Summary of the July 28, 2010 Meeting of the Board of Directors

TREASURER’S REPORT: NHIMA Treasurer, Bill Gates, provided the board members with a full financial report in advance of our conference call. The books will be closed on our NAMM foundation grant for 2009/2010 following the final report from the Project Director.

MEMBERSHIP REPORT: Eve McGrory, Chairperson of the Membership Committee, reported that membership figures are showing continuous growth. That is positive affirmation that the organization is meeting a need within our communities. Eve advised the board members that Planning Members are having difficulty opening the CD. The suggestion is to advise planning members to access these files on-line through the NHIMA website and eliminate the CD. All board members agreed that accessing on-line will resolve the issue, and that planning members will continue to receive the DVD as well as the on-line link to the files in question.

DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE REPORT: Dick Prettyman, Chairman of the Development Committee, was pleased to report that “Cannonball Musical Instruments” is our newest Business partner and a very welcome addition to our growing list of supportive companies. Jupiter Instruments not only renewed their Business Membership, but has also agreed to sponsor a New Horizons Band. Dick regretfully informed the board members that the Getzen Company did not renew. Roy Ernst suggested that we give back to our Business partners by inviting them to a New Horizons Band camp. Dick felt they might be interested in selling musical accessories. Dick has recently contacted 24 retail stores around the country to inform them of the availability of Business Memberships in the New Horizons organization.

ANNIVERSARY COMMITTEE REPORT: Roy Ernst advised that he and assistants Joan Cantor and Ardis Phillips are investigating articles available for use as commemorative items for the 20th Anniversary. Jim Cubberly stated that Tour Plans are being discussed, and Lori Schuett has agreed to assist with the Canadian portion of the project. Other suggestions for celebrating include creating a Special Edition Newsletter dedicated solely to the New Horizons 20th Anniversary. The NHIMA website will also provide resources to receive information from individual NHIMA groups regarding their 20th anniversary events and plans as well as photos and articles.

COMMUNICATION COMMITTEE: Jim Cubberly, Chairman of the Communication Committee, stated that more dialogue with individual bands is essential. Involving local representatives and providing them with specific tasks and duties will be a major project that the committee will undertake now for implementation late Fall.

FOUNDER'S REPORT: Roy Ernst attended the Summer NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) show and while there made a Presentation on the New Horizons International Music Association. Roy is currently working on a Project which involves offering Fellowships to qualifying candidates from outside of North America. They will be given the opportunity to visit and learn about the New Horizons movement by visiting member bands in the United States or Canada.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:35 E.D.T.

Summary of the May 24, 2010 Meeting of the Board of Directors

MEMBERSHIP REPORT: Eve McGrory, Chairman of the Membership Committee, reported another successful month with the addition of new individual and group members. That is a positive sign that members are enthusiastically sharing their New Horizons experiences with others who in turn want to be part of this musical movement.

TREASURER’S REPORT: Treasurer, Bill Gates, forwarded an updated financial report prior to our conference call. The board members reviewed it and there were no questions or concerns. Bill advised that the nonprofit tax filings for the past year have been completed and submitted. New Horizons International Music Association is once again the grateful recipient of grant funding from the NAMM foundation. Bill confirmed that he would handle the invoicing required to receive the first portion of the grant money.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE: Kathy Weber, Nominating Committee Chairman, advised the board that a slate of candidates for next years Board of Directors has been prepared and will be submitted to the board for review. An idea was also presented for providing the next generation of nominating committee members with a large pool of possible candidates to draw from. Within the next eight to ten months an iContact message could be sent to the entire membership asking for individual members to submit their names if they have any interest in serving on the NHIMA Board of Directors.

DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE REPORT: Dick Prettyman, Chairman of the Development Committee, reported that he was successful in signing up the following new business members: Hal Leonard and Eastman School of Music – Institute for Music Leadership. Dick led a discussion to clarify how aggressively we wish to pursue commercial sponsors. The board members agreed that sponsors within the music industry create a mutually beneficial service.

COMMUNICATION COMMITTEE: Chairman Jim Cubberly was unable to attend, and in his absence Kathy Weber reported that the next iContact message to be sent will pertain to band camps. Members will be asked to let us know how many band camps they have attended and where. It could be the start of a 20+ club for camp attendees. A discussion took place regarding “bounced” e-mail addresses in our system and currently there are 26 definite rejects. It was decided that a mailing would be sent to those individuals asking for updated information.

OPEN FORUM: A discussion took place about the communication avenues required to service such a large organization. The purpose is of course to reach as many New Horizons band members as possible. We would like to reach every individual, and not just those that are members of NHIMA. In order to do this we need the assistance of our local band representative to the board. Each band should have a rep that has been given a free NHIMA membership in return for being the link between NHIMA and their own band organization. We would like to ask that each of these reps forward all “iContact” messages from NHIMA to their members as well as post them somewhere in their practice/meeting space. If members have questions or ideas they want to share with the board, their local rep is welcome to send us those questions directly or via the “Ask us a Question” segment on the web site. The communication committee also advised that we have 26 “bounced” subscribers when sending our iContact messages, and our local reps could possibly help us identify those members as well so we can update their e-mail addresses.

Summary of the April 16-17, 2010 Meeting of the Board of Directors

TREASURER’S REPORT: Treasurer, Bill Gates, distributed a hard copy of the accounting report to each board member and completed that with a verbal presentation. It was well detailed and very informative.

The following items were addressed and resolved as follows: PayPal is used by many and there is a charge back fee to NHIMA. The board members agreed that we are willing to continue this service as a convenience for our members. The exchange rate on Canadian funds continues to fluctuate. The amounts are not large and the board members made a decision that payments made for membership fees in that currency would not be rejected. N.B. this applies only to membership fees.

MEMBERSHIP REPORT: Membership Chairperson, Eve McGrory, reported that our membership enrollment is up since January. Eve believes that some of that can be attributed to the diligence of the local representatives in member bands. It is also felt that with more band camps being offered, people are buying memberships in order to get the discounted member rate offered for certain camps. The board members encourage anyone belonging to a New Horizons group to consider becoming a member. The benefits include not only discounts for some Band Camps, but access to the New Horizons Newsletters and Membership information. Eve suggested that we should also publicize the fact that some Life Long Learning expenses are tax deductible and could benefit prospective members of NHIMA. Kate Levy, the Manager of the NAMM supported “Lift Off” project, is working towards a possible workshop for June.

DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE REPORT: Chairman of the Development Committee, Dick Prettyman, reported that he sent a letter of invitation to become a business member of NHIMA to numerous instrument manufacturers, music publishers, travel agencies and large retailers. Each recipient received a personalized and tailored offer to become a business member and reasons why it could be of benefit to their particular enterprise.

Roy Ernst suggested that there is more we can do to attract and retain business members. One suggestions was that instrument manufacturers could possibly be interested in allowing some camp attendees to test play their products as a promotional benefit. Roy also suggested that we send a message to our Business Members, inviting them to write a description about their products and services that could be printed and distributed as a handout in the camp registration packages.

COMMUNICATION COMMITTEE: Chairman of the Communication Committee, Jim Cubberly, defined the primary function of this committee as communicating to the membership as directed by the Board of Directors. To this end, Jim suggested that regular interaction via the “iContact” messaging system should take place once or twice per month.

A suggestion was made that NHIMA members might enjoy sharing personal information about band camps they have attended over the years as well as New Horizons Music camp recognition (how many camps they have attended and where). Roy Ernst suggested the committee ask questions of various band groups such as: Has your group done any “special” type of concert this year? Subjects such as this could be a creative way for bands to openly communicate with one another and promote new ideas which could then be added to the web site.

iContact messages and this form of distribution continues to be a topic of discussion for the board members. iContact communication is the best tool we have for reaching our entire membership simultaneously. The board members are concerned that reports show a high percentage of unopened iContact messages. The last message sent indicated that only 57% of our New Horizons recipients opened the message. That is up 7% from an earlier message, but we wish to ensure that ALL our members are being serviced by this delivery method. We will be asking that Individual Band Reps and Directors share these messages with their membership.

AGENDA ITEMS: DVD: An iContact message will be sent to all groups advising them of the availability of the planning DVD/CD.

The subject of archiving New Horizons important records and files was discussed and steps will be taken to find an individual or group to take on this vital project.

Insurance Information: A message will be sent to all our member band representatives asking that they provide insurance information to the board. We would like to post this information on the web site as a service and reference tool for all member bands.

The 20th Anniversary Committee submitted a list of possible activities and events that could be held to celebrate this special milestone. In addition to special events there will be commemorative items. The list is lengthy and ideas abound. More will be forthcoming as the time draws near.

Camper Recognition: An iContact message will be sent asking individual members to let us know “how many band camps you have attended and where” so that we can publish the results in a future newsletter.

The topic of a New Horizons Directors /Conductors conference is in the “idea stage” and could possibly include: potential grant sponsorship and a Directors forum at a camp. Roy will plan to have a forum at Chautauqua for interested band directors to discuss their individual music programs.

The Meeting was adjourned and the members traded a boardroom for a music class in the beautiful setting at Unicoi Lodge.

Summary of the March 22, 2010 Meeting of the Board of Directors

MEMBERSHIP: Coordinator Eve McGrory reported that individual membership renewal is going very well. We also continue to receive requests from groups that are in the process of starting a new band and have requested our Planning Members package. That is a wonderful growth indicator and is to be celebrated. Eve also reported on a recent project that she took part in at DePaul University in Chicago. Kate Levy, who is known to many of our New Horizons Band Camp attendees, and is the founding Director of the New Horizons Band of Western New York and former Director of the Hagerstown, Maryland NHB, headed up a Lift-Off workshop for Planning Members. Sally Bowers, Director of both the DePaul NHB and North Shore NHB and Suzanne Baker of the DePaul Community Division hosted the workshop which was attended by: Lisa Burns of Anderson, South Carolina; Dan Stark of Springfield, Missouri; and Jim LaMantia of Munster, Indinia.

DOCUMENTARY UPDATE: Kathy Weber, Vice President of NHIMA and a member of the Documentary Committee, reported that they met with a producer from WXXI (a PBS station in Rochester, New York) to put together a promotional film. The project needs funding, and the promo will be helpful in seeking donations.

DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE: Chairman, Dick Prettyman, reported that he has sent out offers of Business Membership to music publishers, travel agencies that cater to music groups, and other vendors with ties to the music industry. The business membership fees, while small, help to offset some of our costs, and in turn provide a perfect outlet for music related companies to promote their wares.

COMMUNICATION COMMITTEE: Chairman, Jim Cubberly, reported that recent e-mail messages sent to our membership using the iContact service provider remained unopened by 50% of the members that received them. Some of those bounces could be due to incorrect e-mail addresses or possibly members deleting them because they are unsure of the origin of the e-mail or the sender (NHIMA). After discussion, a decision was made that messages will now be titled New Horizons Music, so please watch for that new title and check out the messages. Our messages usually pertain to announcements for band camps as well as special events.

FOUNDER’S REPORT: Roy Ernst provided feedback from the Cambria band camp in California. The attendance was good, and everyone enjoyed the experience as well as the weather. The Anniversary committee is hard at work, and Roy has submitted a tour proposal to the group for consideration. Stay tuned for updates.

OTHER ITEMS: A motion was passed to allow Business members a sixty day grace period to renew their membership prior to removing their information and link from our web site. We hope our members take the time to check out our business partners and use their services when possible.

A motion was passed that the “Items For Sale or Wanted” segment on the web site be renamed “Personal Items For Sale or Wanted” to prevent commercial usage. We hope that our members check this part of the web site out and use it to their advantage.

Summary of the February 22, 2010 Meeting of the Board of Directors

MEMBERSHIP: The board continued discussions relating to the probability of moving to an electronic version of the Membership Directory. The advantages are many, and we are in the process of developing a changeover that will meet that need while still protecting personal information. The board members agreed to defer moving to an electronic membership until after the 2010 hardcopy booklets are sent out.

NEWSLETTER: The Newsletter will be handled in a similar fashion as the membership booklets. The plan is to deliver the 2010 Spring Newsletter in printed form with the intention of moving to an electronic delivery for the next publication.

BOARD WORK: Dick Prettyman, Chairman of the Development Committee, recently represented NHIMA at the NAMM (National Association of Music Manufacturers) show. New Horizons International Music Association has been fortunate to be recipients of grant funding from the NAMM foundation, and we are grateful for their support. The show provided an excellent opportunity for meeting delegates from the various companies who are suppliers to the music industry. These contacts are important. They are all potential “Business Members”, and their membership fee helps to offset some of our operating expenses. In return, we hope that our members refer to these business listings and take advantage of their product lines and services when possible.

WEB SITE: Please continue to explore this web site often as there is always something new to see. The “For Sale / Wanted” page is a great place to advertise instruments, stands, and all things musical. It’s also fun to browse through the pictures from band camps. John Morgan, our webmaster, does a wonderful job of setting them to music. Don’t forget that if you have camp pictures, please send them to John for posting.

ANNIVERSARY UPDATE: Plans continue for celebrations in 2011 to honour the twentieth Anniversary of the first New Horizons band in Rochester, New York. Lori Schuett, a member of the Peterborough Ontario NHB, has agreed to assume Chairmanship of the Celebration Committee. Jerry Hendricks will remain a valuable part of the team, but time constraints dictated his request for someone else to take over his leadership role. The additional members of the team are Joan Cantor, Ardis Philips, Carolyn Hendricks, Jim Cubberly, Howard Holmes, and our founder, Roy Ernst. The committee is hoping to create a list of interesting possibilities with wide audience appeal. Stay tuned for news of events you may want to participate in.

FORUM: The board members discussed the possibility of setting up an on-line Directors’ Forum and/or a Members’ Forum. This topic will be revisited after it is determined if it would be a value added project.

Summary of the November 30, 2009 Meeting of the Board of Directors

MEMBERSHIP: Membership is always a very important matter with the NHIMA Board, and we sincerely value all the NHIMA members. That is one of the reasons that this subject is included on the agenda for every meeting. We are reminded that, as stated in last month’s meeting notes, responses will no longer go out to individual and couple renewals. This in no way diminishes their worth to the NHIMA Board. It is simply a sign of the times and the successes and expansion of the membership. New members in all categories will continue to receive welcome messages.

The need to update the application forms was addressed in this meeting, and appropriate changes will be made prior to the end of the year. We were reminded of the importance of individuals providing their own information, especially as it relates to including (or excluding) specific information in the Membership Directory. This will be particularly important as the board moves toward providing the Membership Directory in electronic format at some point in the future.

GRANT SUBMISSION: In a follow up to the Letter of Inquiry that went to NAMM earlier this year, we are pleased that NAMM chose to invite NHIMA to submit a follow up grant proposal. This proposal, “Internationalization of New Horizons” was completed and sent prior to the deadline, and we look forward to hearing if it is funded. This notification will most likely come in May 2010, if our proposal is to be funded.

ON-LINE CAMP REGISTRATION: Roy Ernst provided an update on the progress that he and John Morgan (webmaster) have made in developing an on-line registration process for camps. It is thought that this might be made available to organizations planning camps for a fee to cover the administrative costs of providing this service. This will be coordinated with Roy Ernst and John Morgan and will be a welcome move toward assuring accuracy in the data files of camps. Folks who might be interested should contact [Roy Ernst].

20th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION COMMITTEE: We are pleased to report that under the leadership of Jerry Hendricks, this committee is off and running with many excellent ideas for the 2011 year of celebration. Members of this committee so far include (in addition to Chairman Jerry Hendricks of the Olympia and Tacoma, WA New Horizons Bands), Carolyn Hendricks, also of the Washington NH Bands; Joan Cantor and Ardis Philips of the New Horizons Band in the Phoenix, AZ area; Jim Cubberly, new Board Member from the Benedictine University NH Band in Lisle, IL; Laurie Schuett of the Peterborough, ON Canada group; Howard Holmes from the Rochester NH Band; and Roy Ernst. The committee members will provide periodic reports which we will share, and also will welcome additional ideas from the general New Horizons groups’ members.

USED INSTRUMENTS FOR SALE: It was recommended that, in addition to the used music for sale or exchange on the NHIMA web site, we also allow (and encourage) used instruments to be listed as well. Again, this would be available to members only. There seemed to be much support for this idea and it will be pursued in the very near future. We were reminded if/when buying or selling and/or shipping across the US/Canada border, it is important to realize that there are certain regulations and declarations that must be completed. There will be a reminder on the web page about this.

GIFT IDEA: An excellent (and timely) idea for possible gifts was presented and will be distributed to the members in an iContact message in the very near future. This includes a number of very interesting ideas that folks might want to pass on to children and grandchildren. Look for this message in your INBOX .

END OF TENURE AND NEW BOARD MEMBERS: Three new board members are welcomed to the NHIMA Board for 2010: Jim Cubberly from the Lisle, IL area; Eve McGrory from Hagerstown, MD; and Dick Prettyman of Suffield, CT. We are delighted to welcome these three new members to the board as they replace the retiring members: Lisann Gurney, Roy Hendrick, and Nancy Wombacher.

HAVE A WONDERFUL NEW YEAR!

Summary of the October 3, 2009 Meeting of the Board of Directors

The NHIMA board came together at Chautauqua, New York for the fall in-person meeting in conjunction with the New Horizons Music Camp held there.

MEMBERSHIP: NHIMA is proud that our total membership has reached 960 (809 United States, 95 Canada, 1 Ireland). Additionally, there are over 50 groups who have joined as planning members, including one each in Australia and Iceland. The numbers include all the different kinds of memberships: individual, couples, lifetime, group, planning, and business. It does not, however, represent the total number of members, as the couples membership actually represents 2 people. We are delighted that our membership numbers recently increased significantly as a brand new group in Houston, TX (just organized in the past few months) forwarded memberships for 27 individuals, 3 couples, and their group. We are also pleased that the relatively new on-line membership mechanism, using PayPal (with a PayPal account or major credit card) is working very well, and an increasing number of folks are using it to join and to renew their memberships. The Board did decide that it is no longer an efficient use of the Membership Coordinator’s time to send thank you messages to renewing members. Although we are most grateful when folks renew their memberships, it has simply become an overwhelming task, and one that we decided was not absolutely necessary. If we become aware that folks are terribly disappointed or, if there are many questions about this, we will try to address it, perhaps in a different, more efficient manner in the future. New members will continue to receive a welcome message.

NAMM LETTER OF INQUIRY - PRE-GRANT SUBMISSION: From a concept paper composed by Roy Ernst, a pre-grant application Letter of Inquiry was submitted to NAMM titled “Internationalization of New Horizons.” This proposes identifying six potential New Horizons leaders outside the US and Canada and bringing them to visit successful programs here. These NAMM Fellowships would be awarded only to folks where there is a very high likelihood of them following through and establishing a successful New Horizons program.

ON-LINE REGISTRATION: Roy Ernst indicated that one of his goals for 2010 is to establish a mechanism for on-line registration for camps. This would eliminate a large percentage of the errors inherent in setting up a camp database file.

DOCUMENTARY COMMITTEE: It was reported that filming is complete for the documentary being produced by the committee of Rochester members, and now it is necessary for the committee to obtain funding for the editing. The committee will be embarking on a very ambitious fundraising campaign. This documentary will be invaluable as a public relations tool for NHIMA. WXXI-TV in Rochester is serving as a partner in the production and distribution of the documentary.

Peggy Hall presented Roy Ernst and Kathy Weber with complimentary copies of a one-hour DVD derived from over 6 hours of interviews with Roy Ernst. This DVD was later viewed during a break in the camp activities. Copies of these will be available for sale as part of their fund raising for the project.

20TH ANNIVERSARY OF NEW HORIZONS COMMITTEE: A number of very dedicated New Horizons folks were identified as potential candidates for this committee to plan, organize and coordinate ideas for celebrating the 20th anniversary of New Horizons. Those folks will be contacted in the near future.

Jim Cubberly volunteered in his role as Communication Chair for 2010. Jim could also serve as liaison to the NHIMA Board.

The Board agreed that the committee would receive only the broadest directives from the NHIMA Board and will be encouraged to pursue ideas in all different directions — to think outside the box.

ELECTRONIC DISTRIBUTION OF NEWSLETTERS: The current plan is that the 2009 fall and 2010 spring Newsletters will be provided in both formats (paper & electronic), after which we plan to move to electronic format only. We are aware that there are a few folks who have indicated that they prefer a paper copy, and it was suggested that perhaps the Local NHIMA Representatives might be helpful in this regard and print a hard copy for a select few.

ON-LINE MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY: The on-line (ad hoc) Directory Committee was re-charged with setting up a trial on-line Directory with a sample set. It is extremely important that we avoid duplication of membership lists. There should be one data base. It is also important that individuals are in control of what they want included and available in the on-line directory, just as they are with the printed directory.

ON-LINE CATALOG UPDATE: Roy Ernst has been contacted by an entity that maintains an on-line catalog for NAMM and several other organizations. They are interested in also providing an on-line catalog for NHIMA. We will pursue this and keep folks informed.

PHASE II LIFT-OFF PROJECT: The regular monthly NHIMA meeting was followed by the Annual Meeting during which Kate Levy provided an update on the status of the Phase II Lift-off project. The plan is to hold two programs, one in the Denver, Colorado area and the other in the Chicago, Illinois area to take advantage of the airline hubs in both cities. Invitations have gone out to all Planning Member groups, except those included in last year’s programs. Feedback from previous participants remains very positive.

Summary of the August 31, 2009 Meeting of the Board of Directors

LOCAL NHIMA REPRESENTATIVES: The Communication Committee will be forwarding a message to the 45 Local NHIMA Representatives who have been identified so far by their groups. This message will encourage the Local Reps to share information about NHIMA and also to make their group members aware of the benefits of NHIMA memberships. The NHIMA Board sincerely appreciates the dedication of these local volunteers. We plan to continue to pursue volunteers from the rest of the groups that have not as yet provided a volunteer name so that we can further improve communications with the groups.

FOUNDER’S REPORT: Roy Ernst reported on his recent travels in Canada where he visited groups in Wolfville and in Ottawa, both of which are highly successful New Horizons programs.

COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE: A progress report on the move to electronic distribution of the newsletter indicated that our editor and webmaster have worked through the intricacies of this resulting in a realistic plan whereby the newsletter will be developed in a similar manner as in the past. It will then be posted on the web site and a message distributed to the members via iContact informing them that the new newsletter is available, and a link to the newsletter will be provided. We are most grateful for all the work that has gone into this and are pleased with the projected savings in printing and postage. The plan is to provide the newsletter in printed format as well as the new electronic format for at least one year while we transition toward totally electronic distribution. Therefore, folks will continue to receive the printed copy of the newsletter this fall and in the spring of 2010, and if there are no major issues, the intent is to move to strictly electronic distribution by the fall of 2010. The NHIMA Board will be anxious to hear from members as we transition toward this goal.

POSSIBLE NEW PROJECT: We have received notice of a change in the procedure for submitting grant proposals to NAMM which is the primary funding source for our continued Lift-off programs. NAMM has initiated a new process for grant applications which requires that a “Letter of Inquiry” be submitted initially, and then NAMM will respond regarding whether the proposed project is directed toward one of their priorities. If so, we will be invited to submit a grant proposal prior to December 1. Since we have received a number of inquiries from outside the United States and Canada, one possible proposal would deal with establishing fellowships for representatives from those areas to come and visit and learn from established programs in the US and Canada. This concept builds on the previous programs including the Seminar for New N H Directors and the two Lift-off projects that provided guidance to representatives from Planning Member Groups. This would be an excellent way to continue to expand the New Horizons concept around the world. It was agreed that a “Letter of Inquiry” should be submitted.

DOCUMENTARY PROJECT: The approval of the resolution creating a Documentary Committee was followed up at this meeting with the actual appointment of the members of this committee. We look forward to a progress report at our Chautauqua in-person meeting.

ON-LINE NEW HORIZONS CATALOG: It was reported that this particular issue turns out to be a bit more complicated than had been anticipated. It is quite easy to find sources for individual items such as shirts, hats and visors and a different source for other items like travel mugs, coffee cups, etc., but we have not been successful so far in identifying one person, or one business that will take on the entire project of providing all items from one ordering source. We will continue to pursue this.

Summary of the July 27, 2009 Meeting of the Board of Directors

CAMPS: 2010 is looking like an extremely musical year with spring camps scheduled in Cambria, California (March 14-19); Unicoi Lodge near Helen, Georgia (April 18 – 23); Waterloo, Ontario (May 4 -8); Dayton, Ohio (May 16 – 19); and Iowa City, Iowa (May 31 – June 4). It will be great fun to see old friends and new at these camps.

LIFT-OFF PROJECT: The first check from NAMM has been received. The amount of the check ($5,000) is half of the total grant. As in the past, an additional payment will be forthcoming following the submission of the Interim Report at the end of December. The balance will be received after the submission of the final report next June. There are currently 60 Planning Members, and we look forward to another year of successfully assisting many of these new groups in their start-up efforts.

LOCAL NHIMA REPRESENTATIVES: From the first mailing to groups, we have identified approximately 45 local volunteers to serve as NHIMA Representatives. We encourage others to volunteer for this very important role in helping to improve the communications between the NHIMA Board and groups, as well as between and among all New Horizons groups. This will be a valuable way to share good ideas and continue to grow the New Horizons programs.

DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE: Besides the 30 letters that went out in the spring, the Development Committee recently sent out an additional 24 invitations to music-related businesses. We look forward to including many of them as Business Members in the future.

COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE: It was recommended that an iContact message go out to our individual members highlighting our business members, as many individual members might not be very aware of who our business members are.

20th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS: Many ideas have been received, and it would seem appropriate to identify a committee, or at the very least, a chair to follow up on plans for this important year of celebration. This item will be discussed further at the in-person meeting in Chautauqua.

DOCUMENTARY PROJECT: A resolution to create a “documentary” committee was passed, and a document of understanding will be developed to provide the detailed arrangements. It was reported that much of the actual filming has been completed for the documentary, and the committee will be developing their fund-raising plans to support the editing and production of the final product. Those plans, along with the budget, will be furnished to the NHIMA Board in the near future.

ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTERS: We are delighted that our Newsletter Editor, Shirley Michaels, is in the process of entering the materials from this past spring’s newsletter into an electronic format using iContact, and anticipate this will be sent out to members in the near future. It is the plan of the NHIMA Board to provide the New Horizons News in both the paper and electronic format for approximately one year, and then we hope to move in the direction of electronic distribution in order to save a significant amount on paper, printing expenses, packaging and postage.

INVITATION TO NON-MEMBER GROUPS: Many folks may not be aware that not all groups listed on the New Horizons web site are actual NHIMA members. It is the feeling of the NHIMA Board that, even though a group might not be a current dues-paying member, if it benefits individuals to have these groups listed, then they should continue to be on the web site. However, occasionally, it occurs to us that these groups might benefit greatly from holding a NHIMA membership. Therefore, letters were sent to 39 groups inviting them to consider becoming NHIMA members. We look forward to increasing the group memberships and also to providing the many membership perks, including (but not limited to) receiving the Newsletter, becoming eligible to download the entire score for “The New Horizons March” at no charge, listing of events on the web site, utilizing the used music library, and many more.

PUBLIC RELATIONS: It was suggested that we forward press releases, camp notices and other information to Making Music Magazine. This will help to get New Horizons information out to many folks who are clearly interested in the world of music.