Words and Music
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Words and Music Winter 2018 The fall of 2017 In this issue was an impactful time in my own • News you can use! Be in the know! life, being elected - Solo and band registration deadlines as the new • The Treasurer reports that the 2018 WUSPBA budget is in good shape. President in November. The • Read about the legendary Pipe Major ramp-up into this Willie Ross, an all-time piping great. office was swift, to say the least, • Hard work and dedication pays off! Meet but also very eye-opening. the Pasadena Scottish Pipes and Drums. I’ve learned more about this organization in • Jim Thomson United States School of just two months than over the previous 20 Piping and Drumming, July 13-15, 2018. years as a member and committee volunteer. Thank you to the amazing Music Board, Executive Committee, and all outgoing WUSPBA staff members for their advice and hard work during this transition period. WUSPBA in 2018 – Core Running Volunteer Organizations Can Be Values and Challenging Improvements Volunteer organizations, particularly non- profits, can be a challenge to run Kevin Conquest, WUSPBA President effectively. This is no different for WUSPBA. [email protected] Perhaps the challenges are compounded Happy New Year to all of our WUSPBA further when we see our piping and membership! I hope everyone had a joyous drumming pursuits as a lifelong passion holiday season with a chance to celebrate more than calling it a mere hobby. Old with family and friends. phrases like “not mixing business and friendship” come to mind as well when 1 choices have to be made that will inevitably improve the understanding of our rules or make someone unhappy. decision-making. Nevertheless, we have to run WUSPBA like So! What does all of that mean? Here are a business to ensure that we deliver top my improvement goals for 2018: service to our membership. It is my intention to apply leadership skills from a 1. CPL transparency – CPLs will be career in the technology and government added to the competitor copy of sectors to improve WUSPBA as a whole score sheets and be known to the during my tenure. individual band/soloist at every contest. This is without a doubt the Core Values for 2018 most tumultuous topic in WUSPBA! CPLs are used to assess grading With that in mind, I’d like to share with you placement but were hidden from the core values that I have set for our competitors due to past concerns. officers and staff in 2018: Adding these back will provide competitors with instant feedback Accountability: WUSPBA must be and no surprises as to how accountable for every decision made that adjudicators and the Music Board directly impacts piping and drumming in our will see their progress. region. Both the Music Board and Executive Committee have already been tasked with 2. Website and Online Tools – The making improvements to process and WUSPBA website and online standard operating procedures to ensure registration system need a massive consistency throughout. overhaul in 2018! We will implement a web and social media Professionalism: WUSPBA must be team to provide fresh, timely approachable to our membership. content to the membership. We Dissatisfaction and apathy are often born have to post results quickly after from a lack of basic communication. Our competitions. We must make it officers and staff have been tasked with easier to register for events and delivering reasonable response times to membership online. We will also inquiries, welcoming feedback, and showing employ YouTube and social media the levels of service they would wish to see platforms to increase our as a customer. Likewise, all members are approachability and promote encouraged to volunteer within their learning. branch and speak up when they have concerns. 3. Process Improvement – We will be implementing process improvement Transparency: WUSPBA is not a secret universally. All committees and society. While we do have to observe offices will improve documentation confidentiality in many situations, WUSPBA of our procedures. The Adjudication needs to make improvements that will Panel will see improvements in the form of workshops and ongoing 2 training. Communication will be organizational spending as we see. High more frequent and very open. hopes for smooth sailing finance-wise. I have most of the banking re-aligned and In closing, I hope everyone supports these streamlined so disbursements to branches ambitious but very truthful goals for 2018. will go smoothly. I just need a little wrap- up with a final branch to finalize what has Good luck at the first competitions of the been a year project. year! Please feel free to approach me and say hello. R2 System for Games Organizers Treasurer’s Report We look forward to the Games Organizers using the R2 system as it becomes more familiar. Many games are using it as a Nate Lorenz, WUSPBA Treasurer resource for registration for band and solo [email protected] competitors. It also gives a great way to mass-communicate to them as things might 2018 is here and I change approaching the actual date. hope everyone is ready for a great Thank you for the vote to be Treasurer season. again. I hope things go as well for the organization as they have for the last two Great AGM in years. Here is to a great season and some Arizona top-notch music! The AGM was a great weekend in Arizona in the new Desert Branch. We saw a lot of participation from the branch and Solo Registrations Now surrounding areas and we hope to see it Open for Renewal grow. We hope that moving the location will encourage folks to come to meetings Lezlie Mann, Solo Registrar that otherwise wouldn’t travel. This [email protected] increased participation should spur more conversation so more of the membership This is just to let everyone know that the feel included and have their voices heard. 2018 solo membership is open for membership renewals: Budget Established for 2018 https://www.r2sports.com/membership/lo gin.asp? We looked at the finances for the year and are in great shape for wrapping up 2017, If you need it we have the step by step and we approved a 2018 budget. A few instructions for solo and solo/family linked items were underspent and offset by a little on our WUSPBA website: overspent. And for 2018 we adjusted for https://wuspba.org/how-to-join/ the best understanding of the 3 The cost is $27.00. Check out https://wuspba.org/rulesbylaws/, After January Article 3, section 5: table 1 for details. 15th the cost increases to $37.00. Please feel free to contact me as you need help. If you have any questions or problems (forgot Contents username ID and/or password) don't hesitate to contact me. Winter 2018 If you have already registered please WUSPBA in 2018 - Core Values and disregard this notice. Improvements, Kevin Conquest …….…... 1 Treasurer's Report, Nate Lorenz …...….... 3 Thank you and Happy New Year! Solo Registrations Now Open, Band Registrations Due Lezlie Mann …………………..……………. ….... 3 Band Registrations Due, Jeffrey M. Mann, Band Registrar Jeffrey Mann ……………………………..………. 4 [email protected] Intermountain Branch Report, Good morning. Just Jamie Cuthill ………..………………………….…. 5 a reminder that band registrations Jim Thomson United States School of were due by Piping and Drumming, Marianne January 15, 2018. Sullivan ……………………………………………… 5 Meet the Pasadena Scots, As per the WUSPBA John MacDonald …………….………………… 12 Bylaws, Band membership fees Pipe Major Willie Ross ……….…………..… 14 are as follows: Deadline for • Active competing bands- $300.00/ Spring 2018 issue: March 20 year. Late fees after January 15, 2018 - $400.00/year. Editorial Staff John Thornton, Editor • Juvenile Bands- $50.00/ yr. Late fees [email protected] after January 15, 2018 – $75.00/yr. 303.798.0844 Susan Thornton, Assistant Editor • Associate Bands- $40.00/yr. Late fees [email protected] after January 15, 2018 – $60.00/yr. 303.798.0844 © WUSPBA 2018 4 Intermountain Branch contest hosted by the Colorado Irish Festival. The Colorado United Irish Society Report has been good enough to provide our branch contest with a venue for 11 years By Jamie Cuthill now. [email protected] WUSPBA AGM Coming to Denver! Happy New Year! We are also getting busy with assisting in With our branch the logistical planning of the 2018 WUSPBA president taking on AGM, to be held in Denver. We will be WUSPBA’s Secretary looking for reasonable venues, convenient position, I have for travel to the sights around our stepped into the role wonderful city. of Interim Branch For those traveling to Denver, I would President. Our branch encourage you to take advantage of our will vote for a new president at our 2018 airport train. This will be a $9.00 pass, AGM. For the time being, we will probably which is good for travel all day on any of not have any major shakeups, but rather our city buses and city trains. stay the course until we have a permanent president. All the best for a successful 2018! Smackdown! As we’ve done for over a decade now, the IMB will begin its planning for our annual The Best Kept Secret in Spring Smackdown contest. This event has the Southwest! always been a great venue for our The Jim Thomson United competitors to get their feet wet, and to get feedback on their contest tunes in an States School of Piping informal and stress-free environment. It and Drumming: July 13- also proves to be a great community event for all of our bands and soloists. 15, 2018 The Smackdown started as a solos-only Marianne Sullivan event.