North Central NATS
Our Mission:
To advance excellence in singing through teaching, performance, scholarship, and research.
To advance excellence in singing through teaching, performance, scholarship, and research.
Greetings from NORTH CENTRAL REGIONAL GOVERNOR SUSAN BENDER January 2021 Greetings from Stevens Point, WI! I am both excited and humbled to have been elected as governor for the North Central Region of NATS, and I hope to listen to all of you and serve as your liaison with the national board. It will be tough to fill the shoes of Kathy Otterson who has served so admirably in this role for the past few years -THANK YOU, KO! I am inspired to take on this new responsibility and represent you, dear colleagues. My sister-in-law has a saying that we are given two ears and only one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak, and that is precisely what I hope to do in the role as your regional governor. We live in uncertain times, and as teachers and leaders in our communities our students, their parents and our neighbors will look to us for answers and reassurance in terms of providing the most current facts and data as it pertains to safe group singing or in-person lessons. As administrators in the public and private schools at all levels try to plan for resumption of the academic year, it is incumbent upon each of us to do our part to provide them with talking points, current research and facts as they present safe proposals to school boards, planning commissions and the like when it comes to reopening and singing together, in particular. Our NATS national administrators have been proactive in putting together webinars and collecting evidence-based resources regarding the dangers of singing in person due to the aerosolization of the virus and why it is important for us to proceed informed by science and best practices. Please feel free to reach out to me, your district governors or your chapter presidents should you need advice and guidance moving forward. I know I am not proficient using technology, so I often rely on others to provide that support for me. Going it alone is a much tougher road than reaching out to your colleagues, and staying connected while being physically separated is an important part of coping with COVID successfully. Susan Bender northcentral@nats.org sbender@uwsp.edu |
2021 NATS summer workshop information is still being developed. Stay tuned!
Teaching in the Time of Corona Virus
NATS is responding to the needs of its members during the pandemic. Visit the COVID RESOURCES PAGE for complete information and download graphics to help promote #FightTheFatigue Campaign! |