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 website 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.

Summary of the May 18, 2009 Meeting of the Board of Directors

NEW CAMPS: It was reported that a very successful music camp was held in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada this spring with about 60 participants. We hope this camp will be repeated next year and also hope to provide registration information well ahead of the event. Congratulations to the sponsors in Waterloo.

LIFT-OFF PROGRAMS: As previously reported, two very successful programs were presented to assist Planning Groups in their organizational start-up efforts. These programs were held in Fredonia, New York and in The Villages, Florida. We have recently received notice that the NAMM Foundation will be awarding grant funds to continue holding these very effective programs, and they plan to assist 10 or 12 additional Planning Groups in other parts of the country during the next year. Planning Groups are encouraged to express their interest in being included in these helpful start-up programs. The grant provides funds to help offset travel costs of Planning Group representatives. To express interest, please contact [Nancy Wombacher].

LOCAL NHIMA REPRESENTATIVES: The NHIMA Board is delighted that we now have volunteer representatives identified in almost half the New Horizons groups. These volunteers will serve a very valuable role in maintaining communications and helping to expand the New Horizons vision.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE: The Nominating Committee has identified a very impressive pool of possible candidates for future appointments to the NHIMA Board. We are grateful to all the directors and other folks who have helped in identifying these very qualified people, and we look forward to hearing from those who have yet to forward their recommendations. Please know that this is an ongoing process, so recommendations are always welcome.

COMMUNICATIONS: The use of an e-mailing service has allowed us to establish a very useful mechanism for communicating with all 850 members. Since we have now had almost one year to use and evaluate this service, it seemed appropriate to also consider other similar companies. We have been able to identify a different company that will provide very similar, and in some ways better service, at a much reduced cost. Therefore, in the very near future, the NHIMA Board will be utilizing the services of iContact for our messaging service. Most members will likely not notice much difference, but we are pleased that the new company provides the means for messages in a simpler format. We also anticipate that, at some point, this service will be used to distribute the Newsletters electronically.

LOOKING FOR IDEAS: The first New Horizons band was established in 1991, which means that 2011 will be the 20th anniversary of the beginning of this extraordinary phenomenon. The NHIMA Board continues to look to the membership for ideas for the 20th anniversary celebration(s) of New Horizons. Please give this some thought and send your ideas to any member of the NHIMA Board.

PLANNING GROUPS ON THE WEB SITE: You will note that there have been some new additions to the web site. We are grateful for the efficient work of our webmaster, John Morgan, for his timely attention to all requests from the Board. One of the new sections now includes information on Planning Groups. It is anticipated that this information will be very useful to people in these communities to learn about new or planned New Horizons groups in their areas, and will help the groups to get established and grow.

MEMBER DIRECTORY: Discussions continue regarding possible alternatives to the printed membership directory. A subcommittee continues to study this issue. The Committee provided a lengthy and thorough report to the Board at our recent meeting. Board members look forward to continuing this discussion at the Fall in-person meeting.

Summary of the April 20, 2009 Meeting of the Board of Directors

MEMBERSHIP: Following the Wine Country Music Camp (at Healdsburg, California), we are pleased to report that there was a “mini-surge” in new memberships. It was questioned if this might have been due, in part, to presentations made at the camp. It is generally agreed that we must continually find venues for making folks aware of the benefits of NHIMA membership.

LOCAL NHIMA REPRESENTATIVES: As local representatives continue to be identified, discussion centered on the best next step to get them involved. Communication Committee Chair Lisann Gurney will pursue the possibility of establishing a Google or Yahoo group where information can be posted and exchanged. Since the contact person on the NHIMA Board will most likely change from year to year, a Google or Yahoo group would allow for a “constant” for maintaining contact with this valuable group of volunteers.

CALL FOR USED MUSIC: The “music for sale/exchange” is fully functional on the web site. Groups with music that they are willing to make available either for sale or on loan should provide the requisite information by going to the Music Library pages, where they can list their music for inclusion in the library. Groups are encouraged to review their libraries and list music that is no longer in their “active repertoire.” It was recommended that each group might want to identify a person to coordinate this so that music is posted when available, and removed from the web page when it is no longer available. It is important to keep this listing current. The Music Library is for use by New Horizons International Music Association group members only.

NON-MEMBER GROUPS: Currently there are about 40 groups listed on the web site that are not NHIMA members. The Communications Committee has volunteered to contact each of these groups and explain some of the benefits of membership. Sample newsletters will be furnished along with other information.

NEW BUSINESS MEMBERS: We are pleased to report that the recent mailing has already resulted in two new business members.

REVIEW OF CONSTANT CONTACT: The use of Constant Contact has proven very beneficial for improving communications to members. Since our current arrangement ends in June, the Board is reviewing and evaluating this provider, as it compares with other e-mail service providers, in particular, iContact. The Board is anxious to continue this valuable message service, but want to assure that we are providing it by the most cost effective method possible.

20th ANNIVERSARY OF NEW HORIZONS: The Board continues to seek ideas for celebrating the 20th anniversary of New Horizons in 2011. Please send your suggestions to [Nancy Wombacher].

SAMPLE BY-LAWS & ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION ON THE WEB SITE: We continue to collect samples of by-laws and articles of incorporation to assist new and developing groups, and are most grateful to the Desert Foothills New Horizons Band and the Northern Colorado New Horizons Band for furnishing their documents and granting permission to post them on the NHIMA web site. We would greatly appreciate hearing from other groups that are willing to share their documents in this manner.

MEMBER DIRECTORY: There was significant discussion about possible alternatives to the printed member directory. A subcommittee was established to research this and report back to the Board.

PLANNING MEMBER GROUPS ON THE WEB SITE: It occurs to the Board that it could be useful to Planning Group Members to have some information listed on the web site so that interested folks, and particularly potential musicians, might be aware of the possibility of potential New Horizons groups in their area. Membership Coordinator Kathy Weber will contact the existing Planning Members and will routinely query new Planning Members as a part of the application process.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE: Letters and e-mails went out to approximately 65 directors asking them to identify possible Board candidates. The committee continues to receive recommendations to be added to a pool of possible candidates for future appointments to the NHIMA Board.

Summary of the March 28-29, 2009 Meeting of the Board of Directors

The NHIMA Board came together at Healdsburg, California for the spring in-person Board meeting on March 28 and 29, 2009.

NEW HORIZONS MARCH: It was with great pleasure that the Board recommended that the three composers, Jud Goodrich, Jack Hossfield and Tom Hitchcock, be made NHIMA lifetime members for generously making this composition available to New Horizons groups at no cost. NHIMA Group members will soon be able to download digital files of the score and parts, free of charge. Check out the Music Library for availability (about May 1st). We are very grateful for this marvelous gift to New Horizons.

LOCAL NHIMA REPRESENTATIVES: The NHIMA Board is delighted with the responses that we are receiving identifying a “Local NHIMA Representative” in each New Horizons group. We appreciate the willingness of these volunteers to serve in this capacity. They will play a very valuable role in maintaining and improving communications. To date, we have identified representatives from about 30% of the current New Horizons groups. We look forward to hearing from many more.

FLORIDA TOUR: Roy Ernst reported that the Florida tour was quite successful. Twenty participants visited three different bands in Florida. More information will be forthcoming in the spring Newsletter, as one of the participants, Lori Schutt from Peterborough, Ontario, will be providing a delightful diary of the tour.

It was suggested that this kind of event could be held in various parts of the country wherever there are several groups within easy driving distance. The Board will continue to pursue this possibility and would welcome input from individuals and groups that might be interested in being involved.

LIFT-OFF PROGRAM: The second Lift-Off program to assist Planning Group Members was held in The Villages, Florida, on March 18 and 19. Representatives from five area Planning Groups came together for a very rewarding meeting. Participants were enthusiastically positive about the information and support provided. NHIMA sincerely appreciates the grant funding from NAMM Foundation that allows us to offer these very worthy programs.

BUSINESS MEMBERS: The Development Committee reported that more than 30 letters of invitation have gone out to prospective Business Members. The Board is most grateful for the good work of the Development Committee.

20th ANNIVERSARY OF NEW HORIZONS: The Board continues to seek ideas for celebrating the 20th anniversary of New Horizons. We welcome your continued ideas.

ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION AND BY-LAWS: We receive frequent requests from new and organizing groups for examples of articles of incorporation and by-laws. Several of our established groups have graciously provided copies of their organizational documents. We hope to post these, as well as the NHIMA documents, on the web site in the very near future. We would be most grateful for additional groups’ documents. These can be forwarded to [Nancy Wombacher].

WINE COUNTRY MUSIC CAMP: The NHIMA Board is especially grateful to the organizers of the Wine Country Music Camp for providing such an incredibly beautiful setting for our spring in-person meeting; the total camp experience was an absolute pleasure.

Summary of the February 16, 2009 Meeting of the Board of Directors

MEMBERSHIP – LOCAL NHIMA REPRESENTATIVES: Letters will be going out very soon to each of the member groups to request that a person be identified from each group to serve as a local NHIMA representative. This person will serve as a liaison between the Board and their band, orchestra or chorus. We look forward to establishing this relationship to find ways of improving communications and to better serve the needs of the New Horizons groups.

MEMBERSHIP – UPDATE ON ELECTRONIC MEMBERSHIP/RENEWALS: The mechanism for submitting applications and renewing memberships electronically, using the PayPal feature (or major credit card), is now fully functional, and we are pleased that a significant number of members have taken advantage of this system. Reports from our Canadian members are all positive, as they appreciate the ease with which they can now join and renew their memberships.

MEMBERSHIP – OTHER: We are pleased to give special recognition to Maryann Flock’s New Horizons Band at Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois for forwarding 18 individual memberships along with their band”s group renewal. Good work NHB of Benedictine University, and welcome to all the individual members.

COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE: The benefits of having a NHIMA “group” Facebook page were presented to the board by the Chair of this committee. The board agreed to give it a try since this appears to be the “wave of the future” in communications. There is now a NHIMA Group on Facebook; this is a place where members can exchange ideas, questions, photos and more. Watch for updates about this new communications mechanism, and please feel free to contact Lisann Gurney should you require any further information.

DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE: Letters of invitation will go out soon to 30 prospective business members in the US and Canada. Benefits of becoming a NHIMA Business Member are discussed in the materials that go with these invitations. We hope to welcome many new business members in the near future.

NEW HORIZONS ITEMS FOR SALE (Update): The on-line catalog is scheduled to be available in May. Watch the NHIMA web site for the link to order your New Horizons clothing and other items; be sure to let us know what other items you might like to see there.

20th ANNIVERSARY OF NEW HORIZONS: The first New Horizons band was established in 1991 in Rochester, New York by our founder, Roy Ernst. Since then, this concept has grown to include over 150 bands, orchestras and choruses. The NHIMA Board is seeking ideas that will help us to appropriately celebrate this 20-year milestone in 2011. Suggestions will be gratefully received, so send in your ideas for this important event to Nancy Wombacher.

Summary of the January 12, 2009 Meeting of the Board of Directors

ELECTRONIC MEMBERSHIP/RENEWALS: In the December NHIMA Board Meeting Summary, we reported that a subcommittee had been working to provide an easy way for folks to join and renew their memberships in NHIMA with a new online system using PayPal. In testing this new system, it was discovered that PayPal automatically converts foreign funds to US currency. After much deliberation, discussion and research, it was agreed that the most consistent (and least confusing) policy was that memberships be paid in US dollars. Representative Canadian members have assured us that most Canadians expect to make payments to US entities in US dollars, and the convenience of being able to pay electronically far outweighs the minimal increase due to the current exchange rate. Additionally, this will streamline the processing of memberships with its built in efficiencies. More specific information on the proposed effective date will be distributed to members via our Constant Contact messaging service.

SECOND LIFT-OFF PROGRAM FOR PLANNING MEMBER GROUPS: The second program to assist Planning Groups Members is scheduled for March 17 & 18 at The Villages, Florida. Responses from participants in the first program, held at Fredonia, New York, were exceptionally positive, and we anticipate the March program will be equally successful.

NEW EVENT EXPERIENCE: It was reported that plans are now in place for a “Florida New Horizons Band Tour.” This will be a new experience, and we will be anxious to hear a report on this unique event.

MUSIC LIBRARY: It was reported that the New Horizons Music Library should be functional sometime in March. Member groups will receive more information on this via Constant Contact. In the meantime, we enthusiastically invite group members to review their music libraries and determine if there are pieces that you might wish to dispose of in this manner. Music must be originals, scores complete, and you will need to decide if you wish to loan, trade or sell. More specific information will be available in the next few weeks.

BUSINESS MEMBERS: The Development Committee continues to seek interested related businesses that would benefit from an association with NHIMA, and will be formally approaching a number of entities in that category.

ON-LINE CATALOG: Very soon there will be a link from this web site to a catalog where shoppers can order New Horizons items, such as shirts, caps, music bags and other New Horizons items of interest. This will be open to the general public. Again, members will receive additional information when this is available.