Breaking News - Early Bird Registration Deadline Extended

In browsing the 2008 National Convention website today, I learned that the Early Bird Registration Deadline has been extended 3 days, to Sunday, February 3. Find out more here. Hope to see you at the convention!

2008 Convention - Early Bird Registration Closes 1/31

You won't want to miss the 2008 AGO National Convention! The early-bird registration closes January 31, 2008.

Join us June 22-26 for the National Convention in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota - right in our own Region! To register on-line and learn the latest about all the details of this exciting convention, visit www.ago2008.org.

Here are just a few of the highlights:

• An evening concert, choral matins, and evensong with the St. Paul's Cathedral Choir of London - when St. Paul's will visit St. Paul
• A special, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend Pipedreams Live! hosted by American Public Media's Michael Barone - the official start of AGO's International Year of the Organ
• Major new works commissioned from internationally renowned composers, plus the U.S. premiere of the Te Deum by Siegfried Matthus at the St. Paul Cathedral with massed choirs and orchestra
• Great instruments in great spaces
• More than 60 diverse workshops, including a special pedagogy track focusing on the music of Messiaen in this anniversary year

Conventions can be life-changing - I know this from personal experience at the 1996 convention in New York. What will be your experience? Don't miss it! Register now at www.ago2008.org. See you there!

Pipe Organ Encounters (POEs)

"The graying of the Guild." Have you heard this expression? It's a fact that our profession is "graying" -- most chapters have many more older than younger members, and sometimes we wonder what will happen with our beloved instrument in the next generation and beyond.

The AGO has great news to share! The Guild's premiere program for youth, Pipe Organ Encounters (POEs), now in its 10th year, has introduced the organ to hundreds of young and new organists, many of whom are planning to, or actively and enthusiastically are, pursuing the organ as a profession.

POEs are summer organ "camps" for young or new organists, typically 4-5 days in length, in which participants enjoy private lessons, workshops, field trips to organ shops and significant instruments, and fun. (For more details, including dates of two POEs which will be held in Region VI in summer 2008, find the link to my January 8 post on POEs, below. There is also information on POEs on the AGO Headquarters website - click here.)

Are you concerned with the "graying of the Guild"? Support the AGO's POE program! You might consider encouraging students you know to attend a POE. You might consider offering a personal or chapter scholarship to help local students with costs. You might consider attending a POE yourself -- the POE+ program is offered for adults. You might consider hosting a POE in 2009 or beyond! The application deadline is March 15, 2008, for POEs in 2009. Find details here, and contact me.

Watch the YouTube video below about the San Francisco POE in 2005, and be motivated by these students' enthusiasm for the King of Instruments! (Video produced by Vic Ferrer Productions, San Francisco © 2008.) On YouTube, one of the comments about this video says, "Great great great video! I've been to 3 POEs now, and they are sooo much fun. it is what really got me into the pipe organ, because I found out what a cool instrument it is, and there are other kids out there who love it too! :)"

Region VI Calendar of Events

Over the past year and a half as your Regional Councillor, I’ve carefully read the chapter newsletters and e-newsletters sent to me from many of the 48 chapters in the 10 states of Region VI. It’s obvious that many exciting programs, workshops, and events are being sponsored by our chapters! However, sometimes those programs go by unnoticed by those outside chapter membership. (Fred Swann once played for a chapter event in our Region and people 50 miles away had no idea!) Therefore, one of my goals for our Region this year is to develop an on-line Regional Calendar. I have been compiling this from the chapter newsletters and announcements I’ve received, and you'll find the Region VI Calendar of Events is updated regularly on this blog.

Let's make it a goal in Region VI to support our fellow chapters in their endeavors! Visit the Regional Calendar (bottom of this blog site.) Check out what other chapters are doing in your area and in areas you might visit this year, and support these events through your personal attendance when possible. Check that your chapter's events are listed on the calendar, and if not, send me information about your programs. Get programming ideas for your chapter's future program years by looking at what other chapters are currently doing. Visit this calendar often!

Regional Certification Group

If you are not currently pursuing AGO Certification, this new year is the time to start on that goal! I made this goal for myself when I invited members attending the Regional Convention in Lincoln this past summer to join me in a “Region VI Certification Group.” The members of this group will attempt to attain their next (or first) level of certification – whether the SPC, CAGO, AAGO, FAGO, or ChM – by the next Regional Convention in 2009. I’ll be working toward AAGO. Wish me luck! Wish us all luck! Join us!

You are welcome to join the Region VI Certification Group anytime. We keep in contact via e-mail, and encourage each other.

If you have earned a Guild certificate, consider running a "Chapter Certification Group" to train others to succeed in attaining the same certification level you have. The Examination Hymn booklet has been revised to include more hymns and songs in various styles, including contemporary and global, so is more applicable than ever for organists in a variety of church settings.

For more information on certification in the AGO, visit www.agohq.org/education/index.html.

Fred Swann to be honored

Thank you to those in Region VI who supported, through your attendance and/or your donations, the Recital and Gala Benefit Reception honoring John Obetz in April 2007. Almost $40,000 was raised to benefit the Guild’s Endowment Fund! What does the Endowment Fund “do”? It ensures the future of our art by expanding programs for leadership development in the Guild, educating new organists, and cultivating new audiences for organ and choral music.

The next national honoree of the Guild will be our current AGO President, Fred Swann. It has been amazing to work with Fred on the National Council, and I can personally attest to the incredible amounts of volunteer time and energy that he contributes to the Guild. I hope that you will join with me and the rest of the AGO membership in honoring and thanking him! He will perform a recital and the AGO will honor him in a gala reception in Los Angeles on April 13, 2008.

You are invited to attend this recital and reception in honor of Fred Swann. If you can't attend in person, you may still honor him with your contribution to the Endowment Fund in his honor! For more information and to contribute on-line, see www.agohq.org.

Your AGO Regional Leaders

All AGO officers at National and Regional levels are volunteers just like your chapter leadership. Your Regional leadership can be especially helpful to you in many ways. All of our contact information is accessible on the AGO National website (www.agohq.org) or under the "Links of Interest" at the right side of this blog.

As your Regional Councillor, I am part of the conduit of information flowing to and from the National office. Therefore, it’s important that I hear your opinions and concerns so that I can adequately represent you on the National Council. I am available to you via e-mail and phone throughout the year. I welcome your chapter's newsletters and e-mails. This ensures information flows to National. To help it flow from National to you, I publish this blog, a regional newsletter, and provide advice in response to your e-mails and phone calls. I can also personally visit your chapter if you’d like – to present a program on Guild matters, install chapter officers, offer a pep talk, meet with chapter leadership, talk about hosting a Regional Convention or POE … whatever you need. Let me know how I can best help you and your chapter!

Be sure I am on your chapter's mailing and e-mailing lists for newsletters and notices of upcoming events. After chapter events, send me updates -- and ensure your chapter submits those also for publication in The American Organist as well! Send me e-mails frequently, or post comments at this blog -- share feedback, questions, and concerns.

We have twelve additional dedicated volunteers at your service in our Region. Your District Convener is another important part of the conduit of information throughout the Guild, representing the chapters in your state. There are also two Regional Coordinators in specialized areas: Jeff Verkuilen, Region VI’s Coordinator for Education, and Marlene Hallstrom, Coordinator for Professional Development. All of these people are available to assist you. Regional budget can cover some expenses for chapter visits by any of us.

Get to know your state's District Convener, and keep him/her posted about your chapter and individual activities and concerns. Involve Jeff and Marlene in your chapter's Education and Professional Development programs.

Often in our profession, we feel isolated ... we spend many hours alone in rehearsal, and if we serve a church, we seldom are able to observe and learn from our colleagues facing similar challenges, because we are involved in our jobs at the same time they're doing theirs. But you are not alone. Your chapter, Regional, and National leadership is ready to help you.

AGO National Website

If you haven’t looked at the National AGO website regularly, you’re missing a goldmine of resources which can be of help to you and your chapter. Check especially the “Downloadable Docs” section, and the “Chapter Documents” section. You’ll find all sorts of useful, immediately accessible information, such as the Chapter Management Handbook, the AGO seal, membership brochures, information on conventions and competitions, examples of treasurer’s reports, and much more.

Visit www.agohq.org. Access downloadable documents by clicking "Official Guild Documents" at the top of the page, then "Downloadable Docs" at the right of the next page. More chapter documents are available by clicking "Membership" on the home page, then "Chapter Documents" at the right. Check out these and lots more information, updated regularly!

Pipe Organ Encounters in 2008

The Pipe Organ Encounter (POE) program, celebrating its 10th year in 2008, has become a very effective outreach of the AGO to new organists. We’re beginning to reap the benefits of these programs nationwide and in our Region – we’re seeing more young chapter members, more students enrolled in organ programs at colleges and universities, and more entrants in organ competitions.

Two Pipe Organ Encounters will be hosted by Region VI in the summer of 2008:

• May 18-23, 2008: Fort Collins, Colorado (Tri-State chapter) will host a “POE+” for adults, age 19 and above

• July 6-11, 2008: Lincoln, Nebraska (Lincoln chapter) will host the first-ever “POE-Advanced” for graduates of previous POEs or others with advanced organ experience. This is the premiere of the POEA program in the history of the AGO.

We are the only Region in the Guild to host two POE programs in 2008. Yeah for Region VI!!!

Encourage students to attend a POE. Spread the word to new organists you know. Consider having your chapter or a generous donor sponsor a student by paying all or part of his/her costs to attend. These are life-changing events!

Is your chapter interested in hosting a POE, POE+, or POEA? It's a great way to reach out to and encourage new organists -- the future of our profession! Application deadline is March 15, 2008, for POEs in 2009. Visit www.agohq.org/education/indexoutreach.html for information, and contact me.

Contributions to AGO's Annual Fund

Chapter registrars and treasurers, how would you like to never have to fill out a membership report form again? What if the chapter portion of each member’s dues appeared automatically in your chapter bank account without your having to process a single check? What if members could join the Guild and pay their dues online?

Many questions I receive about the Annual Fund and Endowment Fund are queries about what these funds actually cover. We are grateful for each member’s dues, and we are aware that membership in the AGO isn’t inexpensive. But it’s also important to know that membership dues pay for only part of all the AGO does. (The major portion of each member’s dues goes toward costs of producing The American Organist each month.) We are therefore very dependent upon donations to the Annual Fund to enable other important projects to move forward. The above questions illustrate one of those possible projects, currently un-funded: the development of a new software package that will eliminate 90% of the work that chapter officers now do to process membership forms and payments. Contributions to the Annual Fund will help turn this project into a reality.

Please contribute to the Annual Fund. Thank you to those who are already regular donors to the Fund. These monies are well-managed and very carefully spent.

The dollar amount of each individual's and/or chapter's contribution is not as important as the goal that each member and chapter DOES contribute. When the AGO applies for grants from outside funding sources, one important area considered by those organizations is the percentage of our membership that believes enough in our organization to contribute themselves. The percentage of AGO members in Region VI who donate now is 5.4% -- higher than the national average of 5.1%, but still it could be a lot better. I would appreciate your help to increase those percentages. 100% of your National Council members are personal contributors to the Annual Fund. Please join us!

To contribute: send a check to Headquarters marked "Annual Fund," or contribute on-line at www.agohq.org.

International Year of the Organ

As you probably know, AGO has designated next program year, 2008-09, as the International Year of the Organ. The IYO committee is planning a series of events and national publicity to bring the organ into the public spotlight. The year will kick off with the upcoming 2008 National Convention this summer, and will conclude with events at the 2009 Regional Conventions. Plans include presenting organists on TV shows and other media events, having a “celebrity spokesperson” for the year, inviting 70+ organizations outside the U.S. to participate, and much more.

An important focus of the IYO will be the Organ Spectacular, when on October 19, 2008, AGO chapters will sponsor simultaneous organ events: recitals, concerts, marathons, daytrips, organ crawls, parties, etc. This is an exciting opportunity for your chapter to be in the public eye, with national publicity to support it!

Let's make it a goal for every active AGO chapter in Region VI to sponsor some event for the OrganSpectacular on October 19, 2008. For ideas, access www.agohq.org/events/index.html.

Each One, Reach One

The Guild is beginning the third and final year of our membership growth challenge called “Each One, Reach One.” In the past two years the focus has been on Chapter Challenges; the goal for this year is a Member Challenge. During the 2007-08 program year we are all encouraged as individual members to invite local organists and choral directors to our chapter activities. Let’s share the AGO with other musicians in our community and encourage them to join us! It is all based on personal invitation. Don’t wait for others to contact you – seek them out and warmly welcome them.

Think of ways you personally can "reach one." You might make phone calls or send e-mails with personal invitations to chapter activities. You might provide a ride to a chapter event. You might make it a goal to personally attend and bring a friend to every chapter function this year. You might personally invite someone to join the AGO. You might contribute your time, talent, and energy to help your chapter "roll out the red carpet" to guests. We can each contribute ... and the task is too big to be left to one Dean, one Regional officer, one National Headquarters. Be courageous! What will you do?

Download the Membership Challenge Flyer, which contains all the information for this exciting initiative, from www.agohq.org/eachone-reachone/forms/MemberChallengeFlyer.pdf. Because of a generous grant from a donor, National AGO is funding a valuable prize for the five members who bring in the most new members: a free visit to the National Convention in Minneapolis/St. Paul this summer - including convention registration, bus transportation package, and five nights in the convention hotel - a $1400 value!

Conventions in 2008 and 2009

We are privileged to have the next National convention right here in Region VI! It will occur in the beautiful cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, June 22-26, 2008. In October the National Council met there, and I'm even more exited about this event. We previewed the convention hotel, visited some of the convention venues and instruments, and met many of the dedicated volunteers on the convention steering committee. You are in for a treat! You will definitely return from this convention with enthusiasm, ideas, and inspiration that will benefit you and your musical role. Plan now to attend, and don’t be afraid to ask for financial assistance from your church, school, and associates. (See information elsewhere in this blog for a chance to come for free!)

Visit www.ago2008.org for information, and return often for updates as convention planning progresses. Let's make it a goal that Region VI will have the most members in attendance of any Region of the AGO! Early-bird registration deadline expires on January 31, 2008.

Please join me in heartfelt thanks to the Twin Cities chapter (TCAGO), Convention Coordinator Bill Stump, and the entire convention steering committee, for hosting this exciting event. Region VI is proud of you all!

Our next Regional convention, in summer 2009, will be hosted by the Wichita, Kansas, chapter. The theme is “Pipes on the Plains,” and the steering committee, headed by Convention Coordinator Marlene Hallstrom, has done wonderful work so far, brainstorming, planning, and budgeting. You’ll hear more about this in 2008.

In the meantime, please set aside June 15-18, 2009, and plan to attend "Pipes on the Plains." You won't want to miss this party! The convention website is http://pipesontheplains09.org and it will be updated often.

Has your chapter considered hosting a future Regional or National Convention? It is a great opportunity to showcase the unique aspects of your area, to advertise your city’s organs and performers to a wider audience, and to build camaraderie within your chapter. Regional conventions for 2011 and beyond, and National conventions after 2014, are available.

If your chapter is interested in pursuing these exciting opportunities, visit the national AGO website at www.agohq.org and access "Downloadable Docs," then
"Competitions and Conventions." Contact me and we'll take the next steps together! Application deadline is January 31, 2008, for the 2011 Convention.

Regional Honoree

The Wichita convention steering committee has proposed an excellent idea to choose a person from Region VI to honor at each Regional Convention. In 2008 I will ask for nominations for the first person to receive this honor, for excellent contributions to the goals of the AGO in Region VI: “to promote the organ in its historic and evolving roles, to encourage excellence in the performance of organ and choral music, and to provide a forum for mutual support, inspiration, education, and certification of Guild members.” (Quoted from the AGO mission statement).

Start thinking now of persons you would like to nominate. More information on the nomination procedure will come to you soon.

Welcome -- January 2008

Welcome to the Region VI blog!

I hope that your AGO chapter has enjoyed being together for various programs and projects as the 2007-08 program year reaches its midpoint at the beginning of 2008. The information in this blog will be helpful to you as you move forward.

I’m in the middle of my second year of my first two-year term as your Regional Councillor. Last year, my first in this role, I learned a lot about the job and about the Region and its members’ needs. This has helped me set goals for 2008 and beyond for the Region and for myself – goals that I hope will build enthusiasm for organ and choral music and inspire you. I look forward to hearing your feedback and opinions!

All best wishes to you for a happy and productive 2008!

Jan Kraybill
Regional Councillor for AGO Region VI