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November 21, 2009
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Baton Rouge, LA
Members in attendance:
Andy Pizzo, Joe LeBlanc, Galindo Rodriguez, Bill Causey, Rick Condit, Cristina Mendoza, guest Bob
Morgan
1) Minutes
Minutes from the summer Executive Board meeting were read and approved.
2) LMEA Jazz Division
A copy of the Louisiana Musician advertisement for the State Jazz Festival was passed around.
Sound equipment for the All-State Jazz Band was discussed. LMEA has not played a part in providing
equipment in the past. Andy will ask for their assistance at the next LMEA board meeting. Joe
suggested writing a letter of concern, including a statement that the Loyola jazz ensemble did not have a
sound system to use, that one was needed, and that this affected their performance. Bill suggested that
if they initially turn our request down, we should ask if they could meet us half way. Bill could donate
the use of the system; the cost would be $1000 for the weekend, which could be split evenly between
LAJE and LMEA. This is also an important issue with regard to getting good clinicians to come in. Bill
stated that at other conferences, the hotel or convention site provides a sound system and platform for
use by the ensembles. Our letter of concern could include a mention of the need for upgrading the
facilities and support services at the convention site. Joe suggested that we document all our concerns
for the conference weekend and separately send a request for the use of a sound system. Andy stated
that the system could be available for the use of all ensembles that need it, not just the jazz band.
For the 2010 All-State band, Fred Sturm from Lawrence University in Wisconsin will be the clinician.
He is under contract but may have some health concerns that Andy will keep tabs on. We need to
develop a further list for future years. Byron Stripling is interested and he may be partially sponsored by
Conn-Selmer.
Next year’s audition will be in Pineville. There is a need for piano auditionees next year. This should be
specifically mentioned in the next Louisiana Musician article.
3) SCRMC
Leon Anderson will be leading the jazz band at the SCRMC convention in February. The dates were not
readily available but it is usually around Mardi Gras time. They are trying to bring in Doc Severinsen for
the big concert. The conference is staying in Monroe for the foreseeable future. The venues in
Shreveport are not as desirable as the one in Monroe. There are clinic slots available, but the seats have
not been filled in years past.
4) 501c3 Status
The 501c3 status has been applied for. The new bank account and tax ID number have been set up.
5) Treasury Report
The current bank balance is $2500. Recent and upcoming bills include:
Convention booth - $175
Sound system - $400
Clinician hotel room - $100
Louisiana Musician advertisement - $81
A large portion of our upcoming income will be from the State festival. If we get 15 groups to attend,
we could bring in over $1800. As the host, Northwestern State can cover some of the festival expenses,
and there could also be some donated services.
6) Membership Drive
The PayPal account is activated and several people have already used it to join. Rick said he had joined
TAJE awhile back and hadn’t yet received anything from them, so it’s important that we follow up with
new members. Andy suggested putting the Louisiana Musician articles on the website and emailing them
directly to members. Bill asked if the website was set up to handle video. The TMEA website has video
downloads of all the clinic presentations. We could do that with the jazz clinics, possibly with an
embedded YouTube link.
Andy suggested that we use the last IAJE Louisiana list to announce the new organization and send out
the membership form or the registration link.
7) LAJE State Festival at Northwestern State University
The festival date is March 13. The guest artist is Rob Wilkerson (tenor sax with Michael Bublé).
Suggestions for the format included a mid-day concert with the guest artist, a time when a majority of
the attendees will be present. Next year, Galindo is planning to bring in the Army Blues rhythm section.
There was a discussion about using other universities to host the festival. Rick suggested that McNeese
might be interested in hosting after another cycle at Northwestern. He will start putting a proposal
together. Cristina brought up the point that few other universities are involved in the organization besides
Northwestern, McNeese, and Nicholls. We would need some assurance of quality and possibly a board
member as a contact point, as Galindo is now. Bill suggested that any university director interested in
hosting could be required to join the organization, and that we could offer them assistance in the form of
our past organizational scheme for the festival. We could send out a proposal or invitation to all
Louisiana colleges and universities, including a statement of requirements that must be met in order to be
considered as a host. Joe asked if we would want to consider offering the festival to selected cities as
well.
What are the requirements we want met in order to host? All board members should put together some
ideas over break and submit to Andy.
8) LAJE Executive Board additions/changes
Cristina will stay on the board until her graduate school plans are made certain. Jan Dupre is very
interested in getting involved. She could be our first Middle School representative. High School
representative suggestions included Jay Ecker and Tim McMillan. We do not currently have position
descriptions for the Middle School and High School components, and we should also consider re-
defining the current board positions for clarity.
Joe suggested having a middle school state jazz ensemble performance at LMEA, with audition by tape.
Andy suggested a vocal jazz clinic at LMEA in conjunction with the choir division. He or Cristina will
talk to Fran Hebert about this possibility. Cindy Scott is a vocalist in New Orleans who might be
interested in presenting.
Louisiana Association for Jazz Education
Executive Board Meeting
June 20, 2009
Present: Andy Pizzo, Galindo Rodriguez, Mike Morgan, Lee Hicks, Bill Causey, Cristina Mendoza
Bill Causey moved and Galindo Rodriguez seconded that the minutes from the last meeting (November
2008) be accepted.
The All-State Band director this year will be Bob Morgan. He has requested risers for the band. The
rehearsal room is too small to use them so they will be available for the concert only. We should contact
LMEA to request use of risers. The director for the 2010 band will be Fred Sturm of Lawrence
University. Everyone was reminded that we are given $1800 from LMEA to pay the clinicians. This
amount includes their travel.
Clinic topics were discussed. For the Saturday evening clinic, the topic may be “playing behind a
soloist,” led by Andy and Galindo. This clinic would be geared towards rhythm section players. Andy
may bring in his wife to participate and discuss issues involved with working with vocalists. The
Sunday morning clinic may be a motivational speaker that is geared towards music, and jazz
specifically. Topics could include time management and the business aspect of being a professional
musician. It was suggested that postcards be printed with the jazz clinic schedule, to be handed out at
the LAJE table.
The All-State judging panel was discussed. Rick Condit will hear the saxes. The rhythm section judges
(2) still need to be locked down. Patrick Bordelon, Troy Breaux, Kevin Estoque, and Jay Ecker were
suggested. Due to last year’s conflicts, it may be necessary to keep parents away from the audition
room.
Advertising in the Louisiana Musician magazine was discussed. This year, if three 1/3 page ads are
purchased, they will give a free listing in the online issue. LMEA also offers a direct link from their
website at the cost of $50. It was agreed that we should publish State Festival advertising and the LAJE
membership form.
The SCRMC conference in 2010 will be February 25-27. Bill Causey reported better attendance for the
conference. Mike Vax led the jazz band and it was a better band than in previous years. George
Apperson is the jazz chair for the conference, and Leon Anderson will be the 2010 clinician. Discussion
ensued over whether the conference may be moved away from Monroe. There are no current locations
available in Shreveport for the next couple years. They would also need to secure financial backers in a
new location. We also discussed whether it is worth it to have an LAJE presence there at this time. The
dates they choose make it difficult for many of the executive board members to be there. Bill Causey
stated that he doesn’t believe it is worth it to have our own booth just yet. He will put out membership
forms at his shop booth for now. Leon Anderson will be giving a jazz clinic. Perhaps LAJE can also
offer a clinic in the future.
Nominees for the LAJE Hall of Fame were discussed. Names mentioned were Ellis Marsalis, Lee
Fortier, and Johnny Gerbrecht.
At this year’s LAJE All-State Jazz Festival, 16 bands signed up and 13 participated. Because we need to
plan the event based on the number of bands participating, we will begin placing information regarding
deposit refund dates and percentages on the application form. Bill Causey gave a breakdown of income
and expenses, and the profit was not as large as hoped for. Next year we should aim to have more
university participation. Lee Hicks suggested offering a one-hour clinic with the judges or with the guest
artist for the top 3 bands. It was also suggested that the top 3 bands could perform on the night concert
with the guest artist or the judges prior to the Northwestern band’s performance. Other suggestions for
the future included:
*Consider consolidating the festival to one day. This would mean lower hotel and meal expenses. The
jam session could still be held on Friday night, with the competition on Saturday.
*Move the guest artist concert to mid-day to get better band/student draw.
*Hire fewer judges
*Use the judges in a different way (3 on stage and 2 rotating in clinics)
*Offer sectionals then a full band clinic, or have sectional teachers sit in with the sections during the
clinic and then rotate the front person.
Dates for the 2010 festival are currently scheduled for March 12-13. The festival has been housed at
Northwestern for three years. The possibility of moving locations was discussed. It is unknown if any
of the other universities would be interested in hosting. It is also unknown if other universities would
offer as much organization, backstage work, and support as Northwestern currently offers. Lee Hicks
suggested moving the festival location every two to three years.
The LAJE membership form was reviewed. Mike Morgan suggested that the initial membership fee be
set at $25 for everyone. PayPal should be added to the website to make payment easier. We can offer
different membership levels later. Membership should be pushed hard at LMEA this fall, and another
email should be sent out to the old IAJE list.
Bill Causey gave the treasury report. There is currently $2500 to be put into a bank account, plus
membership checks. Galindo Rodriguez is currently serving as treasurer of LAJE.
The incorporation/501(c)3 paperwork was reviewed. Three incorporators are needed for nonprofit
organizations. Our three signers will be Galindo Rodriguez, Bill Causey, and Andy Pizzo. After applying
for incorporation, the next step is to get a tax ID number, open the bank account, and apply for the 501
(c)3 status. This can take up to one year but we can still start to collect membership dues, donations,
etc. and the people can claim the donations on their taxes. Galindo Rodriguez suggested soliciting
sponsorships as well.
***This is where Secretary had to depart the meeting***to be updated later.........