DVMTA teachers and students were excited and grateful to be able to participate in this event, after last year's Awards in Excellence was canceled due to COVID-19. Auditions were held on April 10th, and the Winners Recital was held on April 24th, both at Hammer & Strings Conservatory in Gilbert. We were so thankful to have a venue willing to host, and judges willing to meet in person, with safety protocols, so that this event could be held. Students were well-prepared, and delivered amazing performances. Thank you to all participating teachers and students. Even those who are not awarded are able to learn and grow from their preparation and performance. Thank you to the Awards in Excellence Chair, Lorri McHardy, and her committee members, Yali Luo and Hong Zhu, for a job well done!

Students waiting to audition ​

What a wonderful, busy, exciting time of the year it is! The final weeks of the school year still hold Awards in Excellence Winners Recitals, April Brunch, Achievement Day, and the Awards Plus recognition ceremony. I hope that you will find a few moments to recognize and congratulate each of your students for their efforts and accomplishments, great or small. I have challenged myself to find new ways to do just that. Instead of saying “good job”, I say:

• “Listen to that! I can tell you put a lot of work into this piece.”
  
• “You didn’t give up. What made you keep going?”
  
• “Congratulations! That took a lot of time and effort, and you really improved.”
  
• “Wow! How did you do that?”
  
• “Look at that! You spent a lot of time focusing on the trouble spots and your piece really shows it!”
  
• “You really challenged yourself and your hard work and effort has paid off!“
  

There is no end to the ways in which we can encourage, motivate and inspire our students --- and they will be noticeably affected and glad you did!
I invite you to join us at the April Brunch on April 30th! It is our last General Meeting of the school year and will not have a Zoom option, given the nature of the event. Details are in this newsletter and on the DVMTA website. The brunch is a great time for members to take some moments to relax, connect and share ideas, and celebrate our successes ---which have been many! I can’t thank enough those who have served and volunteered and helped in any way to make our events and organization run so smoothly. You make DVMTA what it is, and every moment of time you give is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Lori Weidemann, DVMTA President

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DVMTA members and friends gathered either online or in person at Hammer & Strings Conservatory in Gilbert for our last General Meeting of this year. We were privileged to hear from Dr. Karali Hunter, owner and founder of Hammer & Strings Conservatory. Dr. Hunter discussed "Sound in Motion" as she worked with three students of DVMTA teachers. Each student performed and Dr. Hunter helped each to further develop their motion skills to enhance sound, and to invite the audience into the performance. In just a short amount of time, such a difference was seen and heard in each student's ability technical skills, and in their ability to create imagery and expression. Thank you to Dr. Hunter for sharing her skills and knowledge and for connecting with these students in a personal and amazing way. 

No matter where you're from, there's always a sense of optimism when spring arrives! I grew up in Nebraska on a farm and as a child was amazed when entire fields that lay dormant all winter would show signs of new life as little green plants pushed their way up. I've learned the subtle ways to look for spring in the desert. Flowers here bloom year 'round, but now I look for the flower buds to start showing up on my orange trees in March. Other green plants that have gone dormant are now starting to send out new leaves and you can almost hear them sigh as they stretch to meet the sun.

Certain areas of our lives have had to lie dormant, stay in, and be careful during this pandemic. Fortunately, we are beginning to see signs of life returning to normal. I am so proud of our DVMTA Committee Chairmen who have embraced new ideas that have burst forth from the difficult challenges of hosting our annual events. Some events have had slight changes, while others have had drastic revamps! My heart is full of gratitude for our amazing event chairs: Charles Newton-Music Marathon, Claire Westlake-Original Composition, Sara Pratt-Cavalcade, Lorri McHardy- Awards in Excellence, Toni Tetreau-Achievement Day, and Wendi Heslop-Awards Plus. These events have been tremendously successful, and have provided all our students opportunities to keep growing and blooming!
Lori Weidemann, DVMTA President

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