Executive Director's Page

NHMEA's new Executive Director handles all financial aspects of our organization.

Eric Kobb
NHMEA
PO Box 717
Stratham, NH 03885
statemanager@nhmea.org

Voicemail - 603-775-8849
Fax - 603-775-0151

Notes from the Executive Director - Sept, 2010

As the 2010-11 school year begins, I am pleased to announce that NHMEA is financially well-prepared for the events of the upcoming year. Much work has been done over the past year to bring our association up to date with the most recent rules and requirements involving the IRS and the State of NH. With the assistance of our very capable accounting and legal firms, we have completed all of the required documentation to maintain our status as a 501c(3) non-profit organization. As a result of these changes, you will be receiving an email blast sometime this month with proposed changes to our Bylaws. We will vote on these proposed changes at our annual Octoberfest All-Member Meeting on October 21.

Thanks to our previous Executive Director, Jill Deleault, our organization converted to the QuickBooks accounting software two years ago. Again, with the assistance of our accounting firm, we were able to automate our annual School Participation Fee invoices. This will save a great amount of time in the years ahead. The invoices were mailed on July 16. By default, the invoices are sent to the accounts payable office of your school district.

Sometimes, I hear from our members that school business offices do not know what to do with the invoices when they arrive. I now have the ability to send a copy of the invoice to you as an email attachment. If you would like to receive a copy automatically starting next year, please send me an email at statemanager@nhmea.org. Also, your invoices (and supporting documentation) are available right now on our website, www.nhmea.org. You will find them by going to the menu on the left and clicking on Resources > Executive Director’s page. The invoices are in a PDF file and ordered alphabetically by school district. Please recall that School Participation Fees are to be paid by October 1.

School Participation fees make up the core of NHMEA’s annual budget, and as such support and sponsor the bulk of our annual activities benefitting NH’s music teachers and students – such as:

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES:

Our annual October Music Fest and Spring Conference feature nationally recognized conductors and guest speakers, as well as local experts in their fields.
NH Quarter Notes, our own professional magazine is printed four times a year and is focused on professional development. The magazine is sent to all NH public schools.

STUDENT FESTIVALS - EVALUATION AND PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES:

HIGH SCHOOL: School Participation fees must be paid for students to participate in the Jazz All-State Music Festival, All-State Music Festival, All-Eastern Music Festival, Solo & Ensemble Festival and Large Group Festival for individuals and performing groups from public and private high schools throughout the state.
MIDDLE SCHOOL: School Participation fees must be paid for students to participate in the middle school district festivals. And, in addition to those, junior high/middle school performing groups may also participate in the Elementary/Middle School Sharing Festival and the Solo & Ensemble and Large Group Festivals.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: The Elementary/Middle School Sharing Festival has grown over the past 10 years to meet the needs of an increasing number of younger performers. Elementary level students may also participate in the Solo & Ensemble Festival. School Participation fees must be paid for your school to join in these remarkable opportunities.

Additional benefits are available to members of MENC, our national parent organization, such as:

Two all-member meetings per year, to provide opportunity for all members to shape the course of our association
Discounted registration to our conferences and workshops
A monthly e-mail newsletter, with reminders of festival deadlines and information

My continued goal as Executive director is to streamline the processes for handling finances and paperwork for our event chairpersons and our membership. As teachers, we entered this profession to do exactly that…teach! I have been meeting with software companies over the last year to discuss the creation of a web-based system that will handle many of the registration, accounting, and information distribution functions. States such as Georgia, New York, and Texas have already invested in these programs and are seeing the benefits. Now that the groundwork and initial investment has been completed by larger organizations, the cost of the technology has become more affordable because the wheel does not need to be reinvented. We are in a great position to take advantage of this opportunity. At some point this year, I hope to provide a presentation to our membership. Your opinions as we discuss this possibility are of great interest to the Executive Board.

In conclusion, I would like to wish all of you a great start to this school year. If you have any questions, or if I can be of any assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact me. May your year be filled with great music making!

Sincerely,
Eric Kobb

2010-11 School Participation Fee Information

Invoices for school participation fees were mailed to all SAU business offices and Private Schools on July 16, 2010. All fees are due by October 1, 2010.

More info?

Contact Eric with any questions or concerns.


	HOME ABOUT OFFICERS POLICIES LINKS CALENDAR 2010-2011 FESTIVALS Oct. Mus. Fest Jazz All-State ALL-STATE Solo & Ens. Large Group Festival ES/MS Sharing MS Festivals Spring Conference RESOURCES Forms Competencies Scholarships Executive Director's Page President's Page CONTACT	Executive Director's Page NHMEA's new Executive Director handles all financial aspects of our organization. Eric Kobb NHMEA PO Box 717 Stratham, NH 03885 statemanager@nhmea.org Voicemail - 603-775-8849 Fax - 603-775-0151 Notes from the Executive Director - Sept, 2010 As the 2010-11 school year begins, I am pleased to announce that NHMEA is financially well-prepared for the events of the upcoming year. Much work has been done over the past year to bring our association up to date with the most recent rules and requirements involving the IRS and the State of NH. With the assistance of our very capable accounting and legal firms, we have completed all of the required documentation to maintain our status as a 501c(3) non-profit organization. As a result of these changes, you will be receiving an email blast sometime this month with proposed changes to our Bylaws. We will vote on these proposed changes at our annual Octoberfest All-Member Meeting on October 21. Thanks to our previous Executive Director, Jill Deleault, our organization converted to the QuickBooks accounting software two years ago. Again, with the assistance of our accounting firm, we were able to automate our annual School Participation Fee invoices. This will save a great amount of time in the years ahead. The invoices were mailed on July 16. By default, the invoices are sent to the accounts payable office of your school district. Sometimes, I hear from our members that school business offices do not know what to do with the invoices when they arrive. I now have the ability to send a copy of the invoice to you as an email attachment. If you would like to receive a copy automatically starting next year, please send me an email at statemanager@nhmea.org. Also, your invoices (and supporting documentation) are available right now on our website, www.nhmea.org. You will find them by going to the menu on the left and clicking on Resources > Executive Director’s page. The invoices are in a PDF file and ordered alphabetically by school district. Please recall that School Participation Fees are to be paid by October 1. School Participation fees make up the core of NHMEA’s annual budget, and as such support and sponsor the bulk of our annual activities benefitting NH’s music teachers and students – such as: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES: Our annual October Music Fest and Spring Conference feature nationally recognized conductors and guest speakers, as well as local experts in their fields. NH Quarter Notes, our own professional magazine is printed four times a year and is focused on professional development. The magazine is sent to all NH public schools. STUDENT FESTIVALS - EVALUATION AND PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES: HIGH SCHOOL: School Participation fees must be paid for students to participate in the Jazz All-State Music Festival, All-State Music Festival, All-Eastern Music Festival, Solo & Ensemble Festival and Large Group Festival for individuals and performing groups from public and private high schools throughout the state. MIDDLE SCHOOL: School Participation fees must be paid for students to participate in the middle school district festivals. And, in addition to those, junior high/middle school performing groups may also participate in the Elementary/Middle School Sharing Festival and the Solo & Ensemble and Large Group Festivals. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: The Elementary/Middle School Sharing Festival has grown over the past 10 years to meet the needs of an increasing number of younger performers. Elementary level students may also participate in the Solo & Ensemble Festival. School Participation fees must be paid for your school to join in these remarkable opportunities. Additional benefits are available to members of MENC, our national parent organization, such as: Two all-member meetings per year, to provide opportunity for all members to shape the course of our association Discounted registration to our conferences and workshops A monthly e-mail newsletter, with reminders of festival deadlines and information My continued goal as Executive director is to streamline the processes for handling finances and paperwork for our event chairpersons and our membership. As teachers, we entered this profession to do exactly that…teach! I have been meeting with software companies over the last year to discuss the creation of a web-based system that will handle many of the registration, accounting, and information distribution functions. States such as Georgia, New York, and Texas have already invested in these programs and are seeing the benefits. Now that the groundwork and initial investment has been completed by larger organizations, the cost of the technology has become more affordable because the wheel does not need to be reinvented. We are in a great position to take advantage of this opportunity. At some point this year, I hope to provide a presentation to our membership. Your opinions as we discuss this possibility are of great interest to the Executive Board. In conclusion, I would like to wish all of you a great start to this school year. If you have any questions, or if I can be of any assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact me. May your year be filled with great music making! Sincerely, Eric Kobb 2010-11 School Participation Fee Information Invoices for school participation fees were mailed to all SAU business offices and Private Schools on July 16, 2010. All fees are due by October 1, 2010. More info? Click here to download the Informational Packet sent to your SAU Click here for pdf copies of invoices, sorted by School District Contact Eric with any questions or concerns.