The President's Corner
May 2003
A Road Map For Progress
In my initial “President’s Corner,” I attempted to describe my feelings on becoming President and what being a member of this great organization has meant to me. I worked to describe a WASBE member and what the organization can and should mean to its membership. Now I want to let you know what issues the executive and council will soon be addressing and to ask your support and encouragement as we form a “road map” for paths of progress. For too long, we have used our infancy as an excuse. We have not utilized our infrastructure to its maximum, and we have rested quite heavily on the shoulders of a few.
My first goal is to involve the WASBE Council more in all aspects of the organization. The council is our “team,” and I want team players, respected individuals who will answer the call to promote the ideals of the organization on a daily basis (as many of them do now). The framers of our “Articles of Association” bestowed much necessary empowerment to the council and with that comes great responsibility. There is no room for those who are content to simply have their names on the stationery. Soon our elections for President-Elect and (new) council members will be official, and I am confident that those elected will work dutifully in this regard and on our behalf. Some organizations wish to be evaluated by the luminaries found on the board of directors — not WASBE (at least not on my watch). We need individuals with vision and skill, who will devote time and energy to moving the organization forward.
Another goal during my tenure is to increase membership. As of today, we have the highest membership enrollment of any time in our history, but we must identify our membership and devise strategies which keep members’ interest, meet their needs, and attract others. I want to create a better network of communication between our “grass roots” membership and the committee chairs, council, executive and administration. I will be assigning areas of responsibility for council members and asking that they regularly report (through the Newsletter or Web Page) on events or people in their geographical area. Sometimes members are shy about reporting events in their arena simply because they feel they are not important on a global scale. Please keep in mind that our organization is global, but what you are doing in whatever country you live in is important and most likely will be of great interest to others. From my new perspective as President, I am becoming increasingly aware of the myriad of great events and initiatives that are being undertaken in every corner of the world. Each day I get e-mails or letters from conductors, composers, instrumentalists, who detail the many wonderful activities taking place around them. However, the process for initiating, collecting and disseminating the information in not always functioning — and your council will be addressing that soon.
Another area that I shall be concentrating on in the coming months is increasing the funds in our “Foundation” account. WASBE must take the lead in commissions, outreach, professional endeavors, assisting members in depressed economies, research, etc. All of this can and should come from monies generated through the Foundation. If you haven’t seized the opportunity to contribute, please contact our Treasurer (Egil Gundersen). In certain nations, our Foundation enjoys tax exempt status, which is another incentive to contribute. If you are aware of gift giving foundations or organizations, please let our Foundation Director (William Johnson) know, and he will send a prospectus to them. While this account is growing, it is increasing at too slow a pace to be of any significant benefit for many years. Frankly, we need to be taking advantage of the interest on these monies to assume leadership initiatives throughout the world. Please do your part — donate and help us to identify others who might.
In addition, I want us to focus on “Outreach” activities and WASBE events in non-conference years. Countries such as Spain, Australia and Brazil are already investigating symposiums for 2004, and the council and I are hopeful that WASBE will be very active in all these events. Just this past year, Laszlo Marosi was supported by WASBE to assist in the band movement in South Africa, and I was also sponsored to visit Buenos Aires, Argentina. More applications for “Outreach” visits are being reviewed. As a world organization, we need to be involved in this kind of work, identifying areas of need and then making it possible for our organization to be of assistance each year — not just the years of our conferences.
There are a myriad of other areas that the council, administration and I will be addressing, and I shall be outlining them in future addresses. I hope that you can glean from my words that I want to dedicate our organization to service. I want us to be relevant and accessible to our members while maintaining standards of excellence that will generate pride and accomplishment. Difficult assignment? Yes, but to move our organization forward, we must tackle the tough issues and find ways to make each and every member feel a part of that effort. We must be a “people” and an “artistic” organization.
Thank you for the trust that you have placed in me as your President. I shall work hard to deserve your faith and earn your respect.
Dennis Johnson