NOTES ON BOARD DISCUSSION OF THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE “BUS FUND”
What It Is—
The Bus Fund was started by Pete Seeger at the 2004 National Conference to
help with transportation costs to bring in people from the community who
would widen our diversity to attend the conference. Other members made
further contributions. In Pete’s vision, it was supposed to have built up so
that only the interest would be used, but it didn’t get that big (and there was
no enthusiasm on the part of the board for expanding it because they didn’t
see it as an effective approach to expanding diversity). Per the board 1/05,
some of these funds may be used for transportation costs re/ated to
gathering outreach (even before the amount is sufficient for the busing
originally intended). Administratively it gets lumped with scholarships
because if it's going to be used from, it's likely that at least some of the
people transported would be applying for scholarships. Please consult with
the national office on using from this fund.
Where the Money Came From—
Original Donations at '04 Conference to Start Fund: Pete & Toshi $200; J.
Sprout $200; Laurie Vela $25; anon cash $75
Donations in 2005: D & L Ronberg $200, D. Kinnoin $200
CP > J. Tuller & I. Noyes, 06 chairs, 2/25/06
Some stuff you don't put in official documents or tell everyone. Here goes on
the "Bus Fund." In the bookkeeper's accounting, it is part of the conference
scholarship designated fund, but | keep track of it as separate from the
money available to pay registration fees. Ingrid, you probably remember that
Pete started it in New Jersey with a little seed money as is his habit. Others
have contributed. His intent was to elevate CMN's and the gathering's
diversity by busing in people (non-members) from nearby cities to our
remote sites who would not otherwise be able to or inclined to attend on
their own.
Now, CMN members and the board have discussed such an approach many
times and the board has not thought it useful or even logistically workable.
From your comments and writings, Ingrid, | think you and | share a belief that
the only approach likely to bring long-term results for CMN is based on
members' prior and ongoing relationships with individuals and groups. If |
remember correctly, nearly all instances of genuine, meaningful participation
we've had from people of color who were not already members has been via
such relationships.
Nevertheless, we have this fund. So our decisions this year are on how to
make use of it in ways that are faithful to the intent but fit within approaches
we're comfortable with, or whether to let it sit and maybe accumulate until
such time as a use presents itself. (Pete's original vision was that we'd use
only the "interest" each year, but it would take a long time to accumulate a
usable amount.) That's what underlies the note at the bottom of the financial
summary.
From: Nsms2@aol.com [mailto:Nsms2@aol.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2005 7:49 PM
To: bod
Subject: Bus fund
Hi All,
Phil, Sally, & | spoke to Pete about the fund at the Gathering, and |
thought that he seemed to be okay with however we (that is, CMN) chose to
use the fund. | thought that we had agreed (including Pete) that increasing
membership (not only minority but also new young members, etc.) was of
prime importance, and that the fund could be broadened from his original
announcement at his special session. Phil & Sal, do you remember this, or
have | skewed what happened?--Nancy
Phil 2/3/05
Pete wanted to stimulate racial diversity as | recall. He thought the Appel
Farm gathering was too white, and knew of a nearby community with more
people of color. His idea was that among other things transportation money
kept them away. Therefore he started a "bus fund' to encourage us to reach
out and diversify our attendance at events. We did talk more about
transportation not being the only barrier to a diverse membership, but |
don't recall Pete saying the fund could be used to bring in more young
members, at least not in my presence. Maybe he said that to others.
Phil
Original Message -----
From: "Frank M. Hernandez" <assistdirector@artsforallinc.or
To: "bod" <bod@lists.cmnonline.org
Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2005 12:39 PM
Subject: [bod] RE:- Bus fund
Dear Phil and all,
| had a conversation with Pete myself. He explained to me that
transportation was a big problem and that the bus fund was a step that
would bring CMN closer to diversity. | asked him about the registration fee
and how this fee also kept people away. He said that if we had a bus,
people would not need to stay and pay for the overnight, the bus could take
them back home and they would save some money this way.
He had more ideas. Get people to give other moneys that would help offset
the cost of the conference registration fee, find a sponsor, or sponsors that
would sponsor attendees. He also said that we needed to go to the inner
city and bring people of color, on the bus, to CMN, or just have the
Conferences in the inner city and we would not need the bus fund.
Johnette raised the idea that African Americans might not take well to the
title “Bus Fund” because it raises uncomfortable historical connections. Terri
concurred.
These are my recollections.
Frank M Hernandez.
PS. He also asked me my thoughts on why we did not have more Hispanics
at CMN.
CMN NATIONAL CONFERENCE/GATHERING GUIDE
FOR CHILD CARE COMMITTEE
BASICS
Care is provided free of charge. Pre-registration is requested (on the gathering pre-
registration form) so organizers know about how many children to prepare for. Of
course, if there are walk-in registrants, they may also use the child care. Each adult
accompanying a child in care is expected to sign up at the conference check-in for a
shift assisting the paid staff. That is, if there are two adults with the family, both are
expected to serve. Find a way to encourage non-parents to volunteer, too. There is an
item in the conference budget to cover staff, supplies, snacks, and the like; check with
the gathering chair about how to handle expenses.
WHEN CARE IS PROVIDED
e¢ During workshops, the keynote, Magic Penny, the community meeting, and other
whole-group meeting times.
¢ Need not be provided Friday evening, during meals, during the round robin.
TASKS
(1) Find a staff person or, preferably, two.
It's helpful to have more than one person because you may have kids of a wide age
range with different interests. If possible, hire local staff to save the expense of
providing housing and meals other than lunch.
SOURCES
e If you have contacts in the local area start with them, especially people who have
children and may know experienced babysitters.
¢ The director of the camp or conference center where the gathering will take place
may be able to furnish referrals.
¢ Once you have one person, (s)he may have other contacts.
PAY
In the past CMN has paid $10/hr. Consult with the conference chair or the CMN national
coordinator ahead of time on how to get checks written to pay staff people at the end of
their last shift.
(2) Plan activities and collect the supplies and equipment needed.
e Bring paper, crayons, markers, glue, scissors, and the like. Some funds are available
from the gathering budget for supplies. Check with the conference chair about the
amount and the expectations.
¢ You may also want to bring toys and games. Ask parents to bring toys as well.
Check with the facility to see if they have outdoor equipment such as balls. Also
check with the facility about a TV/VCR and plan to bring some kid-friendly videos.
Activities like a scavenger hunt or making play-dough can be fun. There will also be
workshops that are kid-friendly. You may want to plan for the whole child care group
to go to one of those workshops.
(Cont.)
CHILD CARE (Cont.)
(3) Arrange for snacks.
Check with the facility to see if they will provide snacks for the children. (If there’s a
cost, consult with the conference chair before committing.) If not, ask the chair about
cost guides, then purchase snacks and bring them, along with paper towels, paper
cups, and the like for serving. Keep receipts for reimbursement (to be arranged with
conference chair and/or CMN national coordinator).
(4) Organize volunteer sign-up.
Before check-in starts, make a sign-up sheet with one-hour blocks for the periods when
care will be provided, and place it on or near the registration tables. Check with the
registrar on the best location. If possible, arrange for someone to be at registration
during the time of heaviest traffic Friday late afternoon to make sure that registrants
sign up. Or, someone volunteering for registration may take charge of that spot. You
may need to make several announcements during the conference to get enough
volunteers.
2/04
CMN NATIONAL CONFERENCE/GATHERING GUIDE
FOR CHILD CARE STAFF
BASICS
Care is provided free of charge. Pre-registration is requested (on the gathering pre-
registration form) so organizers know about how many children to prepare for. Of
course, if there are walk-in registrants, they may also use the child care. Each adult
accompanying a child in care is expected to sign up at the conference check-in for a shift
assisting the paid staff. That is, if there are two adults with the family, both are
expected to serve. Find a way to encourage non-parents to volunteer, too. There is an
item in the gathering budget to cover staff, supplies, snacks, and the like; check with the
gathering chair about how to handle expenses.
WHEN CARE IS PROVIDED
e¢ During workshops, Magic Penny, and other whole-group meeting times.
¢ Need not be provided Friday evening, during meals, during the round-robin, and
usually isn’t. The conference coordinators will set the schedule.
TASKS
(1) Plan activities and collect the supplies and equipment needed.
e Bring paper, crayons, markers, glue, scissors, and the like. Some funds are available
from the gathering budget for supplies. Check with the conference chair about the
amount and the expectations.
¢ You may also want to bring toys and games. Ask parents to bring toys as well. Check
with the facility to see if they have outdoor equipment such as balls. Also check with
the conference chair about a TV/VCR and plan to bring some kid-friendly videos.
There will also be workshops that are kid-friendly. You may want to plan for the
whole child care group to go to one of those workshops.
(2) Arrange for snacks.
Purchase snacks and bring them, along with paper towels, paper cups, and the like for
serving.
(3) Organize volunteer sign-up. (Might be done by conference coordinator.)
Before check-in starts, make a sign-up sheet with one-hour blocks for the periods when
care will be provided, and place it on or near the registration tables. Check with the
registrar on the best location. If possible, arrange for someone to be at registration
during the time of heaviest traffic to make sure that registrants sign up. Or, someone
volunteering for registration may take charge of that spot. You may need to make
several announcements during the gathering to get enough volunteers.
8/07
RELATIONSHIP OF NATIONAL CONFERENCE/GATHERING CHAIR TO THE BOARD
Persons who take on the job of organizing the national conference have the most cordial
thanks of the board. Conference organizers play a major role in CMN. The conference is
expected to produce a substantial profit to help fund the organization's general operations. It
is the most visible example of CMN at work for the membership at large and for the public, so
there is a need to maintain both continuity of image and the standards we hold up in our
corporate life. Yet, in most cases each year's chair is doing this for the first time. This
freshness enlivens, brings in new ideas and new people, and shares out the work of CMN. At
the same time, it means that the chair may not know the inside history of the conference and
may not have given the kind of thought to the overall picture that board members have done.
There is a basic template for the weekend within which each year’s committee develops
program and schedule details. Therefore, the chair must work closely with the board via the
board conference liaison and with the CMN national office. Working “closely” means that all of
these parties should be kept aware of developing ideas before features such as program
elements or special guests are committed to. Certain items need to be approved by the
Executive Committee.
KEY PIECES: PROCEDURES and APPROVAL
FLYER
1) Concept and first draft: A full-page conference announcement appears in the winter/spring
issue of Pass It On! This may be the same design used as the general flyer, or may be a
different design.
(a) The page may be produced by the P/O! graphic designer and then serves as the
general
flyer; OR
(b) The conference publicity committee or other volunteer produces a draft flyer, which
may also go into P/O!
2) In either case, the design, including the text, is developed in consultation
with the central office, and must be approved by the Executive Committee.
BUDGET
1. The conference committee develops a budget, using budgets and final financial reports
from
past conferences as a resource, working with the CMN national coordinator. As part of
budgeting, registration fees are set to produce the desired profit.
2. The proposed budget and price schedule must be seen by the Executive Committee before
prices are publicized.
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
The keynote and Magic Penny Award and tribute are established parts of the conference. The
Magic Penny Award is seen as honoring elders in the field, and the keynote as looking toward
the future of the field. Both persons are chosen by the board, and the board, via its Keynote
Committee and Magic Penny Committee, arranges those program segments. The keynote is
considered part of the conference, so its cost is part of the conference budget. The board
determines the amount. The Magic Penny is not considered a function of the conference, but
as taking place at the conference. So its cost is part of the general CMN budget, not the
conference budget. The conference committee’s responsibilities for the Magic Penny and
keynote are to accommodate them in the schedule and assist with hospitality logistics as
needed.
Any other outside special guest presentations conference organizers might want to invite must
be approved by the Executive Committee before any commitments are made, preferably at
the beginning of the exploratory stage.
SILENT AUCTION
The SA is a general fund raising project directed by the board, not part of the conference per
se, and the board enlists a chair for it. The conference chair consults with the SA chair about
space and equipment needs and scheduling notes.
SALES TABLES
If the conference chair can secure a sales area manager, that’s good. If it’s a problem, the
chair should ask the board for help.
GENERAL
As an organization still forming in some respects, we are learning as we go. We've developed
traditions, but some procedures and processes and policies are still being developed and
refined. Since most of the work always has been and still is done by volunteers with limited
time and energy, there has not always been time to clarify or write down what we do or think
ought to be done. Therefore, conference organizers need to be in close touch with the central
office and the board liaison person throughout the process to make sure their expectations
and interpretations are in harmony.
11/7/07 CP > Sammie Haynes re 2010 leadership
Hi Sammie,
I've been trying to figure out what | could send that would answer questions you may
have for deciding whether to take on the task of conference chair. Right now, from your
side, can you try to put into question form what it is that makes you and your husband
uneasy? Is it that you are both concerned that it will consume your life for a long period,
maybe interfering with work? Is it that you tend to take on too much of a project
yourself and not farm out the work? Is it that you won't know specific pieces of the
organizing? | suspect that you may have too little a grasp on it all to form questions as
yet. So why don't I start with some general information and see if some specific
questions come up?
With regard to specifics of organizing, we have policies written up. We also have a
timeline to use as a starting place. Its sequence is based on a mid-October conference
with only a year's lead time, but this year's team will be modifying it for a longer prep
time. Marie Hopper has already started working on '09, too, so she'll have some
perspectve on the longer lead time. We have written guides for site selection, flyer
design, and a number of the committees, including publicity. | function as a sortof co-
chair, providing some year-to-year continuity. | consult with the chair(s) at every step
beginning to end. | have forms, letters--most of the pieces mailed or posted to the Web
site or put in attendee folders over the years--on the computer, and they can be adapted
or used as starting places. They tend to contain the same type of information each year,
but tailored to that year's site and circumstances. | consult on developing the budget
and fee schedule, and | handle the registration (though a volunteer could), which means
| furnish a head count and meal numbers to the facility and take a prominent role in
settling up our bill at the end. Over the years I've collected various statistics that can be
useful in numbers projections. For instance, it's pretty consistent that 15 to 20 percent of
attendees will be vegetarian or vegan.
It may not be clear to you that the silent auction, the Magic Penny, and the keynote--if
any--are not the responsibility of the conference chair. Those segments come out of the
board, and the chair's main involvement in them comes in accommodating them in the
schedule and space and maybe cooperating in on-site hospitality.
The board also appoints one of its members (or a former board member) to be a liaison
between the board and the conference chair. Their role is to help the chair interpret
policies, to get answers from the board on questions the chair may have or approval for
things that need approval, and to be a sounding board and support in general.
I've attached a document giving an idea of where to start the process. At some point in
your decision making about whether to take this on, you may want to talk with a former
chair. | recommend Ingrid Noyes and Jenny Heitler-Klevans. But it's probably better to
wait until you have a little better idea of the process so you will have questions to start
your conversations.
So, let me know what this round brings up for you.
By the way, many documents refer to "the national coordinator." In case you didn't
know, that's me, my title.
Caroline
Tasks of National Conference Chairs
To be performed in consultation with the CMN office, CMN board, board conference
liaison, and other involved groups such as the Magic Penny, Keynote, and Silent Auction
committees and according to established guidelines and policies
Identify and obtain a site for the conference
Arrange the facility contract
Develop a budget and fee schedule
Gather volunteer committee and organize their work, including workshop committee
Develop a flyer
Develop a weekend program and schedule
Develop and implement a publicity plan
Develop letters, forms, and other materials for mailings and handouts: workshop
proposal solicitation, registration mailing, confirmation mailing, Web site postings,
attendee folders
e Prepare a progress report for each board meeting held from the beginning of
commitment through the meeting held during the conference weekend itself
¢ Coordinate overall logistics throughout, including scheduling, guest hospitality, space
setup, equipment, and all other aspects
¢ Supervise and coordinate on-site arrangements during the conference
e After the conference, tally responses on attendee evaluation sheets; send to the CMN
office
e (Registration has been handled by the CMN office for many years, but it could be
handled by volunteer organizers.)
We have a timeline to use as a starting place. Its sequence is based on a mid-October
conference with only a year's lead time, but the board would like to maintain long leads,
so the timeline should be adapted accordingly. The CMN National Coordinator functions
as a resource person to the planners, consulting with the chair(s) at every step beginning
to end and providing some year-to-year continuity. Many of the forms and letters—most
of the pieces mailed or posted to the Web site or put in attendee folders over the years—
are in the office computer files. They can be adapted or used as starting places. They
tend to contain the same type of information each year, but tailored to that year's site
and circumstances. Whoever handles registration furnishes a head count and meal
numbers to the facility and takes a prominent role in settling up our bill at the end.
The silent auction, the Magic Penny, and the keynote—if any—are not the responsibility
of the conference chair. Those segments come out of the board, and the chair's main
involvement in them comes in accommodating them in the schedule and space and
cooperating in on-site hospitality.
The board also appoints one of its members (or a former board member) to be a liaison
between the board and the conference chair. Their role is to help the chair interpret
policies, to get answers from the board on questions the chair may have or approval for
things that need approval, and to be a sounding board and support in general.
Note: “National Coordinator” is the title of the CMN office administrator.
2005 CMN NATIONAL CONFERENCE
The conference, a gathering for children’s music, is held to inspire and support people
who use music in their work with children and to equip them for their work. Its main
focus is for adults, but it is child- and family-friendly, and we always have a contingent
of children in a wide age range.
The first CMN national conference to be held in the Midwest will be in Delavan,
Wisconsin, October 21-23, 2005. We have reserved space at the beautiful Lake Lawn
Resort, which is eight miles west of Lake Geneva in a popular Midwest weekend and
vacation area just above the Illinois-Wisconsin state line. Planning for the conference
program is still underway, so not many features have yet been finalized. You can
count on the familiar basics: a Magic Penny award tribute, the round robin concert,
informative and fun workshops, community dialogue, jamming, networking, meeting
new people, and some surprises.
The weekend begins with Friday night dinner, followed by a community-gathering
opening program and a short segment of the round robin, in which anyone attending—
professional musician, three-chord beginning guitarist, child—may sign up to share
one song in a supportive atmosphere. The Saturday schedule includes several
workshop sessions, the annual members meeting, and sometimes a keynoter or other
special presentation. The main session of the round robin occupies Saturday evening.
Besides the fun and good spirits of this event, many teachers and musicians count on
the round robin as a source of new songs and ideas. There is another set of
workshops on Sunday morning, and then the Magic Penny tribute and award
presentation provides the weekend's highlight. The gathering ends with a closing
circle after lunch.
There are a number of airport options. Milwaukee/Mitchell is the nearest—less than an
hour away—but Madison is almost as close, and Chicago's O'Hare is a drive of under
two hours. The resort's shuttle van services several airports (not O'Hare), train
stations, and bus stations, and a commercial shuttle runs from O'Hare into the town of
Delavan.
The enclosed Pass /t On!s have articles about and pictures from previous conferences.
COORDINATION OF CMN NATIONAL CONFERENCE
CMN Board
General
oversight &
Executive
Committee
Approves
budget, fees,
flyer, other
public
ommunication
Silent
Auction
Chair
Keynote
| Chair
CMN National
Coordinator
Consults on all
aspects
Board
Conference
Liaison
Advises on
board policies
& mentors
chair
Conferenc
e Chair
Conferenc
CONFIRMATION PACKET DETAILS
Items to Include
. Registration verification form (Caroline does these)
Weekend schedule (optional)
. Sales table instruction sheet (developed with sales manager)
Sales table space reservation form (if wanted by sales manager)
Paper song swap instructions
. Information letter might include (some a repeat of pre-reg. letter):
Registration check-in time
Hotel check-in/check-out times
Child care options & requirements
Volunteers still needed
Emergency contact number(s)
Pre-/Post-gathering activities details, if any
(optional) Area points of interest
7. Silent auction items description sheet
8. (Opt.) Map of immediate area re which highway exit(s) to use or
one-way
streets—local info not always evident from Internet maps
Note of clarification: Local pre- or post-conference activities organized
by members for the benefit of conference attenders fall into the
category with descriptions of local tourist attractions, and are not in
the same category as non-CMN groups or activities meeting during the
conference. So the pre-/post- may be publicized in the conference
registration and confirmation materials, while the other type of
activities may not. (See the Policies and Procedures document section
on non-CMN groups meeting at the conference.)
Scholarship Policy
See the scholarship guides.
2011 Contract Invoice Bookkeeping
We break down the charges in our own records differently than shown on the facility
invoice. The CMN National Coordinator needs to do this apportioning when giving
instructions to the bookkeeper about the invoice.
For instance, the charge for food may be one figure on the facility’s invoice. But for our
bookkeeping, portions of it are broken out and assigned to line items for the Magic
Penny, keynoter (sometimes), National Coordinator’s site comp, conference chair’s site
comp, and perhaps other lines, as well as the general “food” line. Similarly, the Magic
Penny honoree’s room is charged to CMN, so that needs to be broken out.
Don't forget to take into account the deposit payment when breaking down the charges.
Re the deposit, it seems to work well to assign the whole deposit to food because food
will end up being one of the largest chunks on the invoice.
SITE CONTRACT SPECS
Here is how we set up initial contracts:
e We project a weekend attendance of arouond 75 adults with 6 meals. (We hope for
more than this, but this is a good number that gives the facility a reasonable size
estimate without overcommitting us.)
e¢ Sleeping rooms: Estimate about 8 private (one person) and the rest shared.
e¢ We'll need a large room with movable seating to hold about 140 people. This sounds
contradictory to the projected attendance, but pretend not to notice that. Our actual
attendance could be higher and we might develop some special segment that brings
in more people. Plus, as you know, we need moving-around room. We will need the
use of this room continuously beginning to end if possible, since we'll have our sound
equipment set up and maybe other stuff there. It would be good if it was lockable at
night with the instruments in it.
¢ We need 4 rooms for workshops that can be set up with movable seats in a circle,
each room holding 15-30, for a total of 100 seats or so plus moving around space.
¢ Child care room suitable for craft and movement activities; probably fewer than 10
children. (Flexible, optional)
¢ Space for the board meeting Friday, available 8:45 to 5:00, seating for 20 people;
conference-configuration table setup desirable.
¢ Space for sales tables and silent auction tables, preferably lockable at night. If the
whole-group room is big enough, we could have these in that room, but some think
separate but near is better.
e¢ Check on cell phone reception on the grounds.
The contract should show as the contracting party The Children's Music Network, with
our address and contact info and the national coordinator as the organization contact.
would be good if they could also show you (the chair) as the local contact. Small
facilities don't have any trouble doing both, but it’s sometimes a hassle to get larger
ones to show both (just doesn’t fit their template). You, the chair, will be considered the
official site liaison on behalf of the board.
t
The contract should spell out food costs broken down by meal (B, L, D) as well as the
package rate if that’s their usual system; sleeping room rates; camping rates (if any),
prices for children if different, including the age breakdown; any charges for meeting
rooms; and any other charges such as a per person facility fee, a service fee on food
(probably only hotels charge this), taxes (how much? applied before or after the service
fee is added?), or a day fee for people who don’t sleep on-site. We need to have
something in hand, if not in the contract, spelling out arrangements for linens: whether
provided, what pieces, whether there is a separate charge.
Our arrival time (for the conference registrants) we usually say is Friday 8:30 A.M. (to
start the board meeting) and departure Sunday 3:00 P.M. (no matter what their room
checkout time is: we vacate sleeping rooms whenever we need to). The first whole-
group meal will be Friday dinner. Some facitilies prefer to show as our arrival time the
start of the actual conference—about 4:00 P.M. Friday.
At some point we'll want to know if 6-12 board members could sleep there Thurs. night
in case they want to, and Thurs. rates. It’s good to get that in the initial contract, but
can be negotiated later. We may want to negotiate for lunch for about 20 people for the
board meeting on Fri., but we usually take care of that in the summer nearer time, when
we have a better idea of board logistics.
The contract will specify how much they want as a deposit and by when. We will pay
about any percentage they ask. After the chair and CMN national coordinator agree that
the contract draft is acceptable, you sign for CMN and send the CMN office a copy with
your and their signatures, and the national coordinator arranges for the deposit
payment. We don't have a credit card to pay with. Our usual method for paying the
balance is to pay the balance of the estimated final bill with our check, either a few days
in advance or on Friday when we arrive. (The latter is best for us, but most want it a few
weeks ahead). Then we either confer with management late Sunday morning and pay
any remaining balance by our check at that time, or they send us a bill for any additional
charges. With that arrangement, facilities don't usually insist on a certified check, which
is a hassle for us. One thing for you to be aware of throughout with regard to payments
is that it's hard for us to act quickly. In case they ask, we prefer the payment stages |
outlined above rather than a one-time billing, which involves credit references we don't
have because we've never paid that way before. Of course, we can furnish references
for anyplace we've been.
7/10
CONFERENCE SITE SELECTION: ASSESSING COST FEASIBILITY
Rough estimates of the basic registration fee are based on costs of housing, food, and
the per-person share of all other conference costs, plus a profit markup. In places where
attendees pay the facility for housing directly, housing cost must still be taken into
account when deciding whether the facility is affordable.
Food costs—
Get menu and price lists and put together a set or two of sample menus for the
weekend to estimate food costs. Look at the fine print and ask questions about
extra charges on food such as service fees and taxes. Is the tax applied after the
service charge is added?
About taxes: If the state exempts nonprofits from sales tax, the CMN office can
apply to the state for an exemption. In some states the tax on a hotel room is not
considered a sales tax. We already have exemption in place for a few states.
General conference costs—
The average for 2004-2008 was about $70 per person based on 110 attendance.
The main item that pushes these costs up is often a charge for meeting/workshop
rooms. We try to negotiate these down to a minimum. In camps, we don’t pay
anything or not much. In hotels the cost has been $800 to $2,505 (overall, not per
room). Does the meeting room fee include setup, or is that extra? Ask if we can
bring in our own sound systems.
Profit markup—
The goal is to have a profit of $80/person, but that has never been achieved
because setting fees high enough to reach it has been presumed to seriously limit
attendance. But it remains as the goal. Start out with $50, perhaps, and estimate
down as needed, but $20 is awfully low. At 110 people that would make for only a
$2,200 profit when we're looking for at least twice that much.
Recent basic adult weekend early discount registration fees, 2-person rooms—
2010 $350
2009 $300
2008 $353
2007 $341
2006 $340
General—
From the board 0/06 re site choice: What was verbalized informally but not put
into policy is a desire for good heating and plumbing, accessible bathrooms, and
comfortable beds at reasonable prices. That is, balance comfort and cost. (A site
with predominantly bunk beds is unlikely to generate enthusiasm from the board.)
The issue of urban vs. rural is a secondary concern, though aiport-to-site travel
time and cost and availability of public transportation should be considered.
DATE ISSUES RE GATHERING
The board has an ongoing date rotation plan in place. This file is a
resource document for understanding the basis for the rotation plan
and for fine-tuning the choice when there is a choice within the plan.
Oct. 12
(1) Throughout the Americas October 12 is celebrated as either
Columbus Day or Dia de la Raza. There has been a shift from
celebrating Columbus' landing in the Americas to celebrating the
native cultures that were here before him and the mestizo cultures
that were created from the contact of Europeans and Native
Americans. This has been somewhat controversial, but we feel it is
important to acknowledge the diversity that surrounds us and
celebrate all the cultures that have contributed to making our
continents, North and South America, what they are today.
(2) CMN policy re Columbus Day/Canada Thanksgiving
Jewish holidays
See the rotation plan chart.
General Time of Year
10/31/2005 > Reps e-mail group re date of gathering (This sums up
pretty well the many discussions that have taken place by the board
and others over several years.)
| don't think there is a "perfect" time of year. Summer would be very
poor for many of us, who have lots of summer reading programs,
summer
festivals, etc. Having said that, most of my library bookings are
during the work week, so maybe a weekend wouldn't be that bad, if it
wasn't too far away.....
Summer would be better for teachers (I would guess).
Winter months are problems with winter weather.
March - often conflicts with Passover and Easter.
By spring, it's the end of the school year and nuts as well.
October seems as good as any time.
Greta [Pedersen]
1/22/05 Frank H. I've had a problem with the dates with El Dia De La
Raza. = Mexican Columbus Day alternative
1/23/05 Ros Schwartz. One other point about rescheduling - the ten
days after Rosh Hashana are part of the holiday, leading up to Yom
Kippur. So the weekend between RH and YK would be equally
problematic. Yom Kippur is a day of fasting, mourning and repentance,
and can be physically and emotionally exhausting ... so to plan to leap
up, pack, and travel the following day may not be very realistic.
1/25/05 From: Dave Orleans [mailto:dorleans@camdencounty.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 25, 2005 10:50 AM
To: cmn-community@cmnonline.org
Subject: Multicultural calendar
The first thing | thought of after reading all the posts of the past days
was that there must be a multicultural calendar on the internet that
could let us know all possible conflicts. So after a little searching, |
found
three online calendars and one that purports to be just what we need
(if we buy it in hard copy). However, none of the calendars show actual
dates beyond 2005, except for the calendar of Jewish holidays which
has all the actual dates up to 2008.
Here they are:
Multicultural Calendar 2005 (the one for sale):
http://www. multiculturalcalendar.com/
KUMC (Kansas University Medical Center) Diversity Calendar:
(Includes many Native American observances)
http://www3.kumc.edu/diversity/
Multicultural calendar by Peggy Beck, Cherry Hill HS East, in NJ:
(lots of links to more info. about many of the holidays, great for
getting background info. for holiday-related programming)
http://www.chlive.org/pbeck/eastlibrary/MULTICULTURALCALENDAR. ht
m
And Jewish Holidays, 2005-2008:
http://www.uscj.org/metny/huntinhh/heb5Scal. html
Dear ,
Thanks for your interest in the Children's Music Network Gathering and the
Early Childhood Education unit available for that weekend event. I'm
attaching a file that will give lots of information about the ECE credits, and
the Children's Music Network Gathering itself. In case you can't open the
attachment, here are the contact numbers for both the CMN Gathering and
the ECE Credit:
For Gathering registration, scholarships & information, contact:
CMN Office at (847) 733-8003 or email at office@cmnonline.org.
The Neighborhood Accreditation Center, which is affiliated with Hayward
State University, accredits the Early Childhood Education Units. For ECE
Credit registration & information, contact:
AOCS/NAC at (510) 261-1076 or email at aocsnac@pacbell.net.
I'll just reiterate here that registration for the gathering, which is put on by
the Children's Music Network, is separate from registration for the ECE
credits, which are given by the Neighborhood AccreditationCenter/Hayward
State University.
Hope this is helpful, and hope to meet you at the Gathering!
ASSOCIATION OF CHILDREN’S SERVICES (AOCS)
NEIGHBORHOOD ACCREDITATION CENTER (NAC)
Early Childhood Education Training Program
MUSIC FOR CHILDREN
The Children’s Music Network National
Gathering
1 ECE SEMESTER UNIT
with full-weekend participation in conference
*Friday evening through Sunday afternoon * Free Child Care Provided *
Accredited by California State University Hayward Extension through AOCS/NAC Program
Workshops * Wetworking * Song Swaps * Musical Jams
11° Annual Gathering
October 12-14, 2001
Walker Creek Ranch, Petaluma, CA
The Conference is for: Early Childhood Educators, All Teachers and their Families;
Musicians; Parents; Librarians; & Youth Advocates, & all who love Music & Children
Ella Jenkins, Magic Penny Award recipient, will be present to receive the award,
and to participate in a concert in her honor.
Sample of Some Workshops at the Conference:
Songwriting with Children * Songs for the Very Young * Bilingual Spanish/English Songs * Asian Songs
Classroom Management * International Games and Songs * Movement Songs * Story Songs
Songs About Difficult Issues * Handclapping Games * Homemade Percussion * And Many More!!
REGISTRATION FEES FOR FULL WEEKEND CONFERENCE START AT
187
Includes all meals, lodging, workshops, dances, and concerts
(Scholarships may be available - call the CMN Office for information)
COST FOR ECE CREDIT IS AN ADDITIONAL $45
For Conference Registration, Scholarships & Information Contact:
CMN Office at (847) 733-8003 or email at office@cmnonline.org
For ECE Credit Registration & Information Contact:
AOCS/NAC at (510) 261-1076 or email at aocsnac@pacbell.net
MUSIC FOR CHILDREN
The Children’s Music Network National Gathering
1 ECE SEMESTER UNIT
with full-weekend participation in conference (Friday evening - Sunday
afternoon)
For Conference Registration, Scholarships and Information Contact:
CMN Office at (847) 733-8003 or email at office@cmnonline.org
For ECE Credit Registration and Information Contact:
AOCS/NAC at (510) 261-1076 or email at aocsnac@pacbell.net
This multi-generational event attracts people from all over North America,
coming together to foster cooperation, cultural diversity, self-esteem and
empowerment through music for young people. Participants include
musicians, educators, caregivers, songwriters, folklorists, performers, youth
advocates, librarians, radio broadcasters, children and parents.
This 3-day conference gives students an opportunity to participate
in workshops on topics such as:
Supporting Peace and Justice Curiiculum with Music
Integrating Song into Reading and Other Classroom Curriculum
Movement with Music
Helping Children Become Songwriters
Helping Children Recognize and Process Emotions through Music
In order to qualify for ECE credit, students must submit a critique of
their conference experience including:
1.
2:
3.
The titles of each of the workshops or presentations they attended during
the three-day conference.
A description of one or more experience from the conference that remains
especially meaningful, vivid, and provocative.
Address why that experience was important and how it might be (or has
been) used in the student’s own work.
. Adescription of anything that was problematic—ideas or songs with which
the student disagrees and why; any way in which the conference didn’t
meet expectations or failed to meet the students needs.
. Adescription of any songs or ideas the student shared in workshops or
songswaps, and the response received. The student could also write
about resistance or blocks to his or her own sharing.
. Any other concerns or thoughts about the conference that the student
wants to write about.
Students who attend the conference will be:
Invited into a community of people who use music to meet a number of
educational and social objectives.
e Exposed to a wide range of methods and materials for teaching and
relating to children through music.
e¢ Able to demonstrate their own knowledge and enthusiasms to peers in
songswaps and workshops.
e Able to develop ideas for thinking critically about the music-related
materials and methods they currently use in teaching and caring for
children.
Schedule
Registration begins at 5:00 pm on Friday. Dinner is followed by the
welcoming program at 7:30; the first hour of our famous round robin when
anyone can share a song; and dancing for all. Workshops and special
presentations are scheduled throughout the day on Saturday, with the round
robin continuing on Saturday night. On Sunday morning there are more
workshops, and we end with a closing circle after lunch. More schedule
details are provided in the registration confirmation packet.
Call the Children’s Music Network (CMN) office at (847) 733-8003
for information about transportation, schedule, meals,
accommodations, scholarships, and child care.
CMN WORKSHOP BIOS, BEFORE AND AFTER: EXAMPLES OF HOW TO TAKE OUT
THE (SELF) PROMOTIONAL QUALITY OF BIOS
The underlying principle is to give the information that informs a conference goer about
the qualifications of this person to facilitate this particular workshop and to omit what’s
extraneous to that purpose. Shorter is better.
The workshop examples are taken from a past conference program book. The original
bios are in italics, each followed by an example of how it might be edited.
We all know the value of music as a learning tool in the classroom. But that's mostly for
little kids, right? You can't teach real science with music, right? Wrong! Working together
as teachers and songwriters, we will explore how to organize and distill scientific ideas
and present them in songs. We'll look at great science songs, where to find them, how to
evaluate them, what to do with them, and even how to write them. Bring a science
concept or a song to share, or just bring your curiosity and come ready to explore.
Monty Harper is an award-winning children's songwriter, recording artist, and performer.
He holds a master's degree in mathematics and has written many songs of science. He's
been a professional children's musician since 1994. Monty lives in Stillwater, Okla., with
his wife, Lisa, and six-year-old daughter, Evalyn.
Monty Harper has been a professional children's musician since 1994. He holds a
master's degree in mathematics and has written many songs of science.
Martin shares singing games that ignite the musical imagination and develop
improvisational, harmonic, and rhythmic skills. Participants become an “instant choir,”
improvising vocal music in a circle, blending, soloing, and creating vocal landscapes,
holy harmonies, and daring dissonances. Inspiration: in the moment, out of the box. This
is not about songs: it is about singing.
Martin Swinger is an award-winning singer/songwriter and children’s music educator. He
has been studying improvised music and leading day-long vocal workshops (called
a“vortex”) for three years with his own improvisational group, ImproVox, and under the
tutelage of Rhiannon, a member of Bobby McFerrin's Voicestra.
Martin Swinger is a singer/songwriter and children’s music educator. He has been
studying improvised music and leading daylong vocal workshops for three years with his
own improvisational group and under the tutelage of Rhiannon, a member of Bobby
McFerrin's Voicestra.
This interactive workshop expands typical classroom dances and singing games to foster
a sense of community and cultural diversity. Participants will learn a wide variety of
dances and musical games that can be immediately put to use in the classroom. Brigid
will share a variety of musical activities drawn from American heritage, immigrant, folk,
and African American traditions. No special materials are needed—only voices to sing
with and bodies to move.
Brigid Finucane has a diverse background in music, dance, theatre, and visual arts. She
works as an early childhood music specialist, as an arts educator, and as a freelance
artist She has taught all age groups, from the young child through adult. She currently
teaches at Merit School of Music in Chicago and assists in the musical theatre program.
For Bridges, Merit’s outreach program in the schools, Brigid has created a unique
curriculum teaching English through music.
Brigid Finucane has a diverse background in music, dance, theatre, and visual arts. She
works as an early childhood music specialist, as an arts educator, and as a freelance
artist, and has taught all age groups from the young child through adult. She currently
teaches at Merit School of Music in Chicago and assists in the musical theatre program.
For Merit’s outreach program in the schools, Brigid has created a curriculum for teaching
English through music.
This workshop will be an active exploration of literacy links to music. We will look at
books that have been made from songs, and songs that have been made from books, as
well as ways to incorporate songs into theatrical presentations of picture book stories
and traditional tales. Participants are asked to bring success stories in this area to share.
Sally Rogers is a PK-4 public school music teacher who specializes in arts integration in
the classroom. She has also been a touring musician, songwriter, and recording artist for
nearly 30 years. Her discography includes fourteen recordings, four of them for children.
Sally is also known for her work as a master teaching artist for the Connecticut
Commission on the Arts. She is past president of the Children’s Music Network and is
currently working on her master’s degree in integrated curriculum through the arts at
Lesley.
Sally Rogers is a PK-4 public school music teacher who specializes in arts integration in
the classroom. She has also been a touring musician, songwriter, and recording artist for
nearly 30 years. She is currently working on a master’s degree in integrated curriculum
through the arts.
Learn to connect music participation with literacy and learning skills. Carole connects
music exposure with brain and motor coordination development, language skills, and
reading preparation. This interactive workshop features fun, easy-to-learn music even a
non-singer can use.
Carole Peterson has been the pied piper of active music for children in the Chicago area
since 1989. Through her company, Macaroni Soup, Carole teaches children kinetic music.
As a keynoter and featured speaker she has helped parent groups, librarians, and
teachers around the country put more music in children’s lives. Her award winning CDs
include Sticky Bubble Gum...and Other Tasty Tunes, and Stinky Cake.
Carole Peterson has been teaching kinetic music to children in the Chicago area since
1989. As a keynoter and featured speaker, she has helped parent groups, librarians, and
teachers around the country put more music in children’s lives.
OK, so you've written or found all the right songs. You have recorded the next great
children’s music classic, a future Parents’ Choice winner for sure. You've ordered a
thousand copies; they’ve been delivered and are now sitting in your living room. What’s
next? Why, this workshop, of course! “Mr. Billy,” Baby Boom Blogmaster and host of
MySpace’s “We Love CD Baby” page, will teach you all the little things you can do, right
now, to score big at CD Baby. This workshop will include an overview of CD Baby, power
user tips, super sales strategies, and seemingly crazy marketing ideas that actually
work. Please print and bring a copy of your own CD Baby page.
Mr. Billy (a CMN board member) is a multi-award winning children’s recording artist,
professional speaker, music marketing writer/consultant, and a super fun guy.
Mr. Billy is a multi-award winning children’s recording artist, professional speaker, and
music marketing writer/consultant.
Have a song that just rocks the room? What are you singing that your preschoolers
adore? Join us for a round robin of songs especially for children ages birth through five.
Bring your top three hits!
Marie Hopper is the owner and director of Musicare, a preschool music program currently
entering its 21st year of bringing the joy of music to young children. When not busy
singing with little ones, training new teachers, or presenting workshops, Marie coaches
FIRST LEGO League teams and a high school robotics team—all while homeschooling her
teenage son. She is also a regular columnist in P\IO!
Marie Hopper has been the owner and director of Musicare, a preschool music program,
for 21 years. She writes about early childhood education in the Music In Bloom column
for Pass It On!
|
All the “whys?” “whens?” and “hows?” of the work outside of the creative process. A
panel of CMN members will share strategies involved in trademarking, taxes, business
licenses, award applications, accounting, press releases, blogs and other parts of the
business behind the music business.
Panel Facilitator Pam Donkin is an award-winning children’s performer and children’s
recording artist and has appeared nationally in concerts, schools, and libraries, and on
television and radio. Her music has been licensed to numerous projects including
Scholastic, Inc., and various video soundtracks, and her video Music is Magic has been
broadcast on The Learning Channel. She makes her home on the San Francisco
Peninsula and is host of the children's television show Kaleidoscope Kids airing on17
Peninsula TV cable channels. Additionally, Pam is a children's chorus director and Music
Together teacher, and is on the board of the Children's Music Network.
Panel Facilitator Pam Donkin is an award-winning children’s performer and children’s
recording artist and has appeared nationally in concerts, schools,and libraries, and on
television and radio. Her music has been licensed to numerous projects including
Scholastic, Inc., and various video soundtracks, and her video Music is Magic has been
broadcast on the Learning Channel. She is host of the children's cable television show
Kaleidoscope Kids airing in the San Francisco area. Additionally, Pam is a children's
chorus director and Music Together teacher.
Panelists:
Dave Kinnoin is one of the hardest-working artists in the children's music business. As a
recording artist on Song Wizard Records, he has released five CDs, tours nationally to
rave reviews, and has done over 1,000 children’s concerts in the U.S. and England since
1987. He has received numerous national awards, including the Parents’ Choice Gold
Award. As a songwriter, Dave consistently creates new and innovative material for a long
list of family entertainment and educational companies. He is also well known for his
volunteer work for many children’s charities. Dave lives in South Pasadena, Cal., with his
wife, two teenage sons, two dogs, and two cats.
Dave Kinnoin is one of the hardest-working artists in the children's music business. He
has released five CDs, tours nationally, and has done over 1,000 children’s concerts in
the U.S. and England since 1987, and has received numerous national awards. As a
songwriter, Dave creates new and innovative material for a long list of family
entertainment and educational companies.
Jill Person is the founder of A Gentle Wind, a recording label for children, and has been
producing music and storytelling projects for Gentle Wind and major educational
publishers since 1981. The Gentle Wind catalog now includes 65 titles, which have
collectively won more than 45 awards.
Jill Person is the founder of A Gentle Wind, a recording label for children, and has been
producing music and storytelling projects for Gentle Wind and major educational
publishers since 1981. The Gentle Wind catalog now includes 65 titles, which have
collectively won more than 45 awards.
Steven Zelin is the Singing CPA. He is an award winning Children's Performing Artist
and also an award-winning Certified Public Accountant. In addition to teaching music in
preschools and performing educational programs involving music in the New York City
libraries, he is a CPA who provides individual and corporate tax preparation and
bookkeeping services. He also teaches business and accounting at Baruch College. He
has a BS in Accounting from Alfred University and an MBA from Fordham University. His
funny songs about taxes and his children's songs have been featured on XM Satellite
radio. He is the CMN New York Metro regional co- representative.
Steven Zelin is an award winning children's performing artist. In addition to teaching
music in preschools and performing educational programs involving music in the New
York City libraries, he is a CPA who provides individual and corporate tax preparation and
bookkeeping services. He also teaches business and accounting at Baruch College. He
has a BS in accounting and an MBA. His funny songs about taxes and his children's songs
have been featured on XM Satellite radio.
Evaluating Facilities Costs
(Note to upcoming conference chair 7/06)
Hi. I've attached a couple of documents that might help you get a handle on
the cost and fees question. The second paragraph of the Budget_Fees
document summarizes the process. If it isn't really clear to you after you've
read this stuff, please call me and let's talk it out by telephone. Well, "really
clear" may not be the best way to put it. It's a juggling act that you keep
tinkering with til you think you've got it as good as you can do.
The basic, seed figure you want to come up with for fees is the rate for a
member adult in the cheapest housing for the whole weekend after
discounts. All of the other adult fees then play off of that one. (I can do a lot
if not all of the calculating.)
Start with a tentative budget. Look at previous years' budgets and try to
think whether your year's costs for items listed might be less or more, and
whether some items shown may not apply to your year or you may need
items not shown. Don't overlook items like AV rental. Then divide the total
budget (without the food and housing costs) by 115 to get the estimated per-
person expenses. [Note 2010: due to lower attendance in recent years, the
per per person expense estimate should now be calculated on 75 or 80
people.] You won't have a final budget in the early time when you're looking
at facilities, but you need to have a tentative idea of what expense items
might be.
The next step is to calculate the per-person adult member basic housing and
food costs. Add to this the per-person budget expenses and $50 profit to get
the basic fee. If it looks way high, then start tinkering: Change the menu?
Different facility? Lower the profit markup (but not below $25 or you won't
have enough cushion)?
Usually the chair sends me the information they get from the various
facilities and | help evaluate. Facilities have been willing to mail me a paper
copy or e-mail whatever they send the chair. I've already sent you the list of
questions to be answered about each prospective site.
In assessing facility costs, probe for extra costs--room set-ups, meeting room
extra charges, service fees on food, taxes. (Is the tax calculated after the
service fee is applied or before?) If you don’t get a meal package quote, you
can get an idea of food costs by getting the facility's menu lists and putting
together a hypothetical set of meals to see what they come to. (Camps have
a fixed price regardless of the menu.) In our experience, in hotels it's the
food costs that are hard to keep down. Camp-type places are better in that
respect. Don't forget to include a Sat.-night snack in the food costs. Keep it
as far under $6/person as you can.
Here's an example of how we arrived at the 2006 basic fee for Walker
Creek--
Adult dorm room $74/weekend + 6 meals $68.50 + per-person expense
$35.56 + profit markup $40 = $218.06 target intake. Basic advertised fee
set at $255. After deducting the $20 member discount and the $23.50 early
registration discount, the person pays $211.50, which is close to our $218.06
target. This is an acceptable fee--even lower than would be acceptable to
many attenders.
Please keep in touch and let me know what you're finding. You and | will end
up deciding which place we think is best (or maybe the two best) and then
presenting it to the Executive Committee for approval.
Caroline
Examples of flyers whose art most nearly matches the guide's criteria for breadth of
inclusion are:
¢ 1999 (in PIO! #32, spring 1999)
¢ 2000 (in PIO! #35, spring 2000); 2001 and 2002--same art (in PIO! #38, spring 2001,
and #41, spring 2002; it was used again in publicity in 2006 but not in PIO!)
2003 (in PIO! #44, spring 2003)
2005 (the version distributed, not the version in PIO!)
2007 (in PIO! #55/#56, winter/spring 2007, and #57, fall 2007)
2010 (in PIO! #64/#65, winter/spring 2010) The slate in the lower left corner was
meant to symbolize non-musician educators.
These are available from the CMN office.
FOOD NOTES
1) About 15 % to 20 % of our conference attendees are vegetarian or
follow other special diets.
Vegetarians want protein: nuts, beans, tofu, peanut butter, cheese?,
eggs?
Pasta is not a protein.
2) Our usual negotiations over food center around:
¢ getting our food cost as low as practical with decent menus
¢ getting simple and nourishing breakfast foods such as fruit,
cereal, yoghurt, whole-grain baked goods
¢ convincing hotel staff that we want more vegetables and fruits
and want simple desserts, not a lot of fancy (and high-priced)
bakery sweets
3) Examples of menus from previous gatherings—
Lunches
Soup, Salad and Potato Bar
Sandwiches with 3 choices of fillings, chips, cookie, apple
Breakfast
Buffet - fruit; granola; yogurts;oatmeal; bagels w/ cream chees;
bottled juice; milk
Dinner
Caesar Salad, Chicken Parmesan or Eggplant Pamigiana,
Seasonal Vegetables, Toasted Garlic Breadsticks, Assorted
Desserts
Chargrilled Salmon or Chicken Chardonnay
4) FOOD COSTS FOR WEEKEND, ADULT
2001 54 camp
2002 48 camp
2003 126 hotel
2004 $50 camp
2005 93 hotel
2006 69 camp
2007 105 hotel
2008 109 hotel/conference center
2009 70 conference center
2010 82 retreat/conference center
NATIONAL CONFERENCE SCHEDULING
Board policy: alternate Columbus Day/el Dia de la Raza/Canada Thanksgiving weekend 2
years, another weekend 2 years; location to rotate yearly East and West so the same
coast doesn’t get the C.D. timing all the time and Canadian members don’t have to
always go to the same coast in the years they can attend. Between-coast locations
fitted into rotation ad hoc. Per board 5/04; affirmed 6/06.
Jewish Holidays: Beain <Col. Day | Seq | Locale Conference dates;
only eve of previous day & | /Dia Raz> Notes
this day, not day after; but
some celebrate RH 2 days.
2003 10/13 CD_| West 10/10-12; Pre-policy
2004 | RH 9/15; YK 9/24 10/11 CD | East 10/8-10;1* after
policy set, already
scheduled when
policy enacted
2005 RH 10/4; YK 10/13 10/10 not _| Midwest 10/21-23
2006 | RH 9/23; YK 10/2 10/9 CD | West 10/6-9 (date out of
sync by mistake)
2007 | RH 9/13; YK 9/22 10/8 not | East 9/28-30 (This yr
correction & pattern
affirmed by board
6/06)
2008 | RH 9/30; YK 10/9 10/13 not | Midwest 9/19-21
2009 | RH 9/19; YK 9/28 10/12 CD_| East (southeast) | 10/9-11
2010 |RH9/9; YK 9/18 10/11 CD_| West (N. Cal.) 10/8-10
2011 RH 9/29; YK 10/8 10/10 not | East (N. Eng.) 9/16-18
2012 | RH 9/16; YK 9/26 10/8 not | Midwest 9/21-23 ?
2013 | RH9/5; YK 9/14 10/14 CD |N. Cal.? 10/11-13
2014 | RH 9/25; YK 10/5 10/13 CD 10/10-12
2015 | RH 9/14; YK 9/23 10/12 not TBA
2016 | RH 10/3; YK 10/12 10/10 not TBA
Jewish Holidays: Begin <Col. Day | Seq | Locale Conference dates;
eve before; travel affected /Dia Raz> Notes
only eve of previous day &
this day, not day after; but
some celebrate RH 2 days.
This document is formatted for a Braille computer reader.
CMN NATIONAL CONFERENCE SCHEDULING
Should alternate Columbus Day-Dia de la Raza-Canada Thanksgiving weekend 2 years,
other weekend next 2 years, per board 5/04, affirmed 6/06.
Read across then down.
First column, conference year
Second column, dates of Rosh Hashanah
Third column, dates of Yom Kippur
Fourth column, dates of Columbus Day/Dia de la Raza (CD-DR)
Fifth column, alternation sequence
Sixth column, actual or projected locale
2003, RH ?, YK ?, CD-DR 10/13, CD-DR, west, 10/10-12
2004, RH 9/15, YK 9/24, CD-DR 10/11, CD-DR, east, 10/8-10
2005, RH 10/4, YK 10/13, CD-DR 10/10, not, MW, 10/21-23
2006, RH 9/23, YK 10/2, CD-DR 10/9, CD-DR, west, 10/6-9
2007, RH 9/13, YK 9/22, CD-DR 10/8, not, east, 9/28-30
2008, RH 9/30, YK 10/9, CD-DR 10/13, not, MW, 9/19-21
2009, RH 9/19, YK 9/28, CD-DR 10/12, CD-DR, east-southeast, 10/9-11
2010, RH 9/9, YK 9/18, CD-DR 10/11, CD-DR, west-S Cal
2011, RH 9/29, YK 10/8, not, east-New England, ?
2012, RH 9/16; YK 9/26, CD-DR 10/8, not, MW?, ?
2013, RH 9/5; YK 9/14, CD-DR 10/14, CD, ?, 10/11-13
2014, RH 9/25; YK 10/5, CD-DR 10/13, CD, ?, 10/10-12
2015, RH 9/14; YK 9/23, CD-DR 10/12, not, ?, ?
2016, RH 10/3; YK 10/12, CD-DR 10/10, not, ?, ?
BASIC ESTIMATED NEEDS FOR CMN CONFERENCE FACILITIES
The desired location is no farther than 90 minutes from a major airport—preferably
closer—with some reasonably convenient means of getting from the airport to the site
(or near enough to be picked up by CMN volunteers) such as a hotel van or public airport
shuttle.
For price estimates and initial contracting, we project attendance at 85 (adults) with 6
meals (Friday dinner through Sunday lunch). We hope for more than this, but it’s is a
good middle number that gives the facility a reasonable size estimate without
overcommitting us.
e Sleeping accommodations for up to 100
¢ Large room with movable seating to hold about 140-160 people
(This sounds contradictory to the projected attendance, but pretend not to notice
that. Our actual attendance could be higher, and even with a smaller crowd, we
need room to do movement activities and accommodate instruments. And if we
don’t get a large room reserved at the beginning, one might not be available if
registration grows.) We will need the use of this room continuously beginning to
end if possible, since we'll have our sound equipment set up and maybe other stuff
there. It would be good if it was lockable at night with the instruments in it.
¢ Space for sales tables and silent auction tables, preferably lockable at night. If the
whole-group room is big enough, we could have these in that room, but it’s usually
better separate but near.
¢ 4 rooms for workshops that can be set up with movable seats in a circle, each room
holding 15-30, for a total of 100 seats or so and moving-around space, for Saturday
and Sunday.
e (Flexible, Optional) Child care room suitable for craft and movement activities;
probably fewer than 10 children. This need can be met in a variety of ways: doesn’t
need to be a dedicated room.
¢ Space for the board meeting Friday, available 8:45 to 5:00, seating for 20 people;
conference-configuration table setup desirable.
¢ Check whether the site gets decent cell phone reception.
The weekend begins with registration check-in and a newcomers circle late Friday
afternoon. It’s followed after dinner by a community-gathering opening program and a
short segment of the round robin, in which anyone attending—professional musician,
three-chord beginning guitarist, child—may sign up to share one song in a supportive
atmosphere. The Saturday schedule varies in sequence, but generally includes several
workshop sessions, the annual members meeting, sometimes a keynoter or other special
presentation, with the main session of the round robin occupying Saturday evening.
Besides the fun and good spirits of this event, many teachers and musicians count on
the round robin as a source of new songs and ideas. In the sales area, attendees offer
an extensive selection of their recordings and other materials throughout the weekend.
Most years, we have a silent auction as a fund raiser. There is another set of workshops
on Sunday morning, and then the Magic Penny tribute and award presentation provides
the weekend’s highlight. After lunch and a closing circle, the conference ends about
2:30.
Seller Check-In and -Out Procedures
Unless otherwise indicated by a price tag, we will sell tapes for $10 and CDs for $15.
Please put prices on books or combination packets.
If at all possible, please check in your sales items on Friday as you arrive (starting at
4:00). You will be asked to fill in an inventory sheet which will then be verified before
you may set up your materials. Seller products are inventoried, and tracked thereafter
in the computer.
Please make sure your name (or your company name) is obvious. If not, please label it
so we know who is selling the item.
All checks are made out to Musicare and credit card payments will also be run through
(Marie Hopper’s) Musicare account.
All sales go through Marie’s computer “register.”
At check-out, products are inventoried again and sellers are paid 90% of the value sold,
by Musicare check.
Afterward, Marie deducts from the retained 10 % any credit card fees she incurs and
sends CMN the balance.
2008
INDEPENDENT SALES TABLES
No independent tables allowed. Board 1/97
But see the policy for special attenders such as keynoter, Magic Penny
recipient.
Vendor program started 1999.
WI, IL, IA from (gen) Inq database 7/26/05
Sent 08 reg mig
Rebecca Arndt
& Eric Sencer
W328S3090 Bryn Mawr Rd.
Dousman, WI 53118
Chubby Dog Productions
606 Vroman St.
Green Bay, WI 54301
Tomorrow River Music
PO Box 165
Madison, WI 53701
Mark Dvorak
PO Box 181
Brookfield, IL 60513
Jim Gill
835 N. Kenilworth Av.
Oak Park, IL 60302-1518
Kinder Castle Early Care Educ. Ctr.
Director
212 W. Lake St.
Elmhurst, IL 60126
Rebecca Arndt
& Eric Sencer
W328S3090 Bryn Mawr Rd.
Dousman, WI 53118
Chubby Dog Productions
606 Vroman St.
Green Bay, WI 54301
Tomorrow River Music
PO Box 165
Madison, WI 53701
Mark Dvorak
PO Box 181
Brookfield, IL 60513
Jim Gill
835 N. Kenilworth Av.
Oak Park, IL 60302-1518
Kinder Castle Early Care Educ. Ctr.
Director
212 W. Lake St.
Elmhurst, IL 60126
Ret 8/05
PO Bex 478075
Chicage tt 60647
We begin with dinner around 5:00 on Friday evening and end after
lunch on Sunday, about 2:30. The Friday evening program doesn't go
late. We have an opening-welcoming session, sometimes a short
session of the round robin, and then people variously go to bed to rest
from their trip or stay up very late jamming and schmoozing. The
round robin is where anyone attending—young child, two-chord guitar
beginner, experienced professional—may sign up to share one song.
Saturday we have three or more workshop sessions, each with three to
seven to choose from; the CMN annual members meeting, to which
everyone is invited; and sometimes a special presentation. Saturday
evening is the main round robin.
Sunday we have another set of workshops; the Magic Penny Award and
tribute; and a closing circle after lunch. We give the Magic Penny
Award to someone selected for their lifetime contribution to children's
music.
In between, there are plenty of opportunities for networking, getting
acquainted, and just having fun. Many attendees bring recordings and
other materials to sell. The people who attend are as diverse as our
membership, ranging from top-notch professional musicians to those
who just sing to and with their kids.
We won't be have a fee schedule until about the time we send out the
mailing, but | anticipate that the weekend fee will be under $300
including all activities, meals, and housing.
Tell your friends.
INSURANCE
CMN's general liability policy covers events held in our name wherever
they occur. Conference facility managers will ordinarily ask for a
certificate of insurance that proves our coverage. These are sent
directly from our insurance carrier to the facility. To arrange having it
sent, contact the administrative coordinator in the CMN national office
with the name and address of the facility's staff person who is to
receive it.
We have no property damage coverage as such. The only possibility is
if there is some liability issue that brings it under our liability policy.
So, for example, if we rent AV equipment and it gets damaged, repair
or replacement are not covered.
Our policy covers any liability we might incur related to child care
during the conference, but not property damage or medical costs.
IDEAS ON INTERNAL OUTREACH FROM 10/05 BOARD MEETING
Suggested not putting much effort into external outreach, but
concentrating on getting members to attend.
Suggested having separate chairs for internal and external outreach.
Attenders need to do a better job of telling others what a good time
they had. (Small attendance ‘05)
Suggested members just earmarking certain income during year for
this purpose.
This is not the guide of record, but a pro tem working document. See also
KeynoteCommitteeGuideDraft510.doc.
KEYNOTE COMMITTEE DUTIES
Keynote comm duties per PAM D 12/2/06
collecting names of those who say they want to be on committee,
forming group on email or conference call,
suggest names,
figure out costs, if any,
give suggested time for presentation,
coordinate with MP committee if appropriate, and Conference committee,
report back to exec etc.
COMMITTEE FOR 2007 & 2008 CONFERENCES (2/07 Board Min)
Patricia Shih, Chair
StevenZelin Resigned from board 10/09
Carole Peterson
COMMITTEE GOING FORWARD FROM 10/09
Patricia Shih, Chair
Carole Peterson
Liz Buchanan
KEYNOTE FILES (not complete, and some may have been replaced or subsumed by later
ones)
Board/BdMinutes/NonMtgDecisions/07_07KeynoteGuide.doc
NatGath/2008/08KeynoteNotes.doc
NatGath/2009/09KeynoteNotes.doc
NatGath/Gath-Gen/Keynote/KeynoteNomForm.doc
NatGath/Gath-Gen/Keynote/KeynotePossList.doc
NatGath/Gath-Gen/Keynote/KeynoteSelectGuide.doc
NatGath/Gath-Gen/Keynote/KeynotePolicyHist.doc
Board/BdMinutes/108BdMin.doc
KEYNOTE COMMITTEE GUIDE
As approved by the board May 2010
Procedure and Guidelines for Choosing a Keynote Speaker
1. Composition of Committee
The Keynote Committee is formed from volunteers from the CMN Board of
Directors and from CMN members at large. Ideally, the size of the
committee should be between 4 and 8 members. The chair can be
nominated or can volunteer from within the committee. The chair needs to
either be a sitting board member or a past director.
2. Nominations
Nominations can be made by any CMN member through submission of a
nominating form, found on the CMN website, to the Keynote Committee.
Forms can be submitted any time from the end of the national gathering in
the present year to a date designated by the Keynote Committee for the
following year. It is highly recommended that the submission deadline be
December 3,1 after the conference, to allow enough time for the committee
to vet the candidates. Filled-in forms should be shared with each member
of the Keynote Committee via email (preferred), fax or U.S. mail. It is
highly recommended that the Keynote nominees be local to the national
conference, both to avoid costly travel expenses and to encourage local
people who may know and respect this keynote speaker to come to the
conference.
3. Selection Process
Members of the Keynote Committee will review the nominations and make
their selections of first-, second- and third-choice candidates, preferably by
January of the conference year. This gives the board time for the approval
process, and then gives the committee time to contact the speaker. This is
particularly important in the case of speakers who are very much in
demand.
4. Board Approval
All three candidates’ names will be submitted to the full board for approval.
It is recommended that this deadline be no later than one week after
submission. Once consensus approval has been made, the Keynote
Committee is free to contact the approved candidates, and then book the
candidate according to availability.
5. Budget
Decisions about any honorarium, expenses, etc. must be made PRIOR to
contacting chosen speaker. The CMN Board of Directors has determined
that keynote expenses should be no higher than $1,000. This is a
conference expense and does not come out of CMN's general operating
costs. The $1,000 amount covers an honorarium, travel expenses,
conference registration and costs, all of which can be offered as part of the
negotiations.
6. Program Schedule
The scheduling of the keynote speech (the exact date and time) should be
determined by the conference chair(s) in conjunction with the Keynote
Committee, who will consult with the speaker about his/her availability.
7. Announcement
Once the keynote speaker has confirmed his/her participation and an
agreement has been signed, the Keynote Committee will inform the
Executive Committee of the Board, and then the entire Board of Directors.
Announcement to the entire membership will be determined by the Board,
taking into consideration the timing of the announcing of the Magic Penny
honoree. Generally, the Magic Penny recipient is announced in January or
February of the conference year, and the keynote speaker in April or May,
in conjunction with registration packets being available for the conference.
Form for Nominations for Keynote Speaker
Children’s Music Network Annual National Conference
Nominee’s name
address
phone email
website
Nominator’s name
Phone
Email
Please write a short bio of the nominee. Include how they are involved
in children’s music, any awards, honors, etc.
Please write why/how you think the nominee would be a valuable
keynote speaker.
Please submit to the Keynote Committee by
Form for Nominations for Keynote Speaker
The Children’s Music Network Annual National Conference
Nominee’s name
address
phone email
website
Nominator’s name
Phone
Email
Please write a short bio of the nominee. Include how they are involved in children’s
music, any awards, honors, etc.
Please write why/how you think the nominee would be a valuable keynote speaker.
Please submit to the CMN office by at least one year prior to the relevant annual
conference: The Children’s Music Network, P.O. Box 1341, Evanston, IL 60204-
1341
SET ASIDE FOR 2007-2009 but not rescinded as of 1/08 board meeting—
[Board 1/98, p. 6; revised per Board 2/01, IV-B-5]
The purpose of the keynote was originally to honor elders in our field and/or to
bring diversity to our network by bringing in keynoters who would attract new
members from diverse ethnic, occupational, and musical backgrounds. The
Magic Penny Award now honors elders, so, beginning in ’01, gathering
organizers might simply engage someone for a special presentation not
considered a “keynote” or might omit that segment of the schedule.
Organizers should have direct contact with any candidate (i.e., have firsthand
knowledge of their work) or consult with people who have. Also, "the
wellspring of who we are should bubble from this person."
The national gathering budget may include up to $200 for use as an
honorarium, if needed; a reasonable amount to cover the keynoter’s
transportation to the gathering; and the individual’s registration fee, including
on-site housing, calculated per out-of-pocket costs (no markup). The decision
to offer a monetary honorarium is not mandatory and is left to the discretion of
the gathering committee. Gathering organizers are encouraged to seek
outside sponsors to underwrite expenses for special gathering features. (Since
the above costs belong in the gathering budget and like costs for the Magic
Penny awardee are covered by a separate item in the general CMN budget,
these expenses may be paid for both a Magic Penny awardee and a special
presenter.)
KEYNOTE BRAINSTORMING BY BOARD
Those who served are at the end
Those who have been rejected have been deleted.
Being considered for 2009 per 9/08 board meeting, priority order:
David Holt
Thomas Moore (Afam early ch)
Dan Zanes
Fall 2006/early 2007:
Ralph Covert
Kenny Curtis
Disney
Raffi
XMKids (a group)
At the 5/07 board meeting
(Process: Any name mentioned by anyone is a nomination. The
committee will prioritize.)
Marlo Thomas
Dan Zanes (priority)
Peter Yarrow
Arlo Guthrie
Bernice Reagon
Derek Siberous (CD Baby)
2008 Bill Harley
2007 (1st yr for formal committee) Kim & Reggie Harris
2009 Billy Jonas
Tom Chapin rec Magic Penny 2009
2010 Peter Alsop
GUIDELIINES FOR NOMINATING A KEYNOTE SPEAKER FOR THE
2007 CHILDREN’S MUSIC NETWORK NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Draft 12/15/06
The Keynote Speaker for the annual national conference of the Children’s
Music Network will give a short (app. 30 minute) speech at a suitable time.
A keynote nominee should be a person who:
exemplifies the values of the Network through their work as well as
through their character
¢ is actively working in the field of children’s music in some capacity
e has valuable, unique, or otherwise relevant information to share
with the attendees
e¢ exemplifies the present state of children’s music, as well as points
to the development of family and kids’ music in the future
e is articulate and presents well
¢ ideally is well known and highly regarded, could create excitement
and be a draw for the conference
e has achieved a certain level of success in their field, as a role
model
¢ would be of interest to most if not all attendees, i.e. performers,
songwriters, teachers, parents, librarians...
All nominations must be submitted to the Keynote Committee by the
specified date using the nomination form, which is available on the CMN
Web Site.
The Keynote Committee will recommend a candidate to the Executive
Committee, who will
coordinate the board approval process.
The committee will make no commitment for payment or in-kind items
without prior approval of the board
Note: The keynote speaker may be the same as the Magic Penny Award
recipient.
POLICY: GATHERING KEYNOTERS
From board minutes 1/98, p.6
The National Gathering budget will include up to $200 for use as
honoraria, if needed, for up to 2 keynote presenters. One person ora
group of up to 2 people shall be paid no more than $100. The purpose
of the keynote is to honor elders in our field and/or to bring diversity to
our network by bringing in keynoters who will attract new members
from diverse ethnic, occupational, and musical backrounds.
The decision to offer a monetary honorarium is not mandatory and is
left to the discretion of the gathering committee. If there are any other
expenses associated with bringing in a keynote presenter (travel,
special housing or meals, etc.), it is up to the gathering committee to
procure funds to cover them, as they are not [to be] included in either
the gathering budget or CMN's general budget. However, Gathering
registration fees the for the keynote presenter will be waived by CMN.
Further directions: Gathering organizers should have direct contact
with the candidate (i.e., have firsthand knowledge of their work) or
consult with people who have. Also, "the wellspring of who we are
should bubble from this person."
Note from CP 2/00
In conversation with board members, they interpreted the intent of this
policy to be that, out of CMN (gathering) funds, a presenter may be
assisted with travel or other expenses OR given an honorarium, but not
both. Since keynoter expenses diminish profits from the gathering,
any additional assistance must be funded from outside sources.
Whatever other additional arrangements may be made, the person's
registration fee will be waived.
From Sec. B(5) of the 2/01 Board Minutes
There was a recognition that the Magic Penny Award now honors
elders, which was the original purpose of the keynote, and so maybe
the keynote should be eliminated or its function reconceived. It was
agreed that for 2001, gathering organizers would not be limited by the
concept of “elders” in selecting a keynoter....They might simply
engage someone for a special presentation not considered a “keynote”
or omit that segment of the schedule....It was also agreed that
transportation costs and out-of-pocket registration fees with on-site
housing may be paid for both the keynote presenter and the Magic
Penny recipient; approval of the Executive Committee is needed if
organizers want to pay any expenses beyond these. If a corporate
underwriter is found, this may enlarge the options.
Revision 4/02
delete keynote section except last par.; see BdAppr file.
Note from CP, based on board conversations 9/01
The introduction of the Magic Penny Award has changed conceptions of
the keynote. MP, it appears, has replaced the keynote as the focal
special presentation of the gathering, and the idea of a “keynote” may
now be obsolete. Therefore, (a) the board would be open to not having
a “keynote;” (b) depending on their nature, any other special
presentations should probably not be called keynotes; and (c) the
former standard for keynote presenters as “elders” in the community
need not apply. (Although there still needs to be a reason, based in
CMN values and goals, for including these.)
KIDS AT THE GATHERING:
CAROLINE’S RESPONSE TO E-MAIL INQUIRY 8/24/00
Based on stated policy
Your family will certainly be welcome. As for your early childhood pupils,
they would each need to come with an adult. Although children of all ages
are more than welcome at our gatherings (we ordinarily have 20 to 40), and
although we keep children's fees close to cost and make sure that there are
a number of workshops designed so that children can participate, this is a
weekend organized around adults who work with children, not the children
themselves. Most of these adults have children in their lives all the time, and
the gathering is a place for them to get support, renewal of spirit, and—for
many—professional learning and resources. So it's a weekend "with" any
children you bring. We have free child care during workshops and special
presentations.
The first version is the official, on-record, one. The second is a version
printed in PIO! #48, slightly edited to soften what some perceived as
unwelcoming language.
POLICY RE CHILDREN AT THE NATIONAL GATHERING
From board meeting 6/99, reaffirmed 1/04
We are a network of mostly adults. Most have children in their lives a
lot. The gathering weekend is to equip them for their work with
children.
Although we want the gathering to be child- and family-friendly, we are
not trying to draw children and don’t want to market to children.
Parents should view this as a weekend “with” their children, not “for”
the children. We want children to enjoy the gathering and will make
efforts to facilitate that—such as providing some workshops they can
easily participate in—but they will not be a focus for the gathering’s
activities.
Children at the National Conference/Gathering
Should you bring your children to the gathering? Every year this
question comes up, usually from people who have not yet attended.
Yet, perhaps since over the years the child contingent has varied from
very few to sizable troops, some more seasoned attenders and
planners are not sure, either. The long-standing guide, recently
affirmed by the CMN board of directors, is:
We are a network of mostly adults. Most have children in their lives a
lot. The gathering weekend is to equip them for their work with
children. Although we truly value the participation of children, try to
keep gathering costs for children as low as possible, and want the
gathering to be child- and family-friendly, we do not have many
activities planned specifically for children. Parents should really view
this as a weekend “with” their children, not “for” the children.
THE LATE REGISTRATION FEE
There are good reasons why we impose a late fee to
encourage members to pre-register on time. The fee and
related date are plainly listed on the registration form.
e Registrations received after the early rate deadline must be
processed one-by-one instead of a batch, adding to CMN’s
costs.
¢ The later the registration, the more difficult it makes office staff
work. It’s hard to get together the reports we need to do;
sometimes they have to be adjusted or redone to show the
added registrations, adding to CMN'’s costs.
e At any facility we’ve used, we have to give them final bed and
meal numbers 7 to 14 days ahead of the gathering so they can
have adequate food, beds, and staff available. Contracts
provide extremely limited or no refunds if our registration is
lower than contracted for. So late registration interferes with
our contract obligations and risks CMN money when we have to
guess about numbers—pad the count—so as not to come up
short on beds or food.
Life Celebrations for Members Who Die
If a current member should die between conferences, the board may arrange for a
celebration of the person’s life as part of the regular schedule of the conference.
CMN MAGIC PENNY AWARD
The award, instituted in 1999, is given each year at the national gathering to
honor a person who embodies CMN’s values and has made a significant
lifetime contribution to children’s music.
Primary responsibility for all aspects of the MP segment at the gathering—
budget, award object, award ceremony, etc.—lies with the Magic Penny
Selection Committee. Its members consult with the board and coordinate
with the gathering committee. The MP Committee is a committee of the
CMN board, not a gathering committee, and is made up of board members.
They solicit nominations from board members and recommend a recipient
for board approval. They also commission the award object itself and plan
and oversee the award segment of the gathering program in consultation
with the gathering organizers.
Since the award is a function of the board on behalf of the membership,
Magic Penny expenses are not part of the gathering budget, but are paid
from general funds. This includes any photograph prints made for the
recipient.
Gathering organizers, especially the Publicity Committee, should keep in
touch with the MP Committee to obtain information about the recipient that
can be used in gathering publicity. The MP Committee should also take
initiative to provide this information.
The national office is also kept informed about plans, particularly when it
comes to registration-related arrangements such as for meals.
Also see CMN Policies\Procedures document for the full Magic Penny
Committee guide.
Big-group Meeting Space for Conferences
2007 Albany (part of time in ea. rm.)
Phoenix 3,312 > bigger than needed
Stonehenge D 1,640 > a bit crowded for round robin; sales
separate
2008 Zion Vista 2,448 about right, could be slightly smaller;
sales separate
2009 Black Mountain | Washburn 3,962 bigger than needed; sales same room
CMN National Gathering/Conference—Misc Notes
First ads in conference program book 2004. Ad prices were approved
by the board.
State Sales Tax Exemptions Documents
See CMN/Admin/Taxes/StateTaxes.doc
The Gathering Guidebook
This was a very thick binder of materials from past gatherings that for
a few years circulated to each new gathering chair. It contained
guideline statements, budgets, mailing packets and folder sheets, and
other pieces that might be of use. It was put together by Daphne Petri
and added to by Caroline Presnell. It contained some minimal how-tos,
but was mostly a collection of examples. In 2000, Barbara Wright, that
year's chair, had several of the committee chairs write up their
committee's duties and procedures, the first such documents. Over
the years some of the policies and practices had changed, outdating
items in the binder, and Caroline had written up and/or accumulated
additional how-to documents. So C. put together a smaller
replacement binder that was more of a how-to and it was used briefly.
Then with the near-universality of e-mail, it became more practical to
keep documents up to date in the office computer and e-mail them to
chairs as needed. The original binder stayed in the office after 2001
and Caroline dismantled it in 6/06, filing into the yearly gathering files
materials not already there.
MISC. POSSIBLE PLACES TO PUBLICIZE THE NATIONAL GATHERING
http://www.reverbnation.com (a calendaring site)
The 09 conference was listed on it.
5/09 Please put me on your e-press list.
Linda Frye Burnham
Community Arts Network
www.communityarts.net
burnham@communityarts.net
Sign up for APInews, CAN's monthly e-mail newsletter. It's easy and FREE.
http://www.communityarts.net/sub
They listed our 09 conference in their conference/events section
(For northern Calif.)
Try to get the California Community College Child Development Directory. It lists the
colleges, addresses, and most contacts.
American Library Assn.
Public Information Office
50 E. Huron St.
Chicago, Il 60611
FOLKSONG IN THE CLASSROOM
Newsletter
PO box 264
Holyoke MA 01041
This publication mentioned in PIO! winter/spring 2004 (the interview).
Mothering Magazine
PO Box 1690
Santa Fe, NM 87504
They're bimonthly. Deadline for the Sep/Oct issue is in July. Don’t know the deadline
for the next earlier issue, which might be better.
(1998)
Music for Minors
97 Hillview Av.
Los Altos, CA 94022
650/941-9130
New Jersey State Council on the Arts
20 W. State St. #306
Trenton, NJ 08625-0306
609/292-6130
parenTeacher (eZine)
Contact 01-02:
Michelle Banks
PO Box 1246
Mount Dora, FL 32756
352/385-1877
800/732-3868
michelle@parenTeacher.net
www.parenteacher.net
Peaceable Schools
located at Lesley College, Cambridge, MA 617/868-9600
ReadAmerica/parenTeacher.net eZine
(Per K. Dines 02, free to nonprofits and you can advertise)
800/732-3868
www.readamerica.net
www.parenTeacher.net
Street address (not mail):
30940 Sun Eagle Dr., Ste. 105
Mount Dora, FL 32757
Sing Out!
Editorial Assistant
P.O. Box 5460 (for UPS: 512 E. 4th St.)
Bethlehem, PA 18015-0460
Ph: 610-865-5366 x201
Fx: 610-865-5129
Toll-Free (orders only!): 888-SING-OUT
scotta@singout.org
www.singout.org
www.singout.org/festform.htm
Quarterly
Deadlines a/o 7/06:
Summer [issue?] (Aug-Oct) [period calendar covers?]: April 1
Fall (Nov-Jan): July 1
Winter (Feb-Apr): Oct. 1
Spring (May-July): Jan. 1
(The CMN office sends in this form.)
The Story Bag
www.swiftsite.com/storyteller
Newsletter of National Storytelling Assn.
Contact: Harlynne Geisler
5361 Javier St.
San Diego, CA 92117-3215
858/569-9399
storybag@juno.com
(1999)
Association of Children’s Librarians
Headstart
Kindermusic
Montessori
Association for the Education of Young Children (CAEYC)
National #: 800/424-2460
College education depts
Cultural centers
Sassafras (newsletter of the People’s Music Network, CMN’s parent group)
Radio Stations
There's always a desire to reach out to people underrepresented in CMN, such as
people of color. That’s hard to do, but if you have ideas, use them. Region members
might be associated with such groups in their own work, and maybe could be the
outreach person or at least write (or have you write for them) a letter to go out to their
group with gathering info.
IDEA: In 1996, Lisa Atkinson asked NC members for their “hot lists”—people on their
own lists whom they think might be interested in the gathering, for us to send info to.
If CMN office is furnished labels, Caroline could do the mailing, or volunteers from the
region could put it together.
SAMPLE OF LOCAL PLACES TO DISTRIBUTE FLYERS when the time comes:
children's and general bookstores
libraries
PTA newsletters
schools
music stores
community centers
university education departments
for Albany conference 2007: are there similar centers in other states?—
1) We created an ad that they put in their newsletter
Kate Smith
Capital District
Child Care Council
518 426-7181 x319
ksmith@cdcccc.org
LEADING THE WAY TO QUALITY CARE
www.cdceccc.org
BT 12/27
More thoughts on conference workshops and related issues..
| was typing and thinking too fast trying to get my responses out on time in
my message yesterday--I don't really mean having the deadline for workshop
proposals in January, but the invitation to go out then with a clear
deadline so that decisions can be made by springtime. Solicitation and
recruitment can happen in those early months of the year. | think this
would be a big improvement on how we are able to do outreach for the
conference.
In addition to the other workshop tracks that have been mentioned in
people's responses, | think we should keep a children's or family-friendly
workshop track also as we've done in previous years, so that in each time
slot there is at least one workshop identified that children are invited to
participate in.
And | want to make a few comments on the whole issue of self-promotion in
CMN. It is the ethic and principle of egalitarianism and democratic access
that | believe has been the common thread throughout the years of CMN,
and
this is one thing | think we should be thoughtful to uphold and let guide
us. How this has been expressed throughout the years has gone through its
own evolution. | agree with Pam's comments that the songs that we sing as a
big group, the faces that are up there in front of our large gatherings are
certainly ways that individuals have been (and are) promoted within CMN.
And | don't think that's always been recognized as such. But nurturing a
culture within our organization that fosters this egalitarianism, that
supports the collective "we" rather than the competitive individualistic
star system of our mainstream culture is one of the aspects of CMN that |
think makes us unique, and is one of our most important
political/philosophical tenets. In the past people have thought of this as
never putting one individual's name out there above the rest, but | think
this has been too narrow a way to view it. | think celebrating, honoring
individual people, individual songs within the context of the collective is
very appropriate. That was a big step and huge discussion for the Board in
doing the All Songs issues of PIO! and they are great examples of finding
this balance-songs and individuals were chosen but the decision-making
process was a collective one, and there was a democratic process that
anyone
had access to participate submitting songs within. Our Magic Penny Award is
a great example-celebrating the field of children's music and honoring
individuals whose impact has touched us all. The Peace Resources Pages
too-there are 10 sample songs that were chosen to highlight the themes of
those pages that are linked from the main page but this within the context
of the entire song listings that anyone can put a song into. | think as we
move ahead with our work, thinking creatively about how to keep this
balance
will be essential.
All the best,
12/27/06
Kudos to Barb for expressing SO well what it means to maintain a vision of
egalitarian access at the same time that we honor and support the work of
individuals. | couldn't have said it better myself!
As someone who studies the effects of competition on communities, | think it
is SO important that we continue to function as a mutual support group *
that CMN is the place you come to get affirmed, encouraged, supported and
pushed to do your best work * and THEN you go back into the outside work
and do what you do. Let's not let the competitveness of the outside culture
keep us from supporting one another!
Off to England in three days. Yikes. Hope you are all well and warm.
Love, Mara
CMN NATIONAL CONFERENCE PLANNING FIRST STEPS
The chair, perhaps consulting with a core planning committee, scouts for possible
sites. The question of urban vs. rural settings is an ongoing board discussion: the
more important issue seems to be the overall quality of the facility and its suitabilty
for our use, at least as of fall 2006. The national coordinator (CMN office
administrator) is informed about facilities under consideration in order to look at the
Web sites. If the board has appointed a conference liaison, that person should be kept
up on developments, but not necessarily on all of the details—each year’s planners
work this out to suit themselves.
The chair gathers specific information on facilities (housing, meeting rooms, etc.) and
pricing from the most promising few. The information is fed to the national
coordinator as it is acquired; often facility staff will copy its e-mails to the CMN office if
asked. In assessing facility costs, probe for extra costs—room set-ups, meeting room
extra charges, service fees on food, taxes. (Is the tax calculated after the service fee is
applied or before?) You can get an idea of food costs by getting the facility's menu
lists and putting together a hypothetical set of meals to see what they come to. In our
experience, in hotels it's the food costs that are hard to keep down. Camp-type places
are better in that respect since they have a fixed meal price regardless of the menu.
Don't forget to include a Sat.-night snack in the food costs; keep it as far under
$5/person as you can.
The chair or committee, consulting with the national coordinator, analyzes the final
picks (1-3?) for suitability and prices and prepares a presentation for the Executive
Committee that gives an overview. This presentation should include an estimate of
the basic registration fee (plus or including housing). If more than one site is being
considered, the analysis should be organized so as to lay out the comparison clearly.
The E.C. gives its feedback and/or approval. Depending on what comes out of the
process at this point and on the proximity of a board meeting, the proposal may go to
the full board for approval, or, if the choice is clear and the next board meeting is far
off, it may be sent to them more as an announcement.
After the site choice is made, the chair arranges for a contract, which the national
coordinator goes over before it is signed. The chair is usually the signer on behalf of
CMN. The chair sends a copy for the CMN office file. The bed and meal numbers we
use for this preliminary contract stage are set high enough to give the facility an idea
of how much space they need to hold but low enough so as not to commit CMN
unduly. The facility usually wants a substantial deposit made after the contract is
signed. The national coordinator arranges for that. There is always a final contract
stage close to the conference date when we have to commit to real numbers,
guarantee payment for them, and send the balance of our estimated bill.
What comes next in the process depends on how much lead time there is. If plenty,
the committee might want to start thinking about publicity and program aspects of the
gathering. But if time is shorter, the fee schedule and budget draft must be prepared
right away. The approach to calculating fees is in another document. There are
records of budgets/P&Ls, bed counts, etc., from previous years available in the CMN
office as resources, and the national coordinator can help with this as needed. The
budget and fee schedule must be approved by the Executive Committee before any
fees are published.
Also, we need a flyer by at least November of the year previous to the conference,
which also must be approved by the E.C. before it’s published. Some people think it’s
important to show a basic fee on the flyer. If that’s to be done, obviously there needs
to be coordination of the timing of planning tasks. More details on the flyer are in
another document.
By the time these things are underway, we’ve moved beyond the start-up.
CONFERENCE/GATHERING: NON-CMN GROUPS MEETING AT
[Added per Board minutes 1/09, VII; revised 9/09 by e-mail]
Interest groups, personal celebrations, or religious observances can meet ina
designated room, if available. Their organizers should contact the conference chair in
advance of the conference to reserve time.
At the conference, the meetings may be listed, for example, on a large sheet on a wall
where it can be seen by attendees. The meetings may be announced verbally at the
conference by the chair, at the chair's discretion. However, the meetings should not call
attention away from the conference or give the appearance of being part of the official
CMN conference schedule.
A meeting may be announced once prior to the conference on the CMN members’
listserv, since the listserv is provided as means for members to share information
informally but is not a mode used for official organization communication. Any such
announcement should include the information that the meeting is not an official part of
the Conference. [End]
Eric Angress
Melissa Mathis
1341 California St.
Berkeley CA 94703
Pam Davies
531 S. Twelfth St.
Coeur d'Alene ID 83814
Hillary Fielding
207 Miramar Dr.
Santa Cruz CA 95060-5229
Joyce Gibrick
4450 Moraga Av.
Oakland CA 94611
Lisa Haller
1701 E. Cotati Av.
Rohnert Park CA 94928
Nick Holbrook
2230 McGee Av.
Berkeley CA 94703
Nancy Noto
22093 Stocklmeir Ct.
Cupertino CA 95014
Charlotte Patterson
212 Princeton
Mill Valley CA 94941
Marjorie Patterson
180 Clydesdale
Danville CA 94526
Bill Rogg
333 Encina Av.
Redwood City CA 94061
Betty Schreck
689 Creston Rd.
Berkeley CA 94708
Edward Silberman
1535 Grant St.
Berkeley CA 94703
Christina Svane
651 Ferguson Rd.
Sebastopol CA 95472
Peggy Tunder
11 Salix Av.
Woodacare CA 94973
Sonia Wyman
1324 Marlesta Rd.
Pinole CA 94564
Nonmember Registration Fees Practice
Nonmembers are always supposed to be charged a higher fee than
members--we advertise reduced event fees as a member benefit.
CP Note: If anonmember registers paying the nonmember fee, | try to get
them to join at check-in (if pre-registered) or during the event (if a walk-in). If
they don't jump at it and | want to add an inducement, | tell them | will count
the nonmember surcharge portion of the event registration fee toward the
membership fee. So they end up paying the full membership fee and the full
event fee, but the latter at the member rate instead of the nonmember rate,
in effect "saving" on the membership fee.
In 2009 and 2010 nonmembers were charged $65 above the member rate.
That included a year’s membership, which was entered automatically,
preferably before conference time to introduce the person to CMN>
Per CP 7/25/05
Couldn't find documentation today, but think we have some.
NONMEMBER WORKSHOP FACILITATORS
Because the nature of CMN workshops is different from what most people are used to, it
is best to choose facilitators from among CMN members, especially those who have been
to our conferences/gatherings and have experienced the inclusive tone we intend to set.
The guide documents for facilitators and the workshop chair contain the basic points for
thinking about leadership.
However, we want to provide the richest program we can, and sometimes we find or are
contacted by nonmembers who can bring new skills and other interesting gifts we'd like
to incorporate. Each situation and person must be evaluated on their own. A
nonmember who is accepted to facilitate a workshop should be strongly encouraged to
join CMN (it will lower their conference registration fee), but not required to.
Experience has brought out some areas for caution.
1) Do not rely on a person, no matter how well you know them or how visible they are in
CMN, to tell you whether they are a member or not. Check everyone with the national
office. Even the most well-meaning individuals can forget how long it's been since they
last paid dues.
2) With the rarest of exceptions, we are not interested in having someone come in just
in time to do their workshop and then leave. The gathering is a community event.
Participation gives newcomers a taste of what CMN is, and they are more likely to join.
An in-and-out situation provides no real connection.
3) Some, but certainly not all, of the nonnmembers who were reluctant to broaden their
participation have been reported by disappointed attendees of their workshops to be
more interested in promoting themselves and performing than in creating an
atmosphere of participation and sharing. They just didn't "get it."
4) People who don't join and don't commit to at least some participation have
sometimes been known to create registration problems. They might fail to give us
sufficient contact information, fail to register, dispute the fee they owe, etc. Absolutely
no one will be allowed to lead a workshop who is not registered for some portion of the
conference. (For special cases, we can make special arrangements.) This is one of the
reasons for the workshop chair to keep in touch with the national office about who is
being considered for leadership.
So, the approach that has worked best in the past is for the workshop chair to select any
nonmember facilitators carefully, then make every effort to communicate about our
workshop and organization style and nudge them to join CMN, but also to just do the
best they can in these areas, hoping to bring attendees a new experience and make a
new friend, but recognizing that it doesn't always turn out as hoped.
OUTREACH/MARKETING FOR NATIONAL CONFERENCE
1) Regional members can furnish their own marketing lists or
organization lists or ?? to receive conference outreach materials. If
people get the lists to the CMN office (preferably but not necessarily as
labels or in label format), Caroline will do the mailings if wanted. If
regional volunteers do the mailings (with copiable originals from the
CMN office), it saves CMN money.
2) Scholarships are available as an outreach tool.
3) Please save lists (with all available info) of publications and
organizations contacted by the Publicity Committee and send to the
central office for future reference.
Workshops (possibly) for /applicable to older kids
1999
Sound Editing for Kids--P}
Harmonica for Everyone--Wiley Rankin
Songwriting--Christopher Smith
Songwriting with Children (6+)--Sally Rogers
Songs of the West (K-8)--Bernie Griff
Songs About Diversity--Mara Sapon-Shevin
Songs in Spanish--Suni Paz
Hambone and Body Rhythm--Erik Hoffman
1998
It's Fun to Dance--Liz Benjamin & Tina Stone
Students Against Violence thru Music Therapy--Edith Boxhill
Simple Songs in Hebrew--Noah Budin
Sing to Freedom: A Ride on the Underground Railroad--Reggie Harris
Composing with Nature Sounds-- Laura Liben
Weaving Our Voices and Spirit Together: Round Singing for the Heart-- Kate Munger
Ouch! Life Hurts: Children’s Songs for Hard Life Issues-- Ruth Pelham
Songs for Older Kids; Song swap--Sue Ribaudo
1997
Peaceable Classrooms--Sarah Pirtle and Susan Hopkins
A Musical Trip Around the World--Elise Witt
"Herstories": Women in History and Song--Lisa Atkinson
Rounds and Parts Singing--Joanne Hammil
Why Sing the Blues When You Can Sing the Greens (earth relationships)--Joyce Johnson
Rouse
After the Singing Stops (discussion and expression of feelings after "life problem"
songs)--
Jan Dombrower
BASIC REGISTRATION SUPPLIES/MATERIALS
Gath reg forms in binder
alpha children list w/age & related adults
buddy lists
3-4 check-in lists
day/period/meal reg breakdown
reg tally sheets
reg help sched
housing lists/breakdown ?
folder labels (w/Sil Auct #s)
(2) silent auction numbers list
calculator
contracts—facility & keynote
CMN check stamp
progbk/folder list & originals pages (MH on CD)
name badge holders
name badge inserts
blank badge inserts for walk-ins/losts
proof of attendance certificates
cc imprinter
plate for cr card imprinter
screwdriver for imprinter
imprinter instructions sheet
cr card sales slips
SA easels if chairs want
glue sticks for easels
silent auction bid sheet orig
reg staff instruction sheets
late fee sheet
on-site price sheets
brochures
mem forms
stapler
scissors
markers
PIO!s to display
CMN stamp & pad
folders (manila) & env for sorting
brown pockets
pencils
pens
many postits
paper clips & big clips
mask tape
scotch tape
blank labels
red pencils
garb bags
baggies
staple puller
letterhead
paid stamps
pencil sharpener
extra (attendee) (empty) folders
rubber bands
on-site reg forms
blank wh ppr
receipt bk
tape for return boxes
labels for return boxes
alpha dividers for song swap
site map in sleeve
POLICY RE NATIONAL GATHERING: ATTENDANT CARE (PCA) FEES
Fees for persons attending only as child-care or disabled-care
attendants to a regular registrant may be reduced to cost: the
facility's per-person charge plus $15 for CMN's per-person gathering
expense. Such persons may also be considered for scholarship
assistance to further reduce this amount.
Approved by board 2/01
NATIONAL GATHERING PUBLICITY /
MAGIC PENNY
Phil Hoose to board & CP 7/12/00 (excerpt)
Dear mates,
A ccrying need remains for a point person in NYC. That person would send
out
press releases to targeted radio show hosts, newspapers, TV people etc. in
the NYC area, and follow up with calls. Why? To turn Warwick into
Woodstock 3? No. Two reasons: The main one is to use the gathering and
the Magic Penny to extend our message--Hey parents, teachers, caregivers:
there IS quality children's music available in the world. People ARE making
it. There is an alternative to the violence/ear candy out there. Responsible
performers--some very well known--and educators have banded together to
form a terrific, supportive, fun network to promote an alternative. And this
group is honoring the history of children's music in this country, which is
glorious and worth honoring. Here's Pete Seeger/Marcia Berman/Barbara
Wright, or Ruth Pelham to tell ya about it.
The second is to publicize the gathering: Wanna know more about this?
We're gathering at Warwick NY Oct 13-15. Interested? For more information
call...
The local point person is very important. It didn't happen last year in CA.
And it didn't happen two years ago in NYC. And | think we lost a chance.
Who could do it?
Phil
Preregistration Packet usually contains the following:
1. Gathering flyer (for members to post or copy & share)
2. Pre-registration form
3. Information letter:
¢ Skeleton schedule
¢ Special features; e.g., Magic Penny recipient
¢ Description of site & location
¢ Sleeping accommodations
¢ General travel info: nearest airport; airport-to-site transportation options &
travel time; main highways/nearest cities
¢ Scholarship info
¢ Volunteer tasks
¢ Pre-/Post-gathering activities if known, if any
¢ Buddies (signup to get or be one will be on registration form)
¢ Teacher credits
4. Silent auction form
Confirmation Packet usually contains the following:
1. Registration verification form
2. Weekend schedule
3. Detailed getting-there information: driving directions, airport & CMN
shuttles, map, other
. Sales table instruction sheet
. Sales table space reservation form (sometimes)
. Information letter (some a repeat of pre-reg. letter):
e Registration time
Description of housing
Child care options & requirements
Volunteers still needed
Facility’s rules
Emergency contact number
Pre-/Post-gathering activities details
Area housing options (motels, etc.)
Tenting & RV facilities, on-site or nearby
Note that a table will be designated for giveaways and handouts if attendees
bring them
7. Paper song swap instructions
aus
Attendee folder/program book may contain the following (some repeat of
confirmation packet):
* this item needs to be loose, not in a program book
1. General info/welcome sheet
. Site map
. Sales instruction sheet
. Round robin instruction sheet
Round robin song & energizer signup form *
Weekend schedule
. Workshop list/schedule:
¢ Descriptions
e Brief leader bios (not to be promotional)
¢ Time/location
8.Workshop schedule 1-page chart
9. Attendee name/address list (usually loose, not in booklet)
10. Name tags
11. Conference evaluation form *
12. Other: e.g., area points of interest
13. Paper song swap instructions
14. Ads
15. Silent auction item sheet
16. Silent auction donor thanks list
The Paper Song Swap
The paper song swap allows you to share copies of songs you might sing during the
weekend in workshops, the round robin, or informal jams.
Here’s how it works:
1. Bring multiple copies of any song you'd like to share. This could be a lyrics sheet or
lead sheet (including melody line). Make sure the proper attribution (writer and
copyright) appear on the sheet. If the song is traditional, include that information.
Bring 20 to 30 copies of as many different songs as you like—1, 10, 100. Songs
you share in workshops or round robin will be the ones generating most interest.
2. Bring a file folder for each song you bring, and label the file with the title of the
song.
3. At the conference, find the paper song swap table, and add your labeled folder(s),
filled with the copies of song(s) you've prepared, to the file box.
4. During the course of the gathering, come and check out the file box for songs that
interest you.
NATIONAL CONFERENCE (GATHERING) PHOTOGRAPHY COMMITTEE
OB DESCRIPTIONS
Photography Chairperson—to coordinate and oversee that what needs to get done will
get done: film bought, photos taken, film developed or images transferred to CDs, and
pictures sent to the CMN office in a timely manner.
Photographers—those willing to take some specific photos of the gathering that are
decided on ahead of time, as well as wonderful candid shots.
TASK—GATHER A COMMITTEE
The pre-registration mailing from the national office in June should include a call for
volunteers for photographers and a chair on the registration form and maybe also in the
letter. If a chair is already in place by June, she or he should remind the national office
to include the invitation. As registrations come in, the National Coordinator will feed
names to the Photography chair to contact. This volunteer list should include names,
telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses.
TASK—GET AN OVERVIEW.
1.) Ask the national office staff person (the National Coordinator) or the National
Gathering chairperson what the purpose of the photography is—how the photos will be
used: for example, for P/O!, the Web site, promotional brochures, as gifts for the
honoree of the Magic Penny Award. This will give you guidance on what pictures to
take. It is neverthe purpose of this project to “document” the conference, so more
shots are not necessarily better than fewer well-chosen ones.
2.) Find out what the gathering photography budget is. Included in this budget would
be the cost of film (recommended: 400ASA or a higher ASA) and film development,
costs associated with reproduction of digital pictures, postage. If not inconvenient, the
chair or individual photographers will advance the costs of buying and developing film
and turn in copies of receipts afterward for reimbursement. If this is a burden, the chair
should consult the national office staff person on alternatives.
3.) Because of the ways they are handled, stored, and used over time, it is useful to
have both paper and digital pictures in the overall set taken, but not both forms for any
one picture. (An exception would be if the digital set being sent to the national office
could have an accompanying thumbnail sheet. This is very useful, but not at all
necessary.)
The creation of digitals has a cost advantage, but printing out long-lasting (archival-
quality) images can be very costly, and changes in technology could present use
challenges in the future.
TASK—CREATE A “SHOOT LIST”
1.) Get a list from the national office and/or the National Gathering chairperson of what
specific shots they want to be taken (e.g., Magic Penny recipient receiving award,
keynote
speaker, children involved in workshop activities, locale of the gathering, specific
workshops, round robin).
TASK—CREATE A “SHOOT LIST”
1.) Get a list from the national office and/or the National Gathering chairperson of what
specific shots they want to be taken (e.g., Magic Penny recipient receiving award,
keynote speaker, children involved in workshop activities, locale of the gathering,
specific workshops, round robin).
2.) When this shoot list is established, then the Photography Chairperson can e-mail
his/her photographers the list and ask if there are any people who prefer specific shots
(some people stay for the whole round robin, others prefer posed shots, others like
candids, etc.). In this way, we can see that no one has to be everywhere
(Cont.)
Photography Committee (Cont.)
all the time, and can enjoy some off-duty “down time.” Obviously, for those one-
chance photos like the Magic Penny Award recipient or the keynote speaker, several
photographers should be taking photos of those events to make sure someone’s turn
out well.
3.) The Photography Chairperson should compile the list of who is taking what photos
and e-mail that list to each photographer, to the national office, and to the National
Conference chairperson. Of course, additions can be made later, but it is nice to have
all this in place before getting to the gathering.
TASK—TAKE THE PICTURES
1.) The Photography Chairperson and the photographers should arrange to meet briefly
at the beginning of the gathering (Fri. night if possible, otherwise Sat. morning) just to
meet each other, see if there are any changes (new shots to take, people not able to
come to the gathering, broken cameras, etc.) in which case some shots would need to
be distributed among the group.
2.) Try to take a minimum number of shots straight from the front with a microphone in
front of the person's face. Given the setup and nature of the programs, it is not always
easy to vary the shots, but many of the mike-in-the-face shots, though okay for
memories, are not so interesting for publication. Just do the best you can.
3.) At the gathering, the Photography Chair should announce or ask the gathering chair
to announce that anyone who finds when they get home that they took a terrific photo
should send a copy to the national office as soon as possible.
TASK—FOLLOW UP
1.) The national office needs a good selection of photos by about the first week in
November to be included in the next Pass /t On! and posted on the next Web site
update.
2.) Both the photography chairperson and the photographers need to be given a
definite date in advance as to when the photos need to be sent in, and an address
where they are to be sent. Digital photos should be sent on CDs rather than by e-mail.
3.) After the gathering, the Photography chairperson should, through e-mail or a
written note, thank his/her photographers for all their hard work, and, if they are
developing the film instead of the photography chairperson, remind them of the
deadline date and national office address, and arrange for receipts turn-in. The chair
can consult the Conference chair on how best to do this.
CREDITS
Photographers whose pictures are used one by one in print will be credited for each
separately. The Web site picture pages will list all of the photographers whose work is
posted, but will not credit specific pictures.
2/06
PHOTOGRAPHY COMMITTEE 2008
Hello Conference Photography Volunteer,
Thank you for being willing to do this task. The team is
Please read the information below and let's meet early in the weekend—maybe just
after the opening program—to set the strategy for the weekend.
The photographs you share with CMN will be used for:
¢ Acollage in the Winter/Spring issue of Pass /t On!
¢ A picture page on the Web site
¢ Publicity pieces, future issues of Pass /t On!, and other unpredictable future needs
The purpose is not to document the conference, so more shots are not necessarily better than
a few well-chosen ones. There is no need to scramble to get shots of every activity during the
weekend or everyone in the round robin. Enjoy yourself—you're not on duty all the time.
Variety is good. Examples of possibilities:
¢ Magic Penny program
¢ Magic Penny award (This is the one exception to "documenting." We want pictures of the
outside of it and the inside (or back and front), and any special features, especially any
writing.)
Workshop scenes
Jamming scenes
The community meeting
People in informal groups
Children
People of various ages
Interesting round robin moments
Speaking of the round robin, try to take a minimum number of shots straight from the front
with a microphone in front of the person’s face. Given the stage setup and the nature of the
programs, it is not always easy to vary the shots, but many of the mike-in-the-face shots, though
okay for memories, are not so interesting for publication. Just do the best you can without being
prominent yourself or interfering with watchers' lines of vision for more than brief moments.
The magic shot we're always hoping for is the one that captures the spirit of CMN in one
picture. The closest we've come is the dancing circle caught by Dennis Ronberg in Petaluma
several years ago (and used in our brochure). It would be great to have another.
Please follow up and try to get your photos to the CMN office by early November. The Pass
/t On! deadline and the regular Web site update are only weeks after the conference. Please,
please, please do not do any editing at all on any of the digital pictures you send—not even
fixing red eye. This interferes with the quality we're able to get in our publications; sometimes it
makes the shots unusable. Any editing needed will be done by our graphic designer to suit the
specific publication and page slot specs.
We have a small budget for expenses such as postage (or buying and developing, if you're
using film). Please talk with me at the gathering (especially about film) or immediately afterward
about your needs.
Credits: Any time your photo is published alone, you will be credited. If it is used as part of a
collage, you will be listed along with others represented, but individual photos won't be
identified.
Thanks again for doing this. Your work will be added to the archival treasure of CMN memories
and history.
PHOTOGRAPHY COMMITTEE 2009
Hello Conference Photography Volunteer,
Thank you for being willing to do this task. Please read the information below and let's be in
touch during the weekend to see how you're doing.
The photographs you share with CMN will be used for:
¢ Acollage in the Winter/Spring issue of Pass /t On!
¢ A picture page on the Web site
¢ Publicity pieces, future issues of Pass /t On!, and other unpredictable future needs
The purpose is not to document the conference, so more shots are not necessarily better than
a few well-chosen or serendipitous ones. There is no need to scramble to get shots of every
activity during the weekend or everyone in the round robin. Enjoy yourself—you're not on duty
all the time.
Variety is good. Examples of possibilities:
¢ Magic Penny program
¢ Magic Penny Award (This is the one exception to documenting. We want pictures of the
outside of it and the inside (or back and front), and any special features, especially any
writing.)
Workshop scenes
Jamming scenes
The community meeting
People in informal groups
Children
People of various ages
Interesting round robin moments
Speaking of the round robin, try to take a minimum number of shots straight from the front
with a microphone in front of the person’s face. Given the stage setup and the nature of the
programs, it is not always easy to vary the shots, but many of the mike-in-the-face shots, though
okay for memories, are not so interesting for publication. Just do the best you can without being
prominent yourself or interfering with watchers' lines of vision for more than brief moments.
The magic shot we're always hoping for is the one that captures the spirit of CMN in one
picture. The closest we've come is the dancing circle caught by Dennis Ronberg in Petaluma
several years ago (and used in our brochure). It would be great to have another.
Please follow up and try to get your photos to the CMN office by early November. The Pass
It On! deadline and the regular Web site update are only weeks after the conference. Please,
please, please do not do any editing at all on any of the digital pictures you send—not
even fixing red eye. This interferes with the quality we’re able to get in our publications;
sometimes it makes the shots unusable. Any editing needed will be done by our graphic
designer to suit the specific publication and page slot specs.
We have a small budget for expenses such as postage (or buying and developing, if you're
using film). Please talk with me at the gathering (especially about film) or immediately afterward
about your needs.
Credits: Any time your photo is published alone, you will be credited. If it is used as part of a
collage, you will be listed along with others represented, but individual photos won't be
identified.
Thanks again for doing this. Your work will be added to the archival treasure of CMN memories
and history.
PHOTOGRAPHY CREW 2010
Thank you for being willing to do this task. Please read the information below and let's
be in touch during the weekend to see how you're doing.
The photographs you share with CMN will be in the pool to be used for...
¢ Acollage in the Winter/Spring issue of Pass /t On!
¢ A picture page on the Web site
...and will become part of the CMN photograph archives to potentially be used for:
e Publicity pieces
e Future issues of Pass It On!
¢ Other unpredictable future needs
The purpose is not to document the conference, so more shots are not necessarily
better than a few well-chosen or serendipitous ones. There is no need to scramble to get
shots of every activity during the weekend or everyone in the round robin. Enjoy
yourself—you're not on duty all the time.
Variety is good. Examples of possibilities:
e¢ Magic Penny program, including the moment of the award presentation
e¢ Magic Penny Award (This is the one exception to documenting. We want pictures of
the outside of it and the inside—or back and front—and any special features,
especially any writing.)
Workshop scenes
Jamming scenes
The community meeting
People in informal groups
Children
People of various ages
Interesting round robin moments
Mealtimes
The sales area
Speaking of the round robin, try to take a minimum number of shots straight from the
front with a microphone in front of the person’s face. Given the stage setup and the
nature of the programs, it is not always easy to vary the shots, but many of the mike-in-
the-face shots, though okay for memories, are not so interesting for publication. Just do
the best you can without being prominent yourself or interfering with watchers’ lines of
vision for more than brief moments.
The magic shot we're always hoping for is the one that captures the spirit of CMN in
one picture. The closest we've come is the dancing circle caught by Dennis Ronberg in
Petaluma several years ago (and used in our brochure). It would be great to have
another.
Please follow up and try to get your photos to the CMN office by the first week in
November. The Pass /t On! deadline and the regular Web site update are only weeks
after the conference. Please, please, please do not do any editing at all on digital
pictures you send—not even fixing red eye. This can interfere with the quality we’re able
to get in our publications; sometimes it makes the shots unusable. Any editing needed
will be done by our graphic designer to suit the specific publication and page slot specs.
If you just can’t bear to send the raw version, then how about sending both—originals
and your touch-ups—in separate folders? A CD is the best vehicle and it can move
straight to the archive box after initial use. E-mail is cumbersome for more than a half-
dozen photos. Online photo parking places such as Flickr don’t work well for us, though
drop box-type sites might.
We have a small budget for expenses such as postage (or buying and developing, if
you're using film). Please talk with me at the gathering (especially about film) or
immediately afterward about your needs, before you've incurred a lot of expense.
Credits: Any time your photo is published alone, you will be credited. If it is used as
part of a collage, you will be listed along with others represented, but individual photos
won't be identified.
Thanks again for doing this. Your work will be part of the archival treasure of CMN
memories and history.
To consider for inclusion in the conference program book and on the conference page of
the Web site—
From the Ravinia site: Admission constitutes permission to photograph or record your
likeness for use in promotional materials.
Policy on Children at the National Gathering
As published in the Fall 2004 Pass It On!
Should you bring your children to the gathering? Every year this question
comes up—usually from people who have not yet attended. Yet, perhaps
since over the years the child contingent has varied from very few to sizable
troops, some more seasoned attenders and planners are not sure, either.
The long-standing guide, recently affirmed by the CMN board of directors, is:
We are a network of mostly adults. Most have children in their lives a lot.
The gathering weekend is to equip them for their work with children.
Although we truly value the participation of children, try to keep gathering
costs for children as low as possible, and want the gathering to be child- and
family-friendly, we are not trying to draw children and don’t want to market
to children. Parents should view this as a weekend “with” their children, not
“for” the children. We want children to enjoy the gathering, but they will not
be a focus for its activities.
PRODUCT SALES
From the POlicies/Procedures document—
CONFERENCE/GATHERING: SALES
(1) [Long-standing rule, affirmed by Exec. Committee e-mail 9/03;
Board Minutes 5/04, VI-A]
Anyone attending the gathering, not just CMN members, may sell their
(appropriate) products in the sales area, following the stated rules.
(2) [Long-standing rule, affirmed by Exec. Committee by e-mail 10/03;
Board Minutes 5/04, VI-A]
Only persons registered for and in attendance at the gathering may
offer products at the sales tables. (Occasionally a member who is not
attending arranges unofficially with another member to act as their
surrogate—tending the supply, closing out, and serving an extra
volunteer shift. That does not invalidate the policy, and would not be
tolerated for non-members.)
(3) [Basic policy: Board Minutes 1/97; Board Minutes 5/04, VI-A.
Amended: Board Minutes 2/06, VIII-D; Board Minutes 5/09, VII-A-a5]
No individual may sell products at their workshop or presentation. No
one may have an individual sales table, except that for a keynoter,
Magic Penny honoree, or other special presenter so designated by the
Board of Directors, the conference chair will provide a separate sales
table or equivalent space at no charge for the day of the person’s
presentation. [End]
NON-ATTENDER PARTICIPATION POLICY
A) The operational policy is that anyone attending the gathering may
sell their (appropriate) products in the sales area, following the stated
rules.
In 2003, the organizing committee wanted to limit access to CMN
members. The board approved this 6/03 just for this year.
B) The tradition has been that only people attending may sell. If they
get someone to handle their products as they would themselves, and
serve the extra works shift, then OK—this wouldn’t be many.
This was confirmed by Exec. Comm. e-mailing 9/03.
Unfortunately, no one told Ronbergs of the policy and they accepted
products from non-attenders. This was not discovered until 10/1/03, so
the Ex. Comm. said to let it go that year without trying to rectify.
LOCAL PUBLICITY BASICS: TYPES
When someone hasn't done this work before, it can look like a dense bundle of fuzzy
yarn, and it can help to have the strands picked apart.
An important thing that distinguishes announcement-type submissions (press releases,
PSAs) from advertising is guaranteed publication vs. not guaranteed. The press release
(announcement) rarely gets used in its original form, but is a starting place for a staff
writer. Press releases will, one hopes, get the attention of a writer of local features who
will include it in a here's-what's-going-on-in-our-community section. It's free, but it's far
from guaranteed. One advantage to this type is that they're more likely to be read than
ads are. Also, being written about by someone else seems to carry more (or at least
different) authority than what an organization says about itself (as in an ad).
Advertising is submitted as a graphic that will be reproduced as sent in, probably in the
same section as the above feature would be. For this—for being sure that it will appear,
what will appear, and in what form it will appear—the submitter, of course, pays a fee.
A third avenue is newspaper, radio, and TV local event calendars, which are usually
free. These may be the easiest to prepare and to achieve. Use PSAs for radio/TV. Print
ones are often very, very brief—name, date, place, contact--and often look something
like classified ads, but are in the activities or entertainment section of the paper, not the
classified section.
Sometimes papers' or stations' Web sites tell what and how to submit and to whom. Half
an hour in the periodicals room of the library could give you a look at a bunch of papers
so you could see what sections have such materials. They'd probably show where to
send submissions. Or, it might be more time-efficient to call each paper or station to ask
what approach would be best—press release, PSA, feature-style write-up, calendar entry.
It’s good to have people put out flyers. Usually at the facility where you'll meet.
Bookstores local to the site? Nearby health food stores or libraries have bulletin boards
where you cold post? Teacher centers or local schools?
Starting a list of publications and their contact people, etc., to send to the CMN office
would also be useful for future organizers if you think there might be national or regional
events in the area again.
PUBLICITY TASKS FOR NATIONAL CONFERENCE/GATHERING
Assumes a mid-October conference; adjust task dates if earlier
TASK / ITEM TIME NOTES
Additional information by item
# below
1.| Flyer As soon as possible (1) Usually put together
after Magic Penny by P/O! graphic designer
recipient is identified, | from text and art
but (latest) for furnished by committee,
inclusion as a page in | but she could do the art,
winter/spring Pass It too
On!; deadline c.11/30 | (2) Must be approved
by Executive Committee
before published, so
allow time to circulate &
revise
(3) Ask CMN office for
flyer content and format
guide
2. | Short Deadline c.11/30 Optional—may be
announcement, redundant if have flyer
description for
winter/spring PIO!
3. | Short ASAP Can use same one as in
announcement, PIO! Can also post the
description for Web flyer on the Web site
site (Also see #5.)
4. | Outreach letter to Spring Many school newsletters
local area educators close up shop for the
& child care summer, so need to get
professionals our info in spring issues
5. | Obtain bio, ASAP Get directly from the
publicity materials, individuals or enlist
photos, & CDs of Magic Penny Committee
Magic Penny
recipient & keynoter
for use in publicity
6. | Put together list of Early summer It’s good to send this list
local & regional to the CMN office to file
newspapers, for future reference.
magazines, &
selected
publications for
press mailing
7. | Develop press Mailing spring, Send to list in #6.
packet for summer; followups in
newspapers, radio, early Sept.
organizations
8. | Lift or adapt Magic As ready
Penny info from
Web site for the
press packet
Conference Publicity Tasks, p. 2
9. | a) E-mail a) Late winter, early Optional
announcement to spring
organizations &
publications around
country
b) Followup mailing b) Summer
10! Post flyers locally Early to mid-summer | Examples: arts venues
& learning centers,
libraries, food stores,
teacher colleges, music
stores
11] Develop list of 6-8 weeks before the
children’s radio & conference
TV shows; send press
packets & CDs (if any)
of Magic Penny
recipient
12| Arrange radio & TV | 3-4 weeks before the | When contacting MP
interviews with CMN | conference (If this is | person for materials,
leaders (usually board | to generate attend- ask if they might be
members), Magic ance, we need to available for (maybe
Penny recipient have the registrations | telephone) interviews
by a couple of weeks | later on
before the
conference, latest; we
plan for some walk-
ins, but large numbers
of walk-ins are
problematic.)
13] Obtain a list of state | Earlier is better
teacher centers &
area school
districts; arrange to
have the press release
sent via e-mail to the
centers around the
state, and to have it
included in the
calendars. Do
outreach in the school
districts in the local
area.
14] Identify child care Any child care center
professionals to
receive publicity
materials
CMN members in the
area or region who
could help with the list?
(Cont.)
Conference Publicity Tasks, p. 3
(1) FLYER
e See a separate guide sheet for desired layout and content features. Get a
copy of the draft flyer to the national office when ready and the national
coordinator will circulate it to the Executive Committee for feedback, and
then will facilitate the finalizing process.
(2) PASS IT ON! BLURB
¢ Consult with the editor and the national office, especially about when they
can expect materials.
(3) WEB SITE
¢ Consult with the national office and the Web site manager (Jack MacSwan)
about posting the announcement. Updates are done around the middle of
each month.
(4) EDUCATORS / CHILD CARE PROFESSIONALS
¢ Regional CMN members in these fields may help put together the contact
list.
e (Also see lists from previous years for ideas.)
(6) PRESS LIST
Sources for developing the list:
¢ Contact CMN members in the area requesting that they send their media
lists
Organizational addresses; list on file in CMN office
Research on the Web
Research through local chambers of commerce
Phone networking
(7) PRESS PACKET
Items to include:
¢ Public Service Announcement
¢ Conference Flyer
¢ CMN Brochure
e Magic Penny Recipient Biography
e¢ Magic Penny Recipient Discography, if applicable
e Magic Penny Recipient Photo
(8) RADIO LIST
Source: Kids Music Planet Radio Index (www.kidsmusicplanet.com)
MISCELLANEOUS
v Keep in touch with the conference chair and the national office at every
stage of the work to get help with resources and to coordinate with the
overall planning.
(Cont.)
Conference Publicity Tasks, p.4
v Although we welcome children, try to make the conferences child- and
family-friendly, keep children’s fees as low as possible, and try to include
some workshops and other activities children can participate in, the
gatherings don’t focus on children but are organized for adults with
children in their lives, and we don’t intend to market specifically for
children.
In press outreach, look for inclusion in calendars, spotlight or best pick
events listings, photo with a caption, feature interviews and stories.
Possible hooks identified as: CMN as an organization and what it's all
about; Magic Penny Award recipient and their work; the unique nature of
our gatherings; the alternative scene of children's music and what it has
to offer as compared to what the commercial mainstream record industry
puts out; the scope and changes in children's music that our MP person
represents; transformative power of music in children's lives and learning;
what kids listen to, messages communicated in music to children.
v Try to finish publicity tasks 3-4 weeks before the conference: while we
want as many registrations as possible, a big rush in the last 2 weeks or
less is quite a strain on our 1-person staff.
SingOut! magazine publishes a festival listing. The national office
receives the invitation from SO/ and automatically sends in the info. (But
it doesn't hurt to check with the office to confirm that it has been done.)
v The national office can furnish you with letterhead paper and electronic
versions of the logo in greyscale or color.
OTHER PUBLICITY IDEAS
Area teacher calendars & spring newsletters.
Many teacher newsletters don’t publish in the summer & their fall issues
may be too late (find out when distributed).
Area CMN members may be doing non-CMN events at which they can
publicize the conference, having conference flyers to distribute. If they
are doing a mailing, they may be willing to include a conference flyer in it.
Ask the Magic Penny recipient (and keynoter, if any) if you can send them
50 or so conference flyers and a couple of press packets to give out at
their appearances during the summer.
Note: This is a note that can be sent to the Executive Committee along with the
proposed budget and fee schedule to help them understand what is wanted of
them.
BUDGET & PRICES, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE APPROVAL
Background for the task—
To begin at the beginning, it's a standing, written-down policy that the Executive
Committee must approve the gathering budget, prices, and flyer before we go
public with pre-registration materials.
Board meeting discussions over the last several years have repeatedly touched on
the need to make a bigger profit from the national gathering, since it's one of our
main sources of income. Over the last several years, the net has varied widely.
The draft budget, especially its larger-figure items, is based on a comparison of past
budgets with the actual income and expense figures plus assessment of the current
year's situation and plans. Several of them are fairly consistent year-to-year (except
postage, which always goes up). The smaller items have fluctuated a good deal.
The fee schedule is calculated to bring in the amount of fee income specified in the
budget, based on average attendance.
Each person can decide what aspects of this to look at. Some possible questions
are:
1. Do you see amounts in the budget that look questionable?
2. Do you notice any items missing from the budget that we may not have thought
of? 3. Based on the budget-net history, are we padding the fees enough?
4. Does the fee gradation from category to category look fair?
5. Is there any reason to make the fees higher? If we did, how would we explain it to
complainers?
Because walkins & most changes (except cancellations/no-shows) were not entered in computer after the gathering in earlier years, some figures
NATIONAL GATHERING REGISTRATION FLOW
are C. Presnell’s best estimates based on records.
PERIOD Before late 2-4 wks. bef. Last 2 wks. bef. Mon.-Wed. gath. wk. | Walkins
RECEIVED date gath. gath. (Includes (Inc. in period to left)
# forms inc period to right)
cancellations
1996 10/25-27|98 (47%) 54 (26%) 41 (20%) 33 (16%) 13 (6%)
(210 forms in (<9/15/96) [2-6 wks.] (>9/14/96 (>10/13/96..<10/25/96) (>10/20/96..<10/24/96)
comp.) ..<10/14/96) 84 entered after 9/20
1997 10/17-19 |39 (28%) 45 (33%) 48 (35%) 13 (9%) 6 (4%)
(138 forms in (<9/15/97) (>9/14/97..<10/6/97) (>10/5/97..<10/17/97) (>10/12/97..<10/16/97)
comp.)
1998 10/16-18 |50 (22%) 100 (43%) 52 (23%) 30 (13%) 29 (14%)
(231 forms in (<9/15/98) (>9/14/98..<10/3/98) (>10/2/98..<10/16/98) (>10/11/98..<10/15/98)
comp.)
1999 10/15-17| 109 (53%) 33 (16%) 45 (22%) 19 (9%) 19 (9%)
(206 forms in (<9/15/99) (>9/15/99..<10/1/99) (>9/30/99..<10/15/99 *) (>10/10/99..<10/15/99)
comp.)
2000 10/13-15 | 113 (56%) 19 (9%) 43 (21%) 13 (6%) 28 (14%)
(203 forms in (<9/15/00 ®) (9/16/00..9/20/00 #) (9/30/00..10/11/00) (10/9/00..10/11/00)
comp.)
2001 10/12-14 | 83 (38%) 52 (24%) 53 (24%) 16 (7%) 30 (14%)
(208 forms in (76+7 schol.) (48+2 schol.) 50 + 3 schol.) (10/8/01..10/10/01)
comp.) (<9/15/01) (9/16/01..9/28/01) (9/29/01..10/10/01)
2002 10/18-20)89 (64%) 15 (11%) 24 (17%) 8 (6%) 12 (9%)
(140 forms in (83 + 3 schol.) @ | (9/20/02..10/4/02) (10/5/02..10/16/02) (10/14/02..10/16/02)
comp.) (<9/15/02)
2003 10/10-12 |54 (48%) § 12 (11%) 34 (30%) 25 (22%) 7 (6%)
(112 forms in (< 9/1/03) (9/19/03..9/25/03) (9/26/03..10/9/03) (10/6/03..10/8/03)
comp.)
2004 10/8-10 | 84 (54%) 20 (13%) 38 (25%) 13 (8%) 13 (8%)
(155 forms in (< 9/10/04; 1% (Recd. 9/10/04.. (9/25/04..10/7/04) (10/4/04..10/6/04)
comp.) ones entered 9/24/04; some at left
9/16-17/04) ent. in this period)
PERIOD Before late date | 2-4 wks. bef. gath. Last 2 wks. bef. gath. Mon.-Wed. gath. wk. (Inc. | Walkins
(Includes period to in period to left)
right >)
Cont.
Conference Registration Flow, cont.
PERIOD Before late date | 2-4 wks. bef. gath. Last 2 wks. bef. gath. Mon.-Wed. gath. wk. (Inc. | Walkins
(Includes period to in period to left)
right >)
2005 10/21-23 | 60 (63%) 3 (3%) 24 (25%) 8 (8%) 8 (8%)
(95 forms in (< 9/21/05; 1% (9/23/05..10/7/05; = (10/8/05..10/20/05) (10/17/05..10/20/05)
comp.) ones ent. 9/25) ent. 9/29-10/7)
2006 10/6-8 67 (57%) 19 (16%) 23 (20%) 5 (4%) 8 (7%)
(117 forms in (< 9/5/06; last (9/6/06..9/22/06; = ent. | (9/23/06..10/5/06) (10/2/06..10/4/06)
comp) early ent 9/8/06) 9/9/06-9/22/06)
2007 9/28-30 | 98 (59%) 20 (12%) 34 (21%) 6 (4%) 13 (8%)
(165 forms in (< 8/15/07; ent (8/31/07..9/14/07, = ent | (9/15/07..9/26/07) (9/24/07..9/26/07)
comp) start 9/3/07) 9/6-9/14 + 3)
2008 9/19-21 | 41 (41%) 43 (43%) 7 (1%) 4 (-1%) 6 (1%)
(101 forms in (< 8/8/08; 1st (8/22/08-9/5/08) (9/4/08-9/18/08) (9/15/08-9/17/08)
comp) ones ent. 6/12/08)
2009 10/9-11 | 90 (84%) ? ? ? 1 (-1%)
Registration (<7/1/09; 1st one
handled by M. recd. 5/6/09)
Hopper, conf. (19 reg. by
chair (107 ? 6/8/09)
records)
2010 10/8-10 | 55 (45%) 16 (13%) 10 (8%) 2 (1.6%) 4 (3%)
(122 records in (<8/2/10; 1st one | (9/10/10-9/23/10) (9/24/10-10/7/10) (10/4/10-10/6/10)
comp inc 3 recd. 6/21/10)
cancelled, 5 no (8 = Magic Penny-only)
show)
PERIOD Before late date | 2-4 wks. bef. gath. Last 2 wks. bef. gath. Mon.-Wed. gath. wk. (Inc. | Walkins
(Includes period to in period to left)
right >)
* = 10/3-13 in database
® = >9/25/00 in database (except for check dates 9/14 & later)
# = 9/25-29 in database By late date ’00-’07 38%-64%; average = 55%
@ First set entered starting 9/19/02 New in last 2 wks before '00-’07 17%-30%; average =
§ First set entered 9/18/03 23%
? Information not available: registration not done by CMN office New during 2-4 wks before '04-’08 3%-43%; average
= 17.4%
By 2 wks before '96-’05 = 61% -73 %
By 2 wks before '00-’07 59%-81%; average = 68.5%
This = Attachment #3 to 2/01 minutes
CHANGES IN POLICY FOR NATIONAL GATHERING REGISTRATION
As approved 2/01
PROBLEM:
Inefficient flow of the pre-registration process, creating an increasingly stressful
situation and huge work load for Caroline as the date approaches. As a result,
it is difficult to get end-stage materials to the local committee in a timely
manner and to put together needed numbers, not to mention finding time for
personal preparations for a trip.
From 1996 to 2000, the highest percentage of pre-registrations received by the
late fee date was 56%, as many as 35% coming in during the last 2 weeks, and
6-16% (n = 13-33) in the last 3 days. Generally, the later the connection, the
more office time consumed per registration.
PROPOSED CHANGES
In publicity, emphasize that pre-registration is required to guarantee meals and
housing.
Do not accept registrations postmarked after 10 days before the gathering.
Advise callers and e-mailers after that that they should register on-site.
In the last 10 days, fax to inquirers only the price list, directions to the site, and
beginning and ending times—not a full schedule.
Increase the incentive to register earlier by setting these fee increments:
(1) Before Sept. 15, the lowest fee, advertised as an “earlybird discount”
(2) Between Sept. 15 and 10 days before the gathering, add 15-20%,
advertised as the basic fee
(3) After 10 days before the gathering, the basic fee per #2 above plus a late
fee of $30 per adult (none for children).
Do not accept scholarship applications after 2 weeks before the gathering.
Minimize the number of time-period options; offer only the following categories
and enforce rather strictly:
Weekend with housing
Weekend commuter
One day (either Sat. or Sun. same price)
Anyone wanting more than one day but short of the full weekend still pays the
full weekend price, even if it’s only one day and one night.
Caroline’s Hours for National Gathering per Calendar Year1995
Mar.-Dec. only19961997199819992000121.5126.2182.8215.2219.9226.3
CONFERENCE/GATHERING REGISTRATION
Whoever manages the registration database will be responsible for furnishing lists
for housing types, bed counts, child care, meal counts, and many other aspects.
Steps in Pre-registration, Received by Mail
1) Check whether registrant is a current member
2) Make any corrections needed on form (e.g., arithmetic, wrong categories)
If the person is applying for a scholarship, go through the scholarship process
(below and in other documents) before proceding
3) Enter all data in registration database for each family and person. Keep track of
number of vegetarians and other special diet needs. (With appropriate set-up,
contact information can be imported from the Filemaker member database to
the Filemaker registration database with a few keystrokes.)
4) Enter the payment on the office/bookkeeper’s check list or the PayPal
transactions list
5) If donating to Conf. Schol. Fund, record donation in computer
6) If volunteering, enter the info in computer files & inform appropriate committee
chair
7) Prepare envelope for confirmation (for initial mailing to early registrants, this
can be done in batch with computer-printed labels; after that, must be done one
envelope at a time)
8) Prepare individual’s confirmation sheet
9) Collect other pieces of confirmation packet and send with confirmation sheet
10) Date and file registration form
If scholarship applicant:
Before doing the above:
1) Distribute copies of the scholarship application to all members of the
Scholarship Committee along with the information on the fee and proposed
amount of payment. (Scan and e-mail?)
2) File separately to await committee action
3) Later, inform applicant of committee’s decision
4) Record information in computer scholarship file
ROUND-ROBIN
Facilitator/Emcee
Since the RR is a prominent and cherished part of every conference and its tradition, and
is an opportunity for conference attenders to experience the CMN ethic lived out, care is
taken to have someone organizing it who has the CMN background to facilitate so as to
encourage the spirit attenders expect. Conference chairs should check with their board
liaison on whom to invite as facilitator.
Procedures and Information Handouts
The board has set explicit procedures and rules for the RR. These are reflected in the
information handout in the attendee packets. The procedural content and wording of
this piece should not be edited by conference organizers except to change times, dates,
and such per the current year, but the format (fonts, graphics) can be varied. So get last
year’s handouts from the CMN office to work from. The submission form will need
updating most years. Consult with the RR facilitator on details such as deadlines and
location of the form receptacle.
Follow-up
Immediately after the RR, the CMN office administrator should take charge of the round-
robin wall lists, submission slips, and any other paperwork to hold until a list typist is
secured. If those items get left, the conference chairs should send them to the office.
WORDS OF EXPERIENCE RE SELLER CHECK-OUT TIMES TO PUT IN THE
SCHEDULE
from dialogue with Anna Stange, slightly edited, 2010
Question: What is the best scheduling for seller checkout to give adequate time to get
it done and not have sellers or sales staff miss the closing?
Asker: It seems that the pattern has been to start close-out when lunch starts and
state the end deadline as the same as the end of the closing circle. Is that OK?
Anna: Yup, that's okay, but unrealistic. Close-out doesn't actually end at the end of the
closing circle. And setting it end at the end of the closing circle means that very likely,
the sales person will be doing close-outs during the closing circle.
Asker 1: So that's why you said a half hour after the scheduled end of the closing
circle?
Asker 2: What would you suggest as a option?
Anna: A deadline a half hour after, yes, if the sales staff is organized, and has the
ability to have more than one person “checking out” the sellers. It's okay to have just
one person “paying” the sellers, but best to have more than one person be able to check
out.
Realistic??!!_ NO! Many people check out Sunday morning before the closing circle
(even during breakfast, and that's okay, just be prepared for it). A few will want to
check out on Saturday night. A few will INSIST that they MUST check out DURING the
closing; I suggest a couple of tactful yet strongly worded announcements beforehand
that sellers need to check out before the closing circle. Then another bulk of people
will check out after the closing circle. A half hour might not be quite enough time, but
many people wait until the very last second or later to check out, and making the
deadliine later will only cause them to check out later.
I suggest for the people who wait until after the very last minute, that instead of
running around looking for them and repeatedly asking them to come check out that we
(sales team) tally up their sheets and have their payment all ready to go. And if they
don't like it, too bad. Unfortunately, they probably will like it, because they then got to
spend their time chit-chatting instead of checking out their products.
Phew!
THE CHILDREN’S MUSIC NETWORK
PO BOX 1341, EVANSTON, IL 60204 (847) 673-2243
for more information, contact:
[local name here, or conference chair info]
For Immediate Release
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
THE CHILDREN’S MUSIC NETWORK’S 13™ ANNUAL NATIONAL
CONFERENCE
A gathering for children's music
The Children’s Music Network will hold its thirteenth annual national conference,
“Finding our Voices and Celebrating our Cultural Roots,” the weekend of October 10-12,
2003, at the beautiful Omni Hotel in historic downtown Los Angeles, California. This
multigenerational event brings children and adults together to foster cooperation,
cultural diversity, self-esteem, and empowerment through music for and by young
people. The weekend is filled with fun and interesting workshops, song swaps, a sales
area and resource room, Friday and Saturday night round robin concerts, and much
more! Children’s music pioneer Suni Paz will be honored with CMN’s Magic Penny Award
for her lifetime contribution to the field of children's music. For more information,
contact The Children’s Music Network, P.O. Box 1341, Evanston, IL 60204; (847) 673-
2243, e-mail: office@cmnonline.org, Web site: www.cmnonline.org.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE CHILDREN'S MUSIC NETWORK
PO BOX 1341, EVANSTON, IL 60204 (847) 673-
2243
office@cmnonline.org
www.cmnonline.org
for more information, contact:
[local contact or conference chair info]
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
THE CHILDREN'S MUSIC NETWORK'S IOTH ANNUAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE
A gathering for children's music
The tenth annual Children's Music Network National Conference will be held
October 13th-15th, 2000, at Kutz Carnp in Warwick, New York. This gathering is one of
the best-kept secrets. in the world of music. This event is for anyone and everyone
involved with children and with music that fosters cooperation, cultural diversity, self-
esteem, and empowerment. The keynote speaker will be legendary folk singer and long-
time CMN member Pete Seeger. Children's music pioneer Marcia Berman will be
honored with CMN's Magic Penny Lifetime Achievement Award. For more information,
contact The Children's Music Network, P.O. Box 1341, Evanston, IL 60204; (847) 673-
2243; E-mail: office@cmnonline.org; Web site www.cmnonline.org.
THE CHILDREN’S MUSIC NETWORK
PO BOX 1341, EVANSTON, IL 60204 (847) 673-2243
email: office@cmnonline.org, Web site: www.cmnonline.org
for more information, contact:
Jacki Breger, jackibreger@earthlink.net
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE CHILDREN’S MUSIC NETWORK’S 13™ ANNUAL NATIONAL
CONFERENCE
The Children’s Music Network will hold its thirteenth annual national conference,
“Finding our Voices and Celebrating our Cultural Roots,” the weekend of October 10-
12, 2003, in Los Angeles, California. This multigenerational event brings children and
adults together to foster cooperation, cultural diversity, respect, self-esteem, and
empowerment through music for and by young people. Come to the beautiful Omni
Hotel in historic downtown Los Angeles, and join musicians, educators, radio
broadcasters, songwriters, performers, storytellers, children, parents and others
interested in children’s music. The Children’s Music Network’s National Conference
offers fun and interesting workshops, song swaps, a sales area and resource room, the
Friday and Saturday night round robin concerts, and much more! The weekend
overflows with rich opportunities for networking and learning for old and young alike.
Each year at this national gathering, the Children’s Music Network bestows the
Magic Penny Award on someone who has made an outstanding lifetime contribution
to children’s music. This year’s award will go to Suni Paz, a writer and singer of songs
in Spanish for children. Suni Paz has worked to help English language learners make
the transition from Spanish to English while retaining their native language and pride
in their native culture. Previous Magic Penny honorees include Malvina Reynolds, Ella
Jenkins, Marcia Berman, and Woody Guthrie.
The CMN National Conference is an event for anyone and everyone involved with
children and/or music. Tell your children’s librarian and all the music teachers you
know. Tell your friends. Immerse yourself in a weekend of empowering songs,
beautiful melodies, and spontaneous harmonies. Treat yourself to the rich sharing of
support, ideas, and songs with others who care about the quality and substance of
music for children. Come one, come all, for a weekend of celebration and music-making
you'll long remember.
For more information please contact The Children’s Music Network, P.O. Box
1341, Evanston, IL 60204; (847) 673-2243, e-mail: office@cmnonline.org, Web site:
http://www.cmnonline.org.
THE CHILDREN’S MUSIC NETWORK
PO BOX 1341, EVANSTON, IL 60204 (847) 673-2243
email. office@cmnonline.org, Web site: www.cmnonline.org
for more information, contact:
Jacki Breger, jackibreger@earthlink.net
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
THE CHILDREN’S MUSIC NETWORK’S 13™ ANNUAL NATIONAL
CONFERENCE
The Children’s Music Network will hold its thirteenth annual national
conference, “Finding our Voices and Celebrating our Cultural Roots,” the
weekend of October 10-12, 2003, at the beautiful Omni Hotel in historic
downtown Los Angeles, California. This multigenerational event brings
children and adults together to foster cooperation, cultural diversity, self-
esteem, and empowerment through music for and by young people. The
weekend is filled with fun and interesting workshops, song swaps, a sales
area and resource room, Friday and Saturday night round robin concerts,
and much more! Children’s music pioneer Suni Paz will be honored with
CMN’s Magic Penny Lifetime Achievement Award. For more information,
contact The Children’s Music Network, P.O. Box 1341, Evanston, IL 60204;
(847) 673-2243, e-mail: office@cmnonline.org, Web site:
www.cmnonline.org..
THE CHILDREN’S MUSIC NETWORK
PO BOX 1341, EVANSTON, IL 60204 (847) 673-2243
e-mail: office@cmnonline.org, Web site: www.cmnonline.org
for more information, contact:
Jenny Heitler-Klevans at jenny2kind@comcast.net
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE CHILDREN’S MUSIC NETWORK’S 14™ ANNUAL NATIONAL
CONFERENCE
A GATHERING FOR CHILDREN’S MUSIC
The Children’s Music Network (CMN) will hold its 2004 National
Conference, a Gathering for Children's Music, Columbus Day weekend (Oct.
8-10, 2004) in Elmer, New Jersey, at the Appel Farm Arts and Music Center.
This multigenerational event brings children and adults together to foster
cooperation, cultural diversity, respect for the environment, self-esteem,
and empowerment through music for and by young people. The conference
at Appel Farm, located forty-five minutes southeast of Philadelphia, will be
attended by musicians, educators, radio broadcasters, songwriters,
performers, storytellers, children, parents and others interested in
children’s music. The Children’s Music Network’s National Conference
offers fun and interesting workshops, song swaps, a sales area, Friday and
Saturday night round robin concerts, and much more! The weekend
overflows with rich opportunities for singing, networking and learning for
old and young alike.
Each year at the national conference, The Children’s Music Network
bestows the Magic Penny Award on someone who has made an
outstanding lifetime contribution to children’s music. CMN is thrilled to
announce that the 2004 Magic Penny Award will be given to Bob Blue, a
founding member of CMN and an exceptional teacher and songwriter. Bob
embodies the heart of CMN and has long used music—often integrated with
curriculum—to make life more fun and meaningful for children. The award
tribute will include special performances of his songs and a showing of the
award-winning video What Matters, which documents his work. Previous
Magic Penny awardees include Malvina Reynolds, Ella Jenkins, Marcia
Berman, Woody Guthrie, and Suni Paz.
Highlights of The CMN National Conference will include the
presentation of a musical by CMN member Andrea Green Feigenbaum. The
musical On the Other Side of the Fence will be performed by children from
Elmer Elementary School and CMN musicians. In addition, there will be
workshops and performances by well-known artists in children’s music
including Pete Seeger, Sally Rogers, Ruth Pelham, and local favorites
Two of a Kind, Jonathan Sprout, and David Perry.
For more information please contact The Children’s Music Network,
at P.O. Box 1341, Evanston, IL 60204; (847) 673-2243, or online at
office@cmnonline.org; Web site: www.cmnonline.org.
THE CHILDREN’S MUSIC NETWORK
PO BOX 1341, EVANSTON, IL 60204 (847) 673-2243
e-mail: office@cmnonline.org, Web site: www.cmnonline.org
for more information, contact:
Jenny Heitler-Klevans at jenny2kind@comcast
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
THE CHILDREN’S MUSIC NETWORK’S 14™ ANNUAL NATIONAL
CONFERENCE
A GATHERING FOR CHILDREN’S MUSIC
The Children’s Music Network (CMN) will hold its 2004 National
Conference, a Gathering for Children's Music, Columbus Day weekend (Oct.
8-10, 2004) in Elmer, New Jersey, at Appel Farm Arts and Music Center.
This multigenerational event brings children and adults together to foster
cooperation, cultural diversity, self-esteem, and empowerment through
music for and by young people. The weekend is filled with fun and
interesting workshops, song swaps, a Sales area, Friday and Saturday night
round robin concerts, and much more! Folk legend Pete Seeger will
present a workshop on song leading, and Children’s music pioneer Bob Blue
will be honored with CMN’s Magic Penny Lifetime Achievement Award. For
more information, contact The Children’s Music Network, P.O. Box 1341,
Evanston, IL 60204; (847) 673-2243, e-mail: office@cmnonline.org, Web
site: www.cmnonline.org.
THE CHILDREN’S MUSIC NETWORK
P.O. Box 1341 + Evanston, Illinois 60204-1341
847/673-2243 (voice & fax)
officeecmnonline.org
www.cmnonline.org
COOPERATION, CULTURAL DIVERSITY, SELF-ESTEEM, & EMPOWERMENT THROUGH MUSIC
THE CHILDREN’S MUSIC NETWORK’S 20" ANNUAL
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
A Gathering For Children’s Music
Mark your calendars for the Children’s Music Network
National Conference at The Presentation Center in Los Gatos,
California, the weekend of October 8-10 2010.
This multi-generational event attracts people from all over
North America, who come together to foster cooperation, cultural
diversity, self-esteem, and empowerment through music for young
people. Come and join musicians, songwriters, performers, educators,
recreation leaders, choral directors, puppeteers, parents and kids who
are involved in singing, teaching, recording, promoting, distributing,
and enjoying children’s music.
The keynote speaker will be singer, songwriter, educator and
humorist Peter Alsop. Ruthie Buell, better known as “Uncle Ruthie,”
songwriter, radio host and special education innovator, will be
honored with a musical tribute and the Magic Penny Award. Saturday
night will feature the traditional round-robin concert. The weekend
offers workshops on musical skills, teaching tips, performance
polishing and song swaps, and always, everywhere, spontaneous
outbursts of heartfelt, irresistible singing.
Participants can arrange to receive one unit of Early Childhood
Education (ECE) academic credit as well as Professional Growth and
Continuing Education credits. Free childcare as well as many kid-
friendly workshops make this gathering is an especially wonderful
place to bring children of any age.
Limited need-based scholarships are available. For more
information about Conference activities and the lovely
accommodations of the Presentation Center, please visit
http://www/cmnonline.org/Conference/2010Conference.htm. or
contact the Children’s Music Network, P.O. Box 1341, Evanston, IL
60204; (847) 673-2243, office@cmnonline.org .
THE CHILDREN’S MUSIC NETWORK
P.O. Box 1341 + Evanston, Illinois 60204-1341
847/673-2243 (voice & fax)
officeecmnonline.org
www.cmnonline.org
COOPERATION, CULTURAL DIVERSITY, SELF-ESTEEM, & EMPOWERMENT THROUGH MUSIC
THE CHILDREN’S MUSIC NETWORK’S 20" ANNUAL NATIONAL
CONFERENCE
A Gathering For Children’s Music
Mark your calendars for the Children’s Music Network
National Conference, October 8-10, 2010, at the Presentation Center,
Los Gatos, California.
Join us as teachers, caregivers, and their families meet with other
educators, musicians, songwriters, performers, and recording artists who
are involved in singing, teaching, researching, sharing and enjoying
children’s music. This multi-generational event is open to all and attracts
people from all over North America who come together to foster
cooperation, cultural diversity, self-esteem, and empowerment through
music for young people.
Participants can arrange to receive one unit of Early Childhood
Education (ECE) credit through California State University East Bay.
Professional Growth and Continuing Education credits are also available
for early childhood professionals and teachers.
The keynote speaker will be the renowned singer, songwriter,
educator and humorist Peter Alsop. The Magic Penny Award will be
given with a musical tribute to songwriter, radio host, and special
education innovator Ruthie Buell, better known as “Uncle Ruthie.” A full
schedule of workshops invites participants to learn musical skills, share
teaching tips, and exchange songs, old and new, that bring joy to
children, families and teachers. Child care is provided, and many child-
friendly workshops make this gathering an especially wonderful place to
bring children of any age.
The cost of the weekend includes all workshops, concerts and
meals. There are a number of plans that allow reduced rates for part
time participation. Some scholarships are available. You can learn more
about the lovely accommodations of the Presentation Center and all the
conference details at
http://www.cmnonline.org/Conference/2010Conference.htm.
If you'd like to know more, contact Caroline Presnell at the
Children’s Music Network, P.O. Box 1341, Evanston, IL 60204; (847)673-
2243 , Email: office@cmnonline.org.
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
There is a general format in place for the weekend. The chairs’ challenge will be to fit in
all of the pieces to work smoothly with each other. Get past-years schedules from the
CMN office as examples.
THESE SEGMENTS ARE SET:
Friday
Registration check-in (traditionally at 4:00)
Newcomers circle (before dinner)
Dinner
Welcome/opening program, community building
Short session of the round-robin
Saturday
Three meals
Region at-table meetings TBA for breakfast and lunch (Consult with the board
regions coordinator.)
At least two workshop sessions
The CMN annual organization/members meeting (time requirement set by board)
Evening round robin
Sunday
Two meals
At least one workshop session
Magic Penny Award (1.5/hrs, with no other activity in the hall at least 15 minutes
before, half hour better, for set-up)
Closing circle (usually ends at 2:30 to give travellers time to catch planes)
TO WORK IN:
Keynote (probably on Saturday afternoon; consult with KN Committee)
Sales table check-in time
Sales table check-out time
OTHER POSSIBLE ADDITIONS:
Free time
A fourth workshop session
Celebration of life for a member who has died since the last conference (Consult
the
conference board liaison.)
Other special presentation
Late Friday community activity such as dancing or bonfire
The schedule for the program book often shows the times when sales tables are open.
Although the schedule doesn’t require approval by the Executive Committee, it doesn’t
hurt to run the draft by them to help spot any potential bottlenecks or conflicts.
Note: Unofficial meetings of member-organized groups are not considered part of the
official program and should not be put on the schedule. See the policy guide for non-
CMN groups meeting at the conference on how to handle these.
CMN NATIONAL CONFERENCE (GATHERING) SCHOLARSHIPS
Policy & Procedure
As amended by the board 9/10/07
INTRODUCTION
The Children’s Music Network works to promote inclusion of people who are
enthusiastic about the mission of CMN and who bring diversity in ideas,
experience, and other contributions to the organization. To help accomplish
this goal, CMN has established a Scholarship Fund.
Each year the Scholarship Committee will consist of two members and the
gathering chairperson. The expectation is that the committee will fine-tune
the final selection criteria and recruit and approve recipients.
1) Funding sources
. Donations sent in with gathering registrations the previous year
(per board 2/00).
. Any leftover $ from last year’s fund.
. An amount set aside by the board from CMN general funds
(Amount, if any, varies from year to year. This will not be done
unless the conference chair makes a request, preferably before
the spring board meeting.)
2) What amount awarded?
. TBA by the committee. Usually 3/4 of the stated registration fee;
not for transportation.
3) Who?
Criteria set by the board:
a) Financial need (The committee has no responsibility for
verifying need unless some evidence indicates they should.)
b) Will enhance CMN diversity
c) Can contribute to CMN, in general
** a is required. Individuals, no matter how low their income, should
be asked to pay something—in advance—even $10.
** The person should also meet b or c.
(cont.)
Scholarship Guidelines (cont.
RELATED MATTERS:
1)
2)
3)
Family scholarships
If the scholarship committee wants to integrate families into the
scholarship system, the board will leave it to them to decide how. In
some years this is addressed by giving a family discount on the
registration form.
CMN membership scholarships
Money is available for these. This is not to encourage giving any one
individual or family a large amount of assistance, but just to let you
know it is there in case it should become an issue in a particular case.
The CMN national coordinator administers these.
Not covered
Child care, transportation, lunches for special presenters, and the like
are conference expenses and are not to be paid from scholarship
funds.
Because of CMN’s financial situation, we cannot afford to offer work
scholarships; since we have to pay site costs for everyone attending,
fees for these people would come out of our profit, which is not
acceptable at this time.
9/07
Scholarship Policies
The board at its 2/00 meeting changed the fund basis so that starting
with the 2000 gathering, contributions that come in for the fund will be
applied to the next year's scholarships, not the current year's. This
allows the Scholarship Committee to know at the beginning of their
award assignments how much they will have to work with.
In 2000, gave some scholarship $ for personal care aide. Probable
amendment to policy 2/00 re personal care aides or child care aides
who attend with registrants.
2007 changed policy to eliminate requirement for first time attenders
& changed to self-defined need from asking for a description of the
need circumstances.
Note 8/10 from CP to the Scholarship Committee, a member of which
was questioning the policy—
Historically, as you no doubt remember well, scholarship help was
available only to members or non-members who had never attended a
conference before. That meant that no one could get help more than
once. The purpose of the fund was to increase CMN's diversity,
including diversity of talents brought, and to encourage members to
get involved. Prompted by repeated pleas over several years from
Ingrid Noyes (always an advocate for the financially challenged), and
finally a direct proposal from her, in 2007 the board went through a big
discussion of the policy and changed it to the present version.
Some of the factors that led to the rather open policy:
1. We've had instances when longtime, active members couldn't
afford to attend even in their home region, because their income was
low over time, not just that year. We’ve also had board members who
needed help. (For some years we had a board travel fund that
boardies could tap, but when we went to only one in-person meeting a
year, that was eliminated. The donated funds were about gone
anyway.) Allowing repeat awards corresponds to the policy for
membership scholarships; that is, a person can request one as many
times as needed. The difference is that we always have more money
in the member fund than we use, but sometimes we run close on the
gathering fund.
2. A few times we've had to give an award that was smaller than
requested, but there has never been a time in my tenure when that
person was unable to attend. They always found the rest of the
money. That means that our fund has always proven adequate.
3. The board decided to trust individuals' assessment of need rather
than asking for a description of it. The act of applying indicates that
the applicants believe they have need.
The understanding with this new policy was that if funds run short and
decisions have to be made among several applicants, the committee
will weigh things like how many awards the person has had before, to
what extent they're likely to acquire learnings they can apply, how
much their presence and gifts are likely to contribute to the gathering.
The board merely moved those considerations from stated policy
requirements to committee discretion. That's why we still have a
committee rather than having the national coordinator just hand out
awards as the apps come in.
| hope this helps to explain what's behind the policy and and give you
background for thinking about whether it's the one we should have or
should be changed in some way.
Caroline
LISTING IN THE SING OUT! MAGAZINE'S FESTIVAL LISTINGS
This is free. Try to submit it in May or June if possible.
URL for form: https://www.singout.org/secure/festform.html
You will fill in (very minimal) information about the conference and give contact
information. One of the blanks is to say what workshops there will be. Here’s what we
have often put in:
Wide range of topics & techniques for working with all ages
You can submit the form online or print it to fax or mail.
Ordinarily the CMN national coordinator does this automatically, but it’s good to check.
POSSIBLE GATHERING SITES
Material from JT paper file
(97-98)
Kutz Camp
Warwick, NY
914/987-6300
kutzcamp@warwick.net
1993 & 2000 national gatherings
here
(year?)
Kinder Ring Camp
Hopewell Junction, NY
800/551-1553
914/221-9564
Companion: Circle Lodge
www.circle.org
(Qewish) On Sylvan Lake
Close to Taconic/Sylvan Lake exit
Nancy Silber ref?
(1998)
Graymoor Christian Unity Center
PO Box 300
Garrison, NY 10524-0300
914/424-3671 x3515
(Catholic)
Hudson Valley, 400 acres
Conference housing for 120 max
Dining room for 200-300
Conference rooms
Nearby Metro North station in
Garrison
2010 Graymoor Spiritual Life Ctr:
Web site says avail for mtgs but
gives no info for them, only own
programs
(1994)
Appel Farm Arts & Music Center
PO Box 888
Elmer, NJ 08319-0888
609/358-2472
2004 gathering here
Capacity 130 Oct-Apr/220 Aug,
Sep, May, June (in '94)
Large mtg rm
300 seat theatre
260 seat din hall
Sports facilities
Lake Ossipee Conference Center
Freedom, NH
1995 national gathering here; also
2002
From the board minutes 10/06, VI-B-b1:
[Re site choice.] What was verbalized informally but not put into policy
is a desire for good heating and plumbing, accessible bathrooms, and
comfortable beds at a price no higher than in 2003 and 2005,
preferably lower. That is, balance comfort and cost. The issue of
urban vs. rural is a secondary concern.
The Children’s Music Network
Questions about a possible site for our national
gathering
HOUSING
1) What is the total sleeping capacity of your site?
2) Please break down the above # by types of rooms (e.g., dorm style,
semi-private and indicate which rooms are heated.
3) Do you have handicapped-accessible lodgings?
4) Is camping acceptable and is set-aside space available?
5) Do you provide bed linens, towels, pillows, and blankets?
Is there an extra cost?
FOOD AND DINING
1) How many people can your main dining room hold?
2) Can light snacks/beverages be made available during the day (e.g.,
juice, coffee, granola bars, fruit)?
3) Are you accustomed to providing a menu that will satisfy both
vegetarians and meat eaters?
4) Is the dining room handicapped accessible?
5) If necessary, could you provide a simple PA set-up for this room so
that we can make announcements during meals?
MEETING ROOMS
1) Please describe the meeting spaces that you have available,
including noting whether the seating is fixed or movable. List each
room with the number of people who can comfortably sit on chairs in a
circle. Include outdoor spaces (if the weather is acceptable) and
indicate if the meeting rooms are heated.
Site Questions (Cont.)
2) Do you have a large room available for group meetings?
How many people can it seat with chairs arranged auditorium style?
3) Can we use this large room for a singing concert until late in the
evening?
4) Is this large room handicapped accessible?
5) Can we leave our own PA equipment set up in this large room
throughout our weekend stay?
6) Do you have a spacious room with movable furniture that our Board
of Directors can use all day Friday (9Qam-5pm) and for two hours on
Sunday after lunch (3-5pm)?
Can you provide a lunch for the Board on Friday (about 15-20 people)?
AMENITIES AND LOGISTICS
1) Can you describe any other amenities that your site has to offer that
will be available to our members (e.g., pool, walking paths)?
2) Do you know if there is a van service available from local airports
and/or train stations?
Could you please provide us with their phone # so that we can check
availablitiy and cost (unless you have that information available)?
3) Please describe your parking accomodations.
4) Do you have office facilities available to group organizers (e.g., copy
machine, on-line hookup)?
MISCELLANEOUS QUESTIONS FOR ASSESSING A POSSIBLE CONFERENCE SITE
These are questions to help assess the possibilities and drawbacks.
HOUSING
1) What is the total sleeping capacity of the site?
What is the breakdown by type of room, e.g., dorm-style, semiprivate?
2) Does it have handicapped-accessible lodgings?
3) Is camping acceptable and is set-aside space available?
4) Are bed linens, towels, pillows, and blankets provided?
Is there an extra cost?
FOOD AND DINING
1) How many people can the main dining room hold?
2) Is the staff accustomed to providing a menu that will satisfy both vegetarians and
meat eaters?
3) Is the dining room handicapped accessible?
4) If necessary, could a simple PA set-up for this room be available so that we can make
announcements during meals?
MEETING ROOMS
1) Can we use the main whole-group room for a singing concert until late in the evening?
2) Are there at least 4 breakout rooms for workshops with moveable seating and
sufficient soundproofing to prevent cross-interference?
AMENITIES AND LOGISTICS
1) What are the parking accomodations and costs, if any?
2) Are there RV hookups and camping available on-site or nearby?
3) Are office facilities available to group organizers (e.g., copy machine, on-line hookup)?
4) Is there good cell phone reception at this facility?
5) Is there a van or shuttle service from local airports and/or train stations?
THE CHILDREN’S MUSIC NETWORK
NATIONAL CONFERENCE SPONSOR BENEFITS
As approved by the CMN board
Sponsor Levels/Benefits $500 $1,000 | $2,000
Acknowledgment in our Pass /t On! x x x
journal
Link from our Web site to yours x x x
Mention in attendee packets x
Your promo piece in attendee packets x x
1/4 page ad in Pass It On! x
1/2 page ad in Pass It On! x
Your banner at conference
NATIONAL CONFERENCE SPONSORS
1997 | SESAC $1,000 Scholarships Contact: Katherine
Dines
? SESAC equiv of | Scholarship K. Dines
full wkd
reg
THE CHILDREN’S MUSIC NETWORK
P.O. Box 1341 * Evanston, Illinois 60204-1341
847/673-2243 (voice & fax)
office@cmnonline.org
www.cmnonline.org
COOPERATION, CULTURAL DIVERSITY, SELF-ESTEEM, & EMPOWERMENT THROUGH MUSIC
Summer 2007
Dear Sponsor:
We are writing to invite you to become a sponsor of this year's Children's Music Network Annual
Conference, to be held September 28-30, 2007, at the Holiday Turf Inn in Albany, New York. This event will
bring together songwriters, musicians, educators, radio broadcasters, performers, and storytellers who are
involved in singing, teaching, recording, promoting, distributing, and enjoying children's music.
Why you should become a conference sponsor: Because there is no place else where you can
reach so many leaders in the field of children’s music. CMN's members are both educators and performers of
children's music. They create music curriculum; they write, perform, and record award-winning songs; they
train teachers and publish manuals for music instruction. Together, they reach thousands of children with
song each year. A poll of our members showed that they typically connect with 100-200 children daily.
Your banner and promotional literature at the Seventeenth Annual Children’s Music Network
Conference will capture the attention of these leaders in the field of music education and children’s
entertainment. Your advertisement in Pass /t On! (P/O!), the journal of the Children’s Music Network, will
reach all of our members. Your link on our Web site will appear not only to our membership, but to all who
find their way to this rich online resource.
The Children’s Music Network conference features workshops, song swaps, networking, a sales area,
and resource displays. Round robin concerts allow enthusiastic newcomers to share the stage with the field’s
most beloved veterans. In a special tribute, CMN will bestow the coveted Magic Penny Award for outstanding
lifetime contributions to children’s music on Sarah Pirtle, an exceptional teacher and songwriter who has long
used music with children to help them learn about conflict resolution, social justice issues, and responsibility
for the environment. Previous Magic Penny honorees include Malvina Reynolds, Ella Jenkins, Marcia Berman,
Woody Guthrie, Suni Paz, Bob Blue, Ruth Crawford Seeger, and Nona Beamer.
This year’s keynoters will be folk and jazz artists Kim and Reggie Harris, who are also known as
teachers of the African American musical heritage.
Here are the specific benefits of sponsorship:
Sponsor Levels/Benefits $500 $1,000 $2,000
Acknowledgment in our Pass /t On! journal x x x
Link from our Web site to yours x x x
Mention in attendee packets x
Your promo piece in attendee packets x x
1/4 page ad in Pass It On! x
1/2 page ad in Pass It On! x
Banner at conference x
There is more detailed information about CMN and this event on our Web site (see above). For more
specifics, please contact our national office. We hope that you will want to sponsor this high-energy, song-
filled event!
Terri Roben, Conference Chair
POSSIBLE SOURCES FOR GRANTS/SPONSORS FOR NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Extracted from overall grant source list developed by CMN Executive Director 1999;
contact information may be outdated
(Gathering, Ads)
Real Goods
Through our products, publications and educational demonstrations, Real Goods
promotes and inspires an environmentally healthy and sustainable future.
No Corporate Info for contacting
(Gathering/Ads)
EcoExpress
28 Pamaron Way Suite F
Novato, CA 94949
Phone 800/733-3495
Fax 415/884-3036
info@ecoexpress.com
EcoExpressTM creates unique, beautiful gift baskets featuring natural and organic
gourmet food,
herbal bath and relaxation items, and many other environmentally friendly products.
(Gathering)
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Suite 2550
630 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10111-0242
Tel: 212/649-1649
Fax: 212/757-5117
How to Apply for a Grant: Applications can be made at any time for support of activities
related to the range of programs and interests indicated above and explained in more
detail within this home page. Grants of $30,000 or less are made throughout the year by
officers of the Foundation. Officer grants enable the Foundation to respond quickly to
proposals for many activities, such as workshops, symposia, and conference$, that fall
within its program areas and interests, but require only moderate funding (at most
$30,000). The Foundation has no deadlines or standard forms. Often a brief letter of
inquiry, rather than a fully developed proposal, is an advisable first step for an applicant,
conserving his or her time and allowing for a preliminary response regarding the
possibility of support.
(Gathering)
Ben & Jerry's Foundation
30 Community Drive
South Burlington, VT 05403
Phone: 802/846-1500
www.benjerry.com
The Mission of the Ben & Jerry's Foundation is to make the world a better place by
empowering Ben & Jerry's employees to use available resources to support and
encourage organizations that are working towards eliminating the underlying causes of
environmental and social problems.
Applications for grants of less than $1,000 will be considered on the basis of the Letter of
Interest alone without requiring a full proposal. Once approved by the review committee,
requests for small grants are considered at our regular, trimester grantmaking meetings.
March Ist, July Ist, November 1st
GATHERING SPONSOR/ADVERTISER/VENDOR PROSPECTS
[Note: a few of these are on board brainstorm lists.]
(1)
ACLU
Dorothy M. Ehrlich, Executive Director
1663 Mission Street, Suite 460
San Francisco, CA 94103
Phone: 415/621-2493
http://www.aclu.org/community/calif-n/can.html
(2)
Luthiers Mercantile International, Inc.
Phone: 800/477-4437 or 707/433-1823
Fax: 707/433-8802
Mail: POB 774, 402 Moore Lane
Healdsburg, CA 95448
USA
E-mail Sales and Customer Support: Imi@Imii.com
http://www. imii.com/
(3)
Breedlove Guitar Company
19885 Eighth Street
Tumalo, OR 97701
Phone: 541/385-8339
Fax: 541/385-8183
E-mail: sihender@breedloveguitars.com
http://www.breedloveguitars.com/
irhonean Educational Music Publications, Inc.
Music Resources Building, Dept. WS-2
1200 East Burlington Avenue
Fairfield, IA 52556
(Perfect pitch program)
515/472-3100
http://www.eartraining.com/
(5)
Francisco Guitar Society
560 Nineteenth Street
San Francisco, CA 941075
Phone: 415/731 7336
(5a)
South Bay Guitar Society
611 South Fifth Street
San Jose, CA 95112
Phone: 408/292 0704
E-mail: gs@vval.com
(6)
Classic Guitars International
2899 Agoura Rd., Suite 584
Westlake Village, CA 91361
U.S.A
Phone: 818/788-1463
Fax: 818/788-1407
(7)
P.J. Ballantine
P.O. Box 10393
Van Nuys, CA 91410
Phone: 888/310-3342
E-mail: PJ Direct@aol.com
hhtp://www.pjballantine.com/
(8)
Acoustic Guitar
String Letter Publishing
Mary Van Clay, Editor
PO Box 767
San Anselmo, CA 94979
Phone: 415/485-6946
Fax: 415/485-0831
http://www. acquitar.com
(9)
Treehouse Records
www.OnlyKidsMusic.com
Kids Internet Radio
TC Doyle
PO Box 1801
Idyllwild, CA 92549
909/659-2308
http://www.onlykidsmusic.com/
http://www.kirorg
(10)
National Guitar Workshop
Phone: 800/234-6479
Email: ngsw@esslink.com
http://www.guitarworkshop.com/
(11)
Music for Little Folks
205 Pineridge
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
734/741-1510
hftp://www.ur-net.com/music-liftle-folks/ .
A Music & Movement Curriculum for Early Childhood
(12)
Children's Music Worksho
Larry Newman, Executive Director
(13)
Academy | of Music
P.O. 4006
fora Amador Street
Vallejo, CA 94590
707/552-1510
MUSIC STORES/INDUSTRY
(1)
Roxan, Inc. [blank tapes and tape dupes]
5425 Lockhurt Dr.
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
http://www.roxan.com
Phone: 800/228-5775
(this is S. CA, LA area)
(2)
John's Music
4501 Interiake Ave. N., #9
Seattle, WA 98103
Phone: 800/473-5194
www.johnsmusic.com/drems
(3)
ghs strings [no caps]
2813 Wilber Ave.
Battle Creek, MI 49015
Phone: 800/388-4447
http://www.ghsstrings.com
(4)
Putu Mayo World Music
(5
Re D Music
22322 Colonna
Laguna Hills, CA 92653
949/768-7110
(6)
A &V Music & Vintage Guitars
7451 Warner Ave., Unit |
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
Phone: 714/841-8224
(7)
Aantone Music
36601 Newark Boulevard
Newark, CA 94560
510/795-9170
(8)
AB Music Studios
19171 Magnolia, Ste. 10
Huntington Beach, CA 92646
Phone: 714/962-8911
(9)
ABC Music
850 Southampton Road
Benicia, CA 94510
Phone: 707/746-7565
(10)
ABC Music Center
4115 West Burbank Boulevard
Burbank, CA 91505
(11)
ACME Music
3715 Macarthur Blvd.
Oakland, CA 94619
Phone: 510/530-7234
(12)
Adams Music
950 East Katelia Avenue, Suite 3
Orange, CA 92867
Phone: 714/997-4777
(13)
Aeolian Harp Artful Things
147 Main Street
Murphys, CA 95247
(14)
a Star Guitars
2522 Jefferson | Street
Napa, CA 94558
Pnone: 707/224-6577
(15)
American Music Center
3060 Sherwin. Avenue
Ventura, CA 93003
Phone: 805/650-0020
(16)
Andrews Banjo Guitar Co.
1330 Third Street
Napa, CA 94559
Pnone: 707/253-8028
(17)
Artichoke Music Services
445 Second Street
Solvang, CA 93463
(18)
B Street Music and Recording
245 South Railroad Ave.
San Mateo, CA 94401
650/342-2208
(19)
Bananas at Large
1504 Fourth Street
San Rafael, CA 94901
Phone: 415/457-7600
(20)
Bay West Music
524 Frernont Street
Monterey, CA 93940
Phone: 831/375-9430
(21)
Beyond the Trees
1987 Smith Grade
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Phone: 831/423-9264
(22)
Blue Guitar
3649 India
San Diego, CA 92103
619/297-9136
(23)
Blue Note Music
570 Higuera Street, #15
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Phone: 805/541-6188
(24)
C.F. Martin & Co., Inc.
510 Sycamore Street
P.O. Box 329
Nazareth, PA 18064-0329
(25)
Collings Guitars
11025 Signal Hill Drive
Austin, TX 78737
6)
J.W. Gallagher & Son
P.O. Box 128
Wartrace, TN 37183
(27)
Dusty Strings
3406 Fremont Ave. N
Seattle, WA 98103
(28)
Gibson Music
Public Relations Dept.
1818 Elm Hill Pike
Nashville, TN 37210
(29)
Marketing Manager
Jean Larrivee Guitars Ltd.
780 Cordova St. E
Vancouver, BC V6A IM3
Canada
(30)
Santa Cruz Guitar Company
328 Ingalls Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(31)
Taylor Guitars
Public Relations Dept.
1980 Gillespie Way
El Cajon, CA 92020-1096
(32)
Allen Guitars
P.O. Box. 1883
Colfax, CA 95713
(33)
Nornern California Assn. of Luthiers
20807 E. Spring Ranches Rd.
Grass Valley, CA 95949
(34)
Lark In The Morning
PO Box 1176
Mendocino, CA 95460
(35)
The Nature Company
740 Hearst Avenue
Berkeley, CA
Phone: 510/649-5448
LETTERS FOR SPONSOR SOLICITATION
Letter 1 (developed by board 1/03): to cmn member who will contact potential sponsors
from list furnished
Letter 2 (developed by board 1/03 & updated 07): to potential sponsoring organization
Dear solicitor,
We are asking you to help us get sponsorships for our 2003 national gathering in Los
Angeles. If you agree, we’ll send you a letter to send to potential sponsors.
Here’s a list of companies who may be willing to sponsor us. If you think of another
company whose operations are compatible with our mission and may be worth contacting,
please send us the name and address. Before you contact any company, let us know which
you intend to approach and wait for confirmation from our coordinator so that we don’t
duplicate efforts.
We've enclosed a letter you may use that shows the levels of sponsorship.
Our priority is for money, but if you get other offers (such as swaps or in-kind donations),
please contact Joanne Hammil with these ideas to see whether we might accept them.
(signed)
Solicitation Coordinator
Potential Sponsors:
(list)
THE CHILDREN’S MUSIC NETWORK
P.O. Box 1341 * Evanston, Illinois 60204-1341
847/673-2243 (voice & fax)
office@cmnonline.org
www.cmnonline.org
COOPERATION, CULTURAL DIVERSITY, SELF-ESTEEM, & EMPOWERMENT THROUGH MUSIC
Summer 2007
Dear Sponsor:
We are writing to invite you to become a sponsor of this year's Children's Music Network Annual
Conference, to be held September 28-30, 2007, at the Holiday Turf Inn in Albany, New York. This event will
bring together songwriters, musicians, educators, radio broadcasters, performers, and storytellers who are
involved in singing, teaching, recording, promoting, distributing, and enjoying children's music.
Why you should become a conference sponsor: Because there is no place else where you can
reach so many leaders in the field of children’s music. CMN's members are both educators and performers of
children's music. They create music curriculum; they write, perform, and record award-winning songs; they
train teachers and publish manuals for music instruction. Together, they reach thousands of children with
song each year. A poll of our members showed that they typically connect with 100-200 children daily.
Your banner and promotional literature at the Seventeenth Annual Children’s Music Network
Conference will capture the attention of these leaders in the field of music education and children’s
entertainment. Your advertisement in Pass /t On! (P/O!), the journal of the Children’s Music Network, will
reach all of our members. Your link on our Web site will appear not only to our membership, but to all who
find their way to this rich online resource.
The Children’s Music Network conference features workshops, song swaps, networking, a sales area,
and resource displays. Round robin concerts allow enthusiastic newcomers to share the stage with the field’s
most beloved veterans. In a special tribute, CMN will bestow the coveted Magic Penny Award for outstanding
lifetime contributions to children’s music on Sarah Pirtle, an exceptional teacher and songwriter who has long
used music with children to help them learn about conflict resolution, social justice issues, and responsibility
for the environment. Previous Magic Penny honorees include Malvina Reynolds, Ella Jenkins, Marcia Berman,
Woody Guthrie, Suni Paz, Bob Blue, Ruth Crawford Seeger, and Nona Beamer.
This year’s keynoters will be folk and jazz artists Kim and Reggie Harris, who are also known as
teachers of the African American musical heritage.
Here are the specific benefits of sponsorship:
Sponsor Levels/Benefits $500 $1,000 $2,000
Acknowledgment in our Pass /t On! journal x x x
Link from our Web site to yours x x x
Mention in attendee packets x
Your promo piece in attendee packets x x
1/4 page ad in Pass It On! x
1/2 page ad in Pass It On! x
Banner at conference x
There is more detailed information about CMN and this event on our Web site (see above). For more
specifics, please contact our national office. We hope that you will want to sponsor this high-energy, song-
filled event!
Terri Roben, Conference Chair
VENDOR & SPONSOR MATERIALS
1. Vendor handouts—
¢ [with gathering descriptive blurb] CMN\ NatGath\Gath99\Vendor\Vendfct.doc
¢ [with gathering descriptive blurb] CMN\CMN\NatGath\Gath0O3\Vendor\
VendorSheet. rtf
¢ [07 fee sched, no blurb] CMN\NatGath\Gath07\Vendors\VendorRates.doc
e [08 fee sched, no blurb] CMN\NatGath\Gath08\Vendors\VendorRates.doc
¢ [10 info sheet/fee sched] CMN\NatGath\Gath10\10Vendors\
10VendorinfoRateSheet.doc
e [10 vendor app] CMN\NatGath\Gath10\1l0Vendors\10VendorApp.doc
2. Sponsor letter & benefits list—
CMN\NatGath\Gath07\07Sponsors\07SponsorLtr.doc (solicitation letter w/chart)
CMN\Board\BdMinutes\03\103\Sponsorships103-2.doc (benefit chart)
CMN\Board\BdMinutes\03\103\Sponsorship103.doc
CMN\Board\BdMinutes\03\103\103Notes3Sponsor. rtf
CMN\NatGath\Gath-Gen\SponsorsVendors\SponsorLtrChart.doc
CMN\NatGath\Gath-Gen\SponsorsVendors\SponsorBenChartOnly.doc
3. Letter for sponsor solicitors—
CMN\Board\BdMinutes\03\Sponsorships103.doc
4. Potential sponsors—
e List from Cyndi Pock 1999—
CMN\Grants\Sources\SourceList99Ed. rtf
(Extract from above per nat. conf.) CMN\NatGath\ Gath-
Gen\SponsorsVendors\SponsorPossSourceList.doc
e List brainstormed at 6/02 board meeting—
Incorporated into 1/03 list
e List brainstormed at 1/03 board meeting—
CMN\Board\BdMinutes\03\103\103Notes3Sponsor. rtf
5. Summary of sponsorship history and resources—
¢ CMN\Fundrsg\SponsorshipHistResourceSummary.doc
State Taxes
CMN has nonprofit tax exemptions in several states and can apply for exemption in
others as needed. These can save us the cost of tax on food and sometimes other items.
The site will want paperwork on the exemption; what’s wanted varies from place to
place. The state certificates are in the CMN office.
TEACHER CREDITS FOR CMN CONFERENCES/WORKSHOPS
We have 3 means for credits.
1) For some teachers and districts, a simple certificate of attendance
is enough. We have certificates from previous years that can be
adapted. We have these at the gathering or people can get them
afterward.
2) Many teachers need a little more documentation to either get
reimbursed for the costs or to get continuing ed credit. They
communicate with the CMN office or registration staff before, at, or
after the conference and we give them whatever they need, which is
usually just a note on letterhead saying they attended and how much
they paid. Some then attach the workshop schedule to submit to their
school.
3) The most complicated is actual college credit. For that, we need
someone who is on the faculty of a nearby college or has similar status
and who will act as the teacher. That person sets up a "course" based
on the program/workshop content of the weekend. The attendees
signing up will submit papers or do some other work that will then be
graded by the teacher and submitted to the college for credit.
Bonnie Lockhart has a course outline for teacher credits that can be
recycled/adapted by others, and we also have one on file designed by
Chris Lamm that might provide ideas.
3/07
Notes/E-mails on Changing Teamwork for Conference
E-mails between Jack MacSwan, the Web site administrator, and Caroline Presnell, the
CMN national coordinator
3/11/09 JM > CP
On the subject of the conference, | communicate with you, Liz and, sometimes, Marie. Often, the
directions are in conflict. What's okay/not okay to publish, what version has/hasn't been approved, who
is/isn't the keynote speaker, is the conference on or off? At one point, Marie was identified as the
arbiter of all things conference related, though others often give me instructions on what should get
posted. | understand the dynamics of non-profit organizations, but I'm not sure who has the last word and
from whom | should be getting the material intended for publication with the March updates and
newsletter.
3/12/09 CP >JM
You're uncertain for a good reason. The internal dynamic about it is in transition partly
because of changing times and partly because of changes in board personnel, and lines
of communication and authority are not as clear as they used to be. I've gathered from
our interaction that you like working communications crisp and unambiguous. Who
wouldn't? But my perspective is that, to the extent you can, and for now, it would be
good if you could take into account the several voices you hear and keep checking things
out among us to determine how specific items lie; e.g., maybe asking "Has this draft
been approved by Exec?" What voices do you hear, though, besides mine, Liz's, and
Marie's? | don't know who would have identified Marie as "the arbiter of all things conference
related," because that isn't exactly the case. She is the conference chair. She has
primary responsibility for organizing it and considerable leeway in how that's done. Her
opinions and preferences carry substantial weight and prevail wherever possible. But
the conference is "owned" by the board, and there is a body of guidelines and
procedures in place to provide continuity and preserve desired standards. Because the
conference is a prominent public face for us, one of the guidelines is that all of the main
communication pieces must be approved by the Executive Committee (of which | am an
ex officio participant with equal voice) before going public. An example of that
interaction and cooperation is the Jonas blurb. You and we got a draft from Marie, but
the Exec found it needed changes because its promotional flavor was in conflict with
organization standards and it didn't present the keynote in the desired light. So it was to
be amended. The board/exec and | are the ongoing underpinnings while, with few
exceptions, each year's conference chair is doing it for the first time and may not have
the procedures and standards down pat. So there is a lot of back and forth discussion.
For the most part that works OK for the chair and for the organization, but its tidiness
varies from year to year.
TIMETABLE FOR ORGANIZERS FOR (MID-OCTOBER) NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Specific dates must be adjusted if gathering is earlier or later
These are the latest dates: for most tasks, earlier is even better
Policy: As possible, the annual conference/gathering shall alternate being held on Columbus Day
weekend in two successive years and then on a different weekend the next two years. (This is to
accommodate different preferences alternately, in alternating parts of the country, as well as to
avoid invariable conflict with Canada Thanksgiving and Dia de la Raza.)
Early summer previous year
Write a report/blurb for the fall P/O!
Summer previous year
Secure site for gathering; get contract in place
October previous year
¢ Have committee chairs in place
November previous year
¢ Winter-Spring P/O! deadline to include gathering info: 11/1 for article; 11/25 for
flyer page
December previous year
e¢ Send out invitation for workshop proposals - sent in Jan w/March 15 deadline for
submission
Mid=January
¢ Get budget draft & fees approved by Exec. Committee (ready for Board mtg)
February
e Have any special presentation & Magic Penny awardee in place (MP is a board
function: they make arrangements
March
¢ Have initial publicity-posters, etc., made including MP & Keynotes
April-
¢ Workshops ready
May/June
¢ Send listing to Sing Out! And other ad possibility
e May 15 -Have materials for pre-registration packet to central office
¢ May 20 Send out pre-registration packet- Early Bird Discount July 15"
with extension to Aug 1
e¢ Modify the materials in the pre-registration packet for the Web site, add other
appropriate materials, see that they get posted by the Web site team (The team
may do the modifying since they're familiar with the format needs.)
e Send flyer to P/O! editor for fall issue- first week July latest)
May or June
e Atits spring meeting, board discusses Opening, Closing, & Community Meeting;
appoints board member to consult with gathering committee on opening/closing
If the committee is going to request that the board set aside extra scholarship
money from the general funds, the conference chair needs to get that request in to
get it on the agenda
¢ Soon after the pre-registration mailing goes out, get the scholarship committee in
place and make the initial decisions on how the committee will operate, in order to
be ready when inquiries start coming in
June 1
¢ Begin plans for Friday night activity, pre- & post- gathering activities, if any
June 15
¢ Have materials for confirmation packet to central office
July 6 or ASAP after pre-registration mailing
e Start mailing confirmation packets
August
3-4 weeks before conference
e Published deadline for submitting scholarship applications (though apps are
accepted after this)
10 days before conference
e Have materials for attendee folder ready to mail to local committee for copying
* 10 days before conference (Tues. of week before conference)
e Pre-registration cutoff; walk-ins only after this
See separate lists of contents for pre-registration mailing, confirmation mailing, and
attendee folder/program book. See separate publicity file for timing of publicity efforts.
EXAMPLE OF TIMETABLE FOR NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Dates are for a mid-October conference; must be adjusted if conference is earlier or
later. These are the latest dates: for most tasks, earlier is even better. See publicity file
for timing of publicity efforts.
Due Done
Summer previous Secure site for gathering; get contract in place
year
Summer previous Arrange with CMN office to pay the facility deposit
year
Summer previous Write a report/blurb for the fall P/O!
year
October/ Have committee chairs in place
November
previous year
November TBA-Jan? Winter-Spring P/O! deadline to include gathering
previous year Feb? info: 11/1 for article; 11/25 for flyer page
November Write short blurb for the mid-month Web site
previous year
update. This can be edited/added to month-to-
month as details develop
November
previous year
(Some flexibility
on time; consult
Have (at least a first version of) flyer ready for the
winter-spring PIO!
editor)
December Send out invitation for workshop proposals
previous year
December Get budget draft & fees approved by Exec.
previous year
(january or
February latest)
Committee
February of
conference year
Have any special presentation or keynote & Magic
Penny awardee in place (MP & keynotes are
board functions: they make arrangements)
March Have initial publicity—flyers, etc., made
April Complete workshop roster, notify facilitators,
send list to Executive Committee to look over
April Send approved workshop roster to Web site
manager
May 15 (or
Have materials for pre-registration packet to
earlier) central office
May 20 (or Send out pre-registration packet
earlier)
May or June (ASAP
after the packet is
distributed)
Modify the materials in the pre-registration packet
as needed for the Web site (the Web site team
may do the modifying since they’re familiar with
the format needs), add other appropriate
materials, send to Web site manager. Registrar
works with Web site designer to develop an online
registration form and to get PayPal features in
place for online registration.
May
7/10/10
latest
Send flyer to P/O! editor for fall issue (It’s
traditionally been in both the winter-spring and
fall issues. Often the fall version has a few more
details.)
May or June
At its spring meeting, board discusses opening,
closing, and Community Meeting; appoints board
member to consult with conference committee on
opening/closing
May or June
Submit conference information to Sing Out!
(online) magazine's festival roster. (Instructions
in the conference guides directory.)
May or June
If the conference committee is going to request
that the board set aside extra scholarship money
from the general funds, the conference chair
needs to get that request in to get it on the
agenda
May or June
Soon after the pre-registration mailing goes out,
get the scholarship committee in place and make
the initial decisions on how the committee will
operate, in order to be ready when inquiries start
coming in
Flexible; needs to
be in a few weeks
Ask CMN office to have our insurance company
send a certificate of insurance to facility
before the
conference
June 1 Begin plans for Friday night activity, pre- & post-
gathering activities, if any
June 15 Have materials for confirmation packet to central
office
July 6 or ASAP
Start mailing confirmation packets
after pre-
registration
mailing
July
Talk with the Executive Committee about needs
for the board meeting—space and food—and
options for meeting them.
mid-month before
deadline
Registration reminder of early rate deadline in E-
News. Remind of silent auction too.
a week before
Send all-member reminder to register by
deadline deadline; mention silent auction
Date TBA, c. 2 Early reg deadline
months before
conference
Date TBA, c. 3-4
weeks before
conference
No refunds after this
c. one month
before conference
Send balance-due notices to registrants
Due date
specified in
contract
Pay balance of bill per contract minimum
Date specified in
contract
Send the facility a final meal count (= what we
guarantee to pay for)
3-4 weeks before
Published deadline for submitting scholarship
conference applications (though apps are accepted after
this)
TBA Have materials for program book to whoever is
designing the book (Usually these go through the
CMN office.)
10 days before
conference
Have program book originals and other materials
for attendee folder ready to mail to local
committee for copying (Usually these go through
the CMN office.)
10 days before
conference (Tues.
of week before
conference)
Pre-registration cutoff; walk-ins only after this
NATIONAL CONFERENCE/GATHERING VENDOR REGULATIONS
[As set up for initial vendor program 1999 by B. Wright and C. Presnell,
approved by Exec. Comm.]
(1) Vendors must pay the regular registration fee in addition to the
vendor fee, except that non-member vendors will be given the
member rate.
[Rationale: We have to pay the camp and the vendor is making
money.]
(2) But if there is additional staff at the vendor table only (not
participating in gathering activities), charge those people only the
facility cost, maybe plus the CMN per-person expense cost.
(3) Vendors may stay open during workshops (although sales tables do
not).
[Rationale: Give them their money's worth. Assist attendee
schmoozing]
(4) If the vendor is to be present only part of weekend, adjust the
vendor fee by totalling their available open hours for the weekend and
prorating the fee per the time available during their attendance.
Vendor Registration Policy
The policy on the books (i.e., in the Policiec/Procedures document) in 2011 is that
vendors will pay the regular registration fee in addition to the vendor fee. Check out
with the board whether this is still to be the rule. At some facilities, we might owe a day
fee for vendors.
See the 2010 Vendor Info Rate Sheet for general arrangements.
Facilitator Guide
for
Workshops (Facilitated Sharing Sessions)
at Gatherings or Other CMN Events
CMN EVENTS do not generally include presentations by individual artists but
rather offer workshops that are facilitated by someone expert in that area.
The facilitator’s function is to introduce the topic and offer ideas/songs, etc.,
to get the workshop started, but also to invite all present to share their
ideas/songs on that topic. (Exceptions occur when someone has been
invited to teach a specific skill such as African drumming or to speak ona
specific topic such as how they make their particular type of puppet to
enhance their songs.)
This is very different from the meaning of “workshop” at most conferences,
in which the leader is expected to present a complete workshop of their
ideas and resources. Of course, if everyone present has had an opportunity
to share their ideas and participants would like to hear more from the
facilitator, that’s fine!
Example: A facilitator of a workshop on “Songwriting With Children” might
begin by telling about the work (s)he has done in this field and put out some
of his/her ideas, being mindful of the number of people present who would
like to contribute ideas also. Then (s)he might solicit others’ ideas or
perhaps guide the group to decide together on a format for the rest of the
workshop—whether to take turns presenting ideas/questions or perhaps to
all try to write a song together. (S)He acts as a guide for making sure as
many people share ideas as is reasonable.
Example: If a facilitator is chosen to “teach” a specific skill, like “How to Play
a Musical Saw,” then it is expected that those attending are there to learn
the skill as in a more conventional workshop.
Example: If a workshop or an event within a gathering is set up for large
group participation, such as a square dance or a presentation by an honored
guest (i.e., an “elder in the field”), then interactive participation of all is
desired, but it is understood that one person or group will be principally
“teaching” or “leading” or “presenting” so that all might share in the activity
or knowledge.
Note 1: It is not appropriate for facilitators to pass out or sell their own
literature or recordings at the actual workshop.
Note 2: At the beginning of the workshop session, the facilitator should
explain the policy for recording the workshop. If the facilitator or someone
acting on her or his behalf intends to record, participants should be informed
about that. If individual attendees want to record for their own use, they
should ask permission from the facilitator and other participants.
2001
Hello Caroline,
Happy New Year! Hope you are recovering nicely from your email collapse.
I am resending these workshop emails in case any of them got lost. We need to
give Terri something in writing to go to press on Jan 5", so the quicker we can get
to this the better.
Thanks,
Erin Lee.
From: Erin Lee Kelly [mailto:erinlee@gottaplay.org]
Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2006 6:05 PM
To: ‘Caroline Presnell’
Subject: Workshop Evaluations
Hi Caroline,
Below is the summary of answers to our workshop evaluation question. Our
thoughts are in Yellow. Should we send this to the BOD? What do we do
next? We have begun writing an invitation for submissions and and a new
submission form and would like to send it out to the membership as soon as
possible. What is the next step?
EVALUATION
1. Did the trial two-stage solicitation system and early publicity for
workshops work well? If not, should we go back to the one-stage appeal, or
modify the 2-stage sytem? (How?)
8 say no for the 2-step system - wastes too much time, and time is of the
essence. 1 says it’s fine. Therefore, we are going to return to the 1-step
system and be very clear about when the submissions are due. We will then
solicit workshops as needed.
See summary of answers below:
We feel that the two-stage system wastes va/uab/e planning and promotional time. One
notice sent out with a clear “respond by” date should be enough. A second call could go out
if not enough responses came in to fill the slots needed, along with active solicitation of
individuals who may fill the need for particular specialized workshops. No submission call
should ever go out with the registration papers in the summer- the workshops should be in
place long before then.
I have to agree with this. It just makes the most sense. If the flow of ideas and
solicitations and offers is continuous, there shouldn't be a shortage of workshop
offerings.
| do think we should NOT stick with the two stage system, that we should send out a call for
workshop proposals in January, and if we see holes that need to be filled, then we can ask
individuals that we know to have knowledge in those areas to do workshops. | think it should
be done as soon as possible so that we draw people by advertising the workshops.
| don't actually remember seeing the list of presenters - doesn't mean | didn't. We NEED to
publicize the workshops, yes - so the earlier they are confirmed the better.
I think it went well, I personally did not hear any complaints about this new way.
I would try this new way for 2007
The two step system worked better, but there were still flaws. As a presenter, | never
received confirmation that | was selected as a presenter for any of the years | presented. |
had to email or call the workshop point person each year to see if | was presenting and when
| was presenting. | never knew in an adequate amount of time to plan properly.
| think the workshop presenter process needs to begin earlier so that by the time we send
out the Conference registration packets, the names of presenters, workshop titles, workshop
descriptions and, if possible, dates and times could be on a "Keynote Speaker, Magic Penny
Recipient and Workshop Presenters" flyer in the registration packet. Often times, | make my
decision to attend or to not attend a conference based upon the quality of workshops and
presenters. If | don't know who is presenting what, | may not attend at all.
More information and even sooner would be better.
| think the two-stage system is not a good one. | think we need to have early planning and
the ability to publicize early-on what workshop offerings will be. This two-stage system
worked to have an early list of workshop offerings to publicize (which is what it was intended
to do if | remember correctly), but it left the full planning of the schedule ‘til the end. Having
a second and therefore final deadline late works against being able to promote our
conference in an early and timely way. The way we have been organizing workshops can
appeal to and draw in folks who already know what CMN conferences are all about, it
doesn’t help in bringing new folks to us. When I’ve seen other conferences publicized this
way with general workshop topics rather than specifics, | have been very reluctant to spend
precious time, money and energy getting to it which I’m sure folks unfamiliar with CMN have
felt as well.
I've never understood our "system" - it seems so hit-or-miss. A posted "Call for Proposals"
with mail follow-up is how most conferences do it. Also there should be someone (I guess
that would be Erin/Marci) pursuing NON-CMN members who would add value to our
conference by presenting on topics of interest to our membership.
2. Do you think the organization/solicitation process began early enough?
8 say no - we will proceed as quickly as possible to solicit, choose and notify
presenters. 1 says it’s fine.
See summary of answers below:
No - workshops are a major reason for attending the conference, and should be in place and
posted on the CMN website long before the paperwork goes to members.
Right and it should be a constant process, with members offering to do workshops
topics or suggesting topics throughout the year. That is why these committees
should be constant and not stalled after the conference. Organic is a good word for
it - always flowing.
NO, it should start in December, ideally, but this year shoot for January.
I'm sure it didn't. If we had our conference at the same time each year we could start
soliciting workshops for 2008 right now!
Yes.
No. Not knowing who is presenting what the week before the conference is not a good
policy. Presenters need time to plan and create workshop materials. Conference attendees
should know who is presenting what when they register for the conference. Presenters
should know before the registration packet is created and sent. A general topics list on the
registration form is not a professional or profitable approach.
Most conferences post a "Call for Proposals" notice on their websites and in their newsletters
with a firm deadline for submissions. Since PIO is not a quarterly journal, a mailing could go
out as well if the timing does not coincide with the "Call for Proposals" date. That is it; one
notice with a deadline. Those who apply by the deadline, go before the workshop selection
committee. The second time a workshop is mentioned to our membership, should be in the
registration packet announcing who is presenting what. This way, the committee has time to
select presenters, notify presenters and include the presenters in the registration packet
flyer.
«even sooner would be better.
| agree with the others who've expressed having a January deadline for workshops, though
with the late notice going out on date and location of our 2007 conference, | think early Feb.
might be more realistic for this upcoming ‘07 conference.
No, should begin in January so that confirmations can be sent in April, 6 months ahead of the
conference.
3. Do you feel that there was a good mix of workshop options? Why or why
not?
Good mix of opinions from the BOD! We believe that the system and breadth
of workshops can be improved, and will pay special attention to topics and
tracks, within the limitations of the space.
See summary of answers below:
While there have been wonderful workshops offered there seem to be some areas that get
overlooked - in the past few years there have been some, but very few, workshops for
teachers and musicians working with elementary school age children. There have been too
few workshops for people working with children with special needs. There have also been
too many scheduling conflicts to allow the maximum number of interested professionals to
attend them.
I agree, and if it is possible to schedule with less conflict, we definitely should.
Yes
Not the greatest. There were sessions where several workshops were of interest and | had to
miss one to see another, and sessions where no workshops were of interest - due to the
nature of my involvement with children's music - i.e. | am a performer, so what I'm saying is
some sessions of interest to performers were clustered into one time slot, where some slots
had nothing for performers. | think the "tracks" could be more carefully thought out.
Also, | think it would be good to have more presenters from outside the organization, to give
us a chance to learn from someone who we don't already have regular contact with.
I thought that the mix was great over all. I heard many members say that it was
tuff to pick which workshop they should attend.
Yes, | like the three strands, but we could almost go for four strands:
Business/Professional Development
Music - Education
Music - Performance
Song Swaps
| think our work track system is good, I’d like to see us continue to use that system to
organize workshops. | think it’s helpful for folks to find what they’re looking for. | think we
always need to look for ways to improve the variety, content, and breadth of workshops
offered.
4. Are there other changes you would like to see in the process of organizing
workshops?
We think the feedback regarding clarity of workshop format is very valuable.
Let the presenter present their material their own way, and adapt the
program descriptions to categorize the format of the workshop. Our
invitation and new submission form will make the categorizations clear, and
we will endeavor to make sure that each track has a number of different
styles of workshops, as well as different topics for workshops.
Regarding the suggestion of inviting non-CMN members to present
workshops - we think this is a great idea! However, due to time constraints
and the notion that we are already trying the new approach of organizing
things earlier, we would like to save this idea for 2008. This will allow for
further discourse on how to proceed in implementing the idea.
See summary of answers below:
We would like to have the ability to see what topics and subjects that need to be addressed
have been missing from our workshop schedules and actively solicit professionals who
specialize in these topics to lead workshops.
Of course.
| think we might expand our notion of what a workshop session is. I'm all for the
participatory circle thing. However, not every presenter we could benefit from will be able to
fit their square peg into that round hole.
| think as long as the nature of the session is publicized ahead of time so that attendees can
know what to expect and make choices that are right for them, we could allow any format.
Some possibilities (including what we already do):
Song swaps
Workshops that are participatory in which the presenter teaches a hands-on skill
Workshops that are participatory in which a topic is opened for discussion, with the purpose
of having participants learn from one another, or even to discover and generate new ideas.
Panel discussions - that is, several experts speaking on a topic in front of a non-participating
audience.
Lectures - which is what the keynote speaker will do
Master classes - learn to play an instrument
Critique sessions - participants can present a song or performance or whatever to the group
for meaningful feedback.
There may not be a demand for all of these formats, but we won't know unless we try. |
think we should be open to more experimentation, especially if we keep track of feedback
and can respond to it in future conferences.
As far as the process goes - | have more to say on that but will put it in another email...
(Monty)
Someone had a great idea at the meeting, I can't remember who's idea it was.
We should have who would wel presenters/workshop leaders.
Give them an orientation and help them with any questions or issues they may
have.
This person would be responsible for making sure that new workshop leaders to
CMN felt appreciated, and welcomed.
Also, I would like to make sure that different members get a chance to lead a
workshop.
It should not be the same people leading there same workshops year after year
after year.
Yes, | think we need to move past the "no promotion" thing. If a presenter is willing to
present for FREE, pay to attend the conference, spend their time and energy preparing,
share valuable information with others, and take on the expense of creating workshop
materials to hand out, they should be allowed to promote themselves. Presenters who are
selected by a workshop committee are obviously well known and respected in their fields
and are sharing valuable information they could otherwise keep to themselves. What is in it
for them? Everyone attending the workshop is gaining something so why do we disallow the
presenter to gain something? In my opinion, the "no promotion" policy is self-defeating and,
quite frankly, unfair.
Yes, | think we need to revise the CMN Guidelines for Workshop Presenters because | think
we need to allow a presenter to present their material in their own way. The first two
workshops | gave, | presented the workshops my way, the way | do it at conferences
internationally. Then this year, | read the CMN Workshop guidelines and tried to be a
facilitator instead of a presenter by allowing everyone the opportunity to share. The
workshop was not as successful this year as a few attendees tended to be long winded and
off topic. | was never fully able to present my information on how | book myself tours
nationally and internationally. Afterwards, many of the attendees remarked to me that they
really wanted to hear what | had to share and were disappointed with the workshop
outcome. | was disappointed too because | felt | was following a guideline that was too
restrictive and was not allowing me to be me.
In other words, | think there are workshops that lend themselves to being presented by
facilitators and those that lend themselves to being presented by presenters. Some are
more sharing experiences than others. | think the workshop committee should, while
evaluating the selection process, evaluate the guidelines as well to be more inclusive. Most
good workshop presenters are both facilitators and presenters anyway. | just don't want
another presenter to feel restricted like | did and give a workshop that is not as successful as
it could be because of our guidelines (Johnette)
Though | have already answered the questions, | want to say that | agree with everything
Johnette said. Reform is needed.
| concur - Johnette nailed it!
Presenters should be allowed to promote themselves. We should not dictate how a workshop
will be run.
Yes.
At the risk of outing the elephant in the room, it's a fallacy that people in CMN are not
promoted.
When songs are sung, year after year, that are written by members of CMN who I'm sure |
don't need to name at this point, you all know who they are, and what songs they are,
you can bet your boots they are being promoted. And | feel there is nothing wrong with it.
But it's not right to pretend it doesn't exist.
I think the business of how many workshops at what times and avoiding conflicts is
hard. Sometimes I also felt conflicted (two or three I wanted) and other times none
particularly called to me. But I'm sure there are folks for whom it worked out
perfectly. I also don't want to have SO many workshops that people end up with
almost no one there * that's a bit de-moralizing.
I think Monty's suggestions for multiple types of workshops is fine. I think the
crucial issue is that folks KNOW what is what *- i.e. not going to a workshop
because you are dying to share your newest song and find out it's a one-person
operation (legitimately, of course), but not what 1s wanted.
The other thing I suggested i is that we impl y of helping folks
connect at other times and in other ways. I have prunaleaa this at multiple
conferences.
What we do, for example, is designate say three times during the weekend that
"topic" groups are meeting. That might be Sat. breakfast, Sat. lunch and Sunday
breakfast (or something like that).
Then, we put up HUGE papers on the walls for each of those times.
Then anyone who wants to, can initiate an idea for a group. These could be by
constituency.
“Performers who work with pre-schoolers," or "Single parents" or "Musicians who
do political rallies" or whatever
or they can be by topic:
"Discussion of ways to promote audience participation," or "Dealing with school
contracts and negotiations" or "Ways to talk about tricky subjects within schools.
or whatever
Anyone *- anyone * can suggest a topic. By putting their name up, they agree to
convene the group at the designated time. If one person shows up *- it can be a
fabulous connection. If no one shows up, the convener can go join another group.
This is one of the principles of open space conferencing *- it enables anyone to
initiate and to have "their" topic addressed. People often report that they wished
they had known that there was another ......
"Buddhist," "Art teacher" or wh there * or that they only met at the last
moment.
Or they wish they had found people to have a discussion with about something
they cared about.
For example, I would love to have a topic group about "Singing about Halloween in
Pagan-friendly ways" or something like that. I would put that up * and then anyone
who came would be part of that discussion. The group could begin and end with
that meeting * or could agree to meet again later, or could form an email
conversation, or, maybe, might plan something for the next gathering.
I'm happy to coordinate this process if we decide we want to try it. (Mara)
| agree with Monty’s comments about workshop styles, | think Mara and Johnette said it too,
that as long as we are really clear about whether the workshop is participatory,
presentation, demonstration, master class, etc. so that people clearly understand what they
are going to, the variety can be great and give us a richer experience to offer those who
come. | strongly recommend that we keep the song swap/participatory style part of the
standard offering in each time slot because this democratic sharing is what has been the
strength and substance of our gatherings over time, it’s what many of our regular CMN
members love and expect, and this style of workshop gives an important energy to our
conferences which is what makes them different from other organizations.
A more professional approach will help attract out of CMN presenters. Call for Proposals.
Early deadlines. A search for out of network presenters. Go for it, girls!
EVALUATION
1. Did the trial two-stage solicitation system and early publicity for
workshops work well? If not, should we go back to the one-stage appeal, or
modify the 2-stage sytem? (How?)
2. Do you think the organization/solicitation process began early enough?
3. Do you feel that there was a good mix of workshop options? Why or why
not?
4. Are there other changes you would like to see in the process of organizing
workshops?
COORDINATING WORKSHOPS FOR A NATIONAL CONFERENCE/GATHERING
Ideally, there will be several people on this committee. But, don't make your committee too big!
Two people can handle the job just fine. If, however, you end up a committee of one, it is helpful
to identify at least one other person to bounce ideas off so the job load can be shared and
potential facilitators don't feel snubbed by one particular person. It's also helpful to have a
contact person local to the conference who is familiar with area talent you might tap for
workshops.
1. CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Initiate a "call for workshops" in the letter that goes out to the general membership in the pre-
registration packet (probably late June, early July). Make sure to include an e-mail as well as a
snail mail address to send proposals to. Put a reasonable deadline (one month) to encourage
facilitators to respond.
For example: We are currently looking for workshop facilitators for the 200? conference to be
held at ?. Send a brief description to Sally Singalong, our workshop coordinator at (give
address) by (give deadline).
2. PROCESS & ORGANIZE THE PROPOSALS
Hopefully, you will receive a pile of proposals. For each volunteer facilitator, acknowledge that
you have received the proposal and say that it is being reviewed by the conference committee.
Inform the potential facilitator that they should hear from the conference committee "yes or no"
in 3-4 weeks (depending) and thank them for offering their talents.
If you do not receive a handful of proposals, don't panic. Have a committee meeting to
brainstorm ideas of who you would like to see as a workshop facilitators and contact those
people. Don't immediately box them into what they have done in the past, but encourage them
to be creative. Ask your local contact for suggestions for potential leaders. Contact these
people.
3. MAKE UP A TENTATIVE WORKSHOP LIST
¢ Now that you have all your proposals, sit with your committee and review your choices.
There are generally 4 or 5 workshops going on in each workshop time slot, depending on the
size of your conference.
a. Do we have enough workshops?
b. Are they varied in content?
c. Do they reflect CMN values?
d. Do they reflect regional diversity?
¢ Be aware that to facilitate at a national conference, you need you have been to at least one
other CMN event so as to understand the concept of facilitation versus sole leadership. Many
of our members are talented and experienced in leading teacher/parent workshops, but
CMN's vision is a little different. There is an info sheet that should be mailed to all facilitators
(contact the national office for a copy if you don't have one) and read by the workshops
committee. There are exceptions to this rule and they are made clear on that sheet.
¢ Keep in mind that it is good to have at least one "kid friendly" workshop per session (that
includes many song swaps).
¢ In general, workshop facilitators are to be chosen from among current (paid-up) CMN
members. So check every potential leader with the CMN office so they can be nudged to
renew if indicated.
Workshop Committee (cont.)
¢ Make it clear to facilitators that signing up for a workshop does not register them for the
conference. They need to do the regular registration process.
¢ A great learning tool is to go through the evaluations from the previous year so as to avoid
the same mistakes. (Available from the national office or last year's organizers.)
=
PUT TOGETHER THE SCHEDULE AND ROOM ASSIGNMENTS
Make sure you check in with the conference site coordinator if you are unfamiliar with room
size. While you can never tell how many people will attend a certain workshop, there are
certain topics or facilitators you can bet will attract a crowd.
¢ Decide who is actually going to write up and format the workshop schedule and facilitator
biographies.
¢ Contact your presenters and have them provide you with
a. The official title of the workshop
b. A brief description of the workshop
c. A brief description of the facilitator
d. Any specific room requirements (e.g., space to dance, outdoor location, writing space)
Have them sent this information directly to the person who is going to write them up; that person
can forward facilities needs to you. Many of the descriptions and bios will need editing for
length, and some will need their promotional flavor edited out.
Give a room and equipment needs list to the conference coordinators.
5. ON-SITE MANAGEMENT
Usually, the conference organizers check that workshop rooms are assigned and workable, and
put up room signs and the like, but check that they remember to/intend to do this.
It is helpful to have someone on the committee actually check in with the facilitators at the
conference to see how the session went. It can be a great learning tool!
WHAT IF????
What if someone wants to facilitate but is new to CMN?
Use your best judgment. If they understand the concept of facilitation, and you feel their
voice will add to the conference, go ahead.
What if we have concerns about a potential presenter: should we pass them by?
Absolutely not. Encourage them to co-facilitate with a CMN member who understands the
leadership role.
What if no one responds to the "call for workshops?"
Refer to the CMN directory for likely candidates and call others who are working on the
conference for ideas.
What if we get too many responses?
Make sure all possible presenters know you are reviewing their proposals and select topics
that you know reflect CMN values and celebrate diversity.
What if we have to turn someone down?
Thank them and ask them to please submit again next year. Tell them that all your slots
have been filled. Encourage people with similar topics to co-facilitate one workshop.
NATIONAL CONFERENCE WORKSHOP SELECTION PROCESS
Ideally, there will be several people on this committee. But, don't make your committee too big!
Two people can handle the job just fine. If, however, you end up a committee of one, it is helpful
to identify at least one other person to bounce ideas off of so the job load can be shared and
potential facilitators don't feel snubbed by one particular person. It's also helpful to have a
contact person local to the conference who is familiar with area talent you might tap for
workshops.
OVERVIEW
Here's the gist of the work:
Working with the conference chair, the workshop committee will create a proposal invitation
letter and form that is sent to all members from the CMN office. The committee evaluates the
proposals, selects some, solicits to fill gaps; prepares lists/charts/etc. of the workshops for the
Web site, the registration mailing, and (later) the conference program book. At the conference,
the committee provides presenter hospitality (shows them space, works with the conference
chair to provide equipment/supplies) and monitors workshop needs throughout the weekend.
The CMN office has on file the letters and forms from years back to serve as a starting place if
wanted. Workshop lists for many years back are on the Web site in the office conference
archives.
Rough ti ine for work p
+ Dec. or Jan.--proposal invitation goes out
« Late Jan. or late Feb.?—deadline for submissions
« Amonth to sort through proposals, solicit for any categories unfilled, finalize selection, and
notify presenters
¢ For April Web site update (mid-month) if not in March—have workshop topics/facilitators
list ready to post
* May (or when available)—update the list to include presenter bios and the workshop
schedule
THE TASKS
1. CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Initiate a “call for workshops” in the letter that goes out to the general membership. Make sure
to include an e-mail as well as a postal maiing address to send proposals to. Put in a reasonable
deadline (one month) to encourage facilitators to respond.
For example: We are currently looking for workshop facilitators for the 201x conference to be
held at ?. Send a brief description to Sally Singalong, our workshop coordinator at (give
address) by (give deadline).
2. PROCESS & ORGANIZE THE PROPOSALS
Hopefully, you will receive a pile of proposals. For each volunteer facilitator, acknowledge that
you have received the proposal and say that it is being reviewed by the conference committee.
Inform the potential facilitator that they should hear from the conference committee "yes or no"
in 4-5 weeks (depending) and thank them for offering their talents.
If you do not receive more than a handful of proposals, don't panic. Have a committee meeting
to brainstorm ideas of who you would like to see as a workshop facilitators and contact those
people. Don't immediately box them into what they have done in the past, but encourage them
to be creative. Ask your local contact for suggestions for potential leaders. Contact these
people.
3. MAKE UP A TENTATIVE WORKSHOP LIST
Now that you have all your proposals, sit with your committee and review your choices. There
are generally 3 or 4 workshops going on in each workshop time slot, depending on the size of
your conference.
a. Do we have enough workshops?
In recent years we've needed about 75 workshop seats per time slot.
b. Are they varied in content?
You can’t serve everyone every time, but cover what you can, such as teachers,
performers, early childhood, older kids, the business of music, values topics, light
tone, more serious tone.
c. Do they reflect CMN values?
Look at “Our Principles” on the inside cover of a Pass It On!
d. Do they reflect regional diversity?
Try to include leaders from around the country, as well as a range of interests.
Scheduling the workshops in “tracks” has been popular; examples: early childhood, performance,
education, professional development/issues. It’s also good to identify workshops’ formats:
theme song swap, master class (that includes attendee participation), forum, panel, etc. (See a
separate facilitator guide for more about this aspect.)
¢ Keep in mind that it is good to have at least one "kid friendly" workshop per session. (That
includes many song swaps.)
¢ <A general rule is that to facilitate a workshop at a national conference, you need you have
been to at least one other CMN event so as to understand the concept of facilitation versus
sole leadership. Many of our members are talented and experienced in leading
teacher/parent workshops, but CMN's vision is a little different. See the Workshop Facilitator
Guide for details and exceptions, and send the guide to all facilitators when confirming them.
¢ In general, workshop facilitators are to be chosen from among current (paid-up) CMN
members. So check every potential leader with the CMN office before confirming them so
they can be nudged to renew if indicated. (Check even if they say they’re current: people
sometimes lose track.) If a non-member is being brought in to share special skills or
information, suggest that they’d be welcome to join—many do after experiencing the
conference.
¢ Make it clear to facilitators that signing up for a workshop does not register them for the
conference. They need to do the regular registration process. There is no financial
compensation, registration fee discount, or work scholarship for workshop facilitators. though
—like any other attenders—they may apply for scholarship assistance if needed.
4. PUT TOGETHER THE SCHEDULE AND ROOM ASSIGNMENTS
Make sure you check in with the conference site coordinator if you are unfamiliar with room
size. While you can never tell how many people will attend a certain workshop, there are
certain topics or facilitators you can bet will attract a crowd.
¢ Decide who is actually going to write up and format the workshop schedule and facilitator
biographies. (See a separate guide for editing facilitator bios.)
¢ Contact your presenters and have them provide you with
a. The official title of the workshop
b. A brief description of the workshop
c. A brief description of the facilitator
d. Any specific room requirements (e.g., space to dance, outdoor location, writing space)
Have them send this information directly to the person who is going to write them up; that
person can forward facilities needs to you. Many of the descriptions and bios will need editing
for length, and some will need their promotional flavor edited out. (See a separate guide sheet
on bios.)
Give a room and equipment needs list to the conference coordinator.
5. DO A LAST CHECK-IN WITH FACILITATORS
Former workshop organizers have found that an e-mail to all facilitators about two weeks before
the conference stating the title, length, time, and description of the workshop (this could be a
copy of the acceptance e-mail) could save answering e-mails from people who have forgotten
everything about their workshop. Mention that the complete workshop roster and the schedule
are posted on the CMN Web site.
6. ON-SITE MANAGEMENT
¢ Usually, the conference organizers check that workshop rooms are assigned and workable,
and put up room signs and the like, but check that they remember to/intend to do this.
¢ If at all possible, a representative from the workshop committee should greet each workshop
facilitator before their session to welcome them, make sure they know where their workshop
room is, see that equipment they requested is actually present, ask whether they need help
arranging the room, water, or other items. It can be a great learning tool!
¢ Monitor workshop rooms as you can at the end of sessions to help clear them for the next one
if needed.
¢ It is helpful to have someone on the workshop committee actually check in with the
facilitators at the conference to see how the session went. Take notes to pass on to the next
organizers.
7. WHAT IF????
What if someone wants to facilitate but is new to CMN?
Use your best judgment. If they understand the concept of facilitation, and you feel their
voice will add to the conference, go ahead.
What if we have concerns about a potential presenter: should we pass them by?
Absolutely not. Encourage them to co-facilitate with a CMN member who understands the
leadership role.
What if no one responds to the "call for workshops?"
Refer to the CMN directory for likely candidates and call others who are working on the
conference for ideas.
What if we get too many responses?
Make sure all possible presenters know you are reviewing their proposals and select topics
that you know reflect CMN values and celebrate diversity.
What if we have to turn someone down?
Thank them and ask them to please submit again next year. Tell them that all your slots
have been filled. Encourage people with similar topics to co-facilitate one workshop.
What if we have picked out all of the proposals we want to see on the program but still need to
fillin a couple of empty time slots or topic areas needed for balance?
Contact the board to ask if some of them will lead song swaps with focuses that fill out
your program.
2010
Facilitator Guide
for Workshops (Facilitated Sharing Sessions)
at Conferences/Gatherings or Other CMN Events
GENERAL CMN APPROACH
CMN events do not generally include presentations by individual artists, but rather
offer workshops that are facilitated by someone expert in that area. The facilitator’s
function is to introduce the topic and offer ideas/songs, etc., to get the workshop
started, but also to invite all present to share their ideas/songs on that topic. See
below for exceptions.
This is very different from the meaning of “workshop” at most conferences, in which
the leader is expected to present a complete workshop of their ideas and resources.
Of course, if everyone present has had an opportunity to share their ideas and
participants would like to hear more from the facilitator, that’s fine!
Example: A facilitator of a workshop on “Songwriting With Children” might begin by
telling about the work (s)he has done in this field and put out some of his/her ideas,
being mindful of the number of people present who would like to contribute ideas also.
Then (s)he might solicit others’ ideas or perhaps guide the group to decide together
on a format for the rest of the workshop—whether to take turns presenting
ideas/questions or perhaps to all try to write a song together. (S)He acts as a guide
for making sure as many people share ideas as is reasonable.
EXCEPTIONS/ALTERNATIVES
Sometimes a person volunteers or is invited to teach a specific skill such as African
drumming or to speak on a specific topic such as how they make their particular type
of puppet to enhance their songs. These workshops will often be identified on
workshop lists as master classes or lectures. Even then, facilitators are encouraged to
invite attendee participation as practical.
Example: \f a facilitator is chosen to “teach” a specific skill, like “How to Play a
Musical Saw,” then it is expected that those attending are there to learn the skill as in
a more conventional workshop.
Example: \f a workshop or an event within a conference is set up for large group
participation, such as a square dance or a presentation by an honored guest (i.e., an
“elder in the field”), then interactive participation of all is desired, but it is understood
that one person or group will be principally “teaching” or “leading” or “presenting” so
that all might share in the activity or knowledge.
Note 1: \t is not appropriate for facilitators to pass out or sell their own literature,
recordings, or other products at the actual workshop. This applies as well to keynoters
and other special guests. (But these persons have the option of special sales
presentations in the sales area. See the CMN Policies/Procedures document in the
Board Tool Kit on the CMN Web site.)
Note 2: At the beginning of the workshop session, the facilitator should explain the
policy for recording the workshop. If the facilitator or someone acting on her or his
behalf intends to record, participants should be informed about that. If individual
attendees want to record for their own use, they should ask permission from the
facilitator and other participants.
2010
Facilitator Guide
for
Workshops (Facilitated Sharing Sessions)
at Conferences/Gatherings or Other CMN Events
CMN EVENTS do not generally include presentations by individual artists but
rather offer workshops that are facilitated by someone expert in that area.
The facilitator’s function is to introduce the topic and offer ideas/songs, etc.,
to get the workshop started, but also to invite all present to share their
ideas/songs on that topic. (Exceptions occur when someone has been
invited to teach a specific skill such as African drumming or to speak ona
specific topic such as how they make their particular type of puppet to
enhance their songs.)
This is very different from the meaning of “workshop” at most conferences,
in which the leader is expected to present a complete workshop of their
ideas and resources. Of course, if everyone present has had an opportunity
to share their ideas and participants would like to hear more from the
facilitator, that’s fine!
Example: A facilitator of a workshop on “Songwriting With Children” might
begin by telling about the work (s)he has done in this field and put out some
of his/her ideas, being mindful of the number of people present who would
like to contribute ideas also. Then (s)he might solicit others’ ideas or
perhaps guide the group to decide together on a format for the rest of the
workshop—whether to take turns presenting ideas/questions or perhaps to
all try to write a song together. (S)He acts as a guide for making sure as
many people share ideas as is reasonable.
Example: If a facilitator is chosen to “teach” a specific skill, like “How to Play
a Musical Saw,” then it is expected that those attending are there to learn
the skill as in a more conventional workshop.
Example: If a workshop or an event within a conference is set up for large
group participation, such as a square dance or a presentation by an honored
guest (i.e., an “elder in the field”), then interactive participation of all is
desired, but it is understood that one person or group will be principally
“teaching” or “leading” or “presenting” so that all might share in the activity
or knowledge.
Note 1: It is not appropriate for facilitators to pass out or sell their own
literature or recordings at the actual workshop.
Note 2: At the beginning of the workshop session, the facilitator should
explain the policy for recording the workshop. If the facilitator or someone
acting on her or his behalf intends to record, participants should be informed
about that. If individual attendees want to record for their own use, they
should ask permission from the facilitator and other participants.
2001
MISC. CONFERENCE WORKSHOP POLICIES AND ISSUES
Other policies are found in various conference resource or handout documents and in the
CMN Policies/Procedures document.
Workshop Leaders Skimpy Attendance
CP > DHK 9/20/04
Speaking of which, having a facilitator come in just for the workshop is something that
has always been strongly discouraged, especially for people who haven't much or any
experience with CMN events. This is because this behavior smacks of the self-
promotional rather than the CMN sharing ethic. | remember that it was an issue in ‘01.
At that time, organizers talked with the proposed facilitators (a couple, conference
newcomers) about it, but they were still reluctant to give the event any more time. So
we comped them for the afternoon of their workshop and for dinner to encourage them
to stay. They ended up having a great time and joined.
Recording Workshops
1/24/92 Board Meeting Minutes—
The taping of CMN song swaps by children’s redio hosts/producers: This issue was
brought up in relation to an incident that had occurred that morning at the Albany Song
Swap. The board decided that radio hosts/producers should not be allowed to tape CMN
song swaps. Taping becomes too obtrusive-intrusive, and can be intimidating to the
non-professional song sharer. It also sets up a more competitive situation and a more
performance oriented situation that takes away from the sharing of songs. [Bolding in
original.]
Standing Policy on Recordings (This should be printed in the program book and perhaps
posted on a prominent wall.)—
Ask presenters and other participants for permission before recording presentations and
workshops. No permission is needed to record the round robin sessions. All recordings of
any type are for your personal use only and may not be reproduced or distributed in any
form, including public-access Web sites, social networking sites, and other electronic
means.
From the Workshop Facilitator Guide—
Note 2: At the beginning of the workshop session, the facilitator should explain the
policy for recording the workshop. If the facilitator or someone acting on her or his
behalf intends to record, participants should be informed about that. If individual
attendees want to record for their own use, they should ask permission from the
facilitator and other participants.
Use of Professional Names (from the CMN Policies/Procedures document)—
NON-PROMOTION POLICY: USE OF PROFESSIONAL NAMES/PSEUDONYMS
[Board Minutes 5/07]
(1) In legal documents, always use legal names.
(2) When listed as a member of or representing the board, use the legal surname, with
flexibity for first names.
(3) In Pass It On! in a byline or mentioned in an article, use the person’s preferred name.
(a) If a pseudonym is preferred, add the legal name or common name in
parentheses.
(b) If the legal name or a version of it is preferred, the person has the
option of also having a pseudonym or common name added, possibly
with aka.
(4) For all other uses—for example, in workshop bios or verbal introductions—the
preferred name will be used.
10/31/06
Dear Marci and Erin,
I'm responding to your recent message offering to organize the workshops forthe 2007
conference. | saw that Terri accepted the offer, so it looks likeyou're set to get to work.
To that end, I'm sending you resource information to get you started.
First is the process. As far back as | can remember and until last year, workshop
proposals have been invited in the all-member mailing of the pre-registration materials
that goes out sometime between early June and early July, depending on how things are
coming together; the target date is June 20. The reason for doing it this way was to give
every member an equal opportunity to make a proposal, according the inclusiveness
value of the organization. From responses to that, the workshops committee would see
what they had and, in early September if not before, would solicit to fill in topic gaps
and/or to fill out the desired number. Of course, all along a few individuals would get in
touch with organizers informally earlier to offer their proposal, so the committee nearly
always had a little head start.
We put a list of general ("sample") topics on the conference flyer that makes its debut in
what used to be the winter issue of Pass /t On! coming out in early January, but has
become the winter-spring issue that goes out in February. The list is designed to reflect
the wide range of topics we always try for, and a range of age groups, and to
communicate values from the values list that is part of or a corollary to our mission
statement: that is, to communicate who we are and the flavor of the conference.
We never published or otherwise distributed an actual list of titles. Even now | never
guarantee a title to an inquirer because we usually have one or more changes or
cancellations, but just say this is planned as of now. And we never publicized the names
of the facilitators. This was in accordance with the policy of non-promotion of individuals
that has been a foundation stone of CMN from the beginning.
In later years, there has been a reinterpretation of the non-promotion policy by the
board, not only in relation to the conference, but in other specific areas as well—a topic
for another time. It has certainly not been discarded, but has been stretched to take
advantage of the PR value name recognition can have, even internally.
Coming from that, the board at last February's meeting decided to experiment with a
different system that started the process earlier and publicized names. Lisa Atkinson was
the committee chair. (As you know, after Lisa became ill late in the process, David
Heitler-Klevans, who had done it before, stepped in to finish.) This from the February
minutes, section VIII-G-2 on workshops:
2. Selection and publicizing—Since feedback from several sources indicates that the
absence of specific workshop titles in publicity deters attendance to some degree, it was
decided to experiment this year with a different system.
By the end of February, Lisa (or Caroline) will send an explanation of the experimental
system and a workshop proposal form with a March 31 return deadline to all members,
via e-mail as possible and paper mail to the rest. By April 15, one-third to one-half of the
anticipated final total will be chosen and confirmed from proposals received in response.
The conference flyer will include these topics (topics only). The Web site listing will
include topics, short descriptions, and facilitator names, with the idea of making the
site’s publicity a conference “brochure.” Posting facilitators’ names in this way is
considered within CMN’s policy of not promoting individuals because everyone will have
had the opportunity to submit for the early deadline.
The registration mailing will include an invitation for workshop proposals as usual, with a
deadline later in the summer. The committee may want to solicit proposals for certain
topic areas. After this second deadline, the remaining workshops will be chosen from the
pool of these later submissions and those not chosen from the first set.
Next January, the board will assess this system and decide whether to repeat it. [end]
So, I'd say that your first task might be to initiate the assessment. If | understood you
rightly, the February board meeting might be a later beginning than you have in mind.
So perhaps the assessment should begin soon by e-mail. Because it would constitute
conducting official business beween meetings, it should be presented that way so that
the discussion is focused. If you want to do this, I'm willing to help you think through how
to frame it if you like. Likewise if you have a different system to propose; but I'd still
think the first task would be the assessment of the experiment.
There are more details to the workshop development process, but they pertain to how
the committee and | interact in later stages, and we can get to them then. The operating
basic is that committees keep in close touch with me and the conference chair at every
stage of their work. Since the conference chair changes year to year, most doing it for
the first time, | function as a sortof co-chair providing continuity.
The attachment to this message is this year's first-round solicitation letter as an FYI. I'll
send other documents in separate messages. They are guides edited each year as
needed to reflect that year's dates and people. If any substantive changes are wanted
that amount to changes in the system or policy, they must be discussed with the board. |
keep all of the guide documents in their latest versions here and distribute them to each
year's committees.
| think everyone is looking forward to hearing your ideas. Please let me know if the
above isn't clear or if you have questions about something | didn't address.
Caroline
12/28/06 e-mail
EVALUATION
1. Did the trial two-stage solicitation system and early publicity for workshops work well?
If not, should we go back to the one-stage appeal, or modify the 2-stage sytem? (How?)
step?
Consensus Statement for Workshop Solicitation and Publicizing
The two-stage/two-deadline proposal solicitation system used experimentally
for the 2006 conference did not serve to achieve our purposes and we will not
repeat it.
1. For the 2007 conference, we will send out the invitation as early as possible,
giving one proposal deadline.
2. For the 2007 conference, we will aim to have the complete workshop roster
in place by early spring latest. We will publicize titles, descriptions, and
facilitator names and bios on the Web site and elsewhere as soon as the list
has been finalized, adding in the workshop schedule when ready.
3. In October or November 2007, the board will do an e-mail evaluation of the
procedure.
1/5/07
Also see the workshop proposal invitation for more '07 policy information.
2/07 Board Minutes
2007 Conference Workshop Selection (e-mail decision)
Approved an early invitation with only one early proposal deadline, selection to be
complete by early spring. Full information, including schedule, to be publicized on the
Web site and elsewhere ASAP. The board will evaluate the process after the conference.
Vote completed January 5-6, 2007.
