Bigger and Brighter 2021

Session 1 for the Pride Bands Alliance Delegates. Agenda TBA

The Artistic Directors’ Forum is a casual gathering for artistic directors, assistant/associate artistic directors, and guest conductors of the Pride Bands Alliance. This informal event aims to give artistic staff and conductors a chance to interact and develop friendships while discussing issues relevant to their bands. 

Most of us have heard it in rehearsal - "if that section isn't within your ability, just self-edit." When told to "self-edit", most people just sit out for the difficult section. But we are here to PLAY! So how can you simplify hard passages so you can still play and contribute to the ensemble? This workshop will give you specific tools to simplify various types of difficult phrases so you don't have to sit with your instrument in your lap. This is a participatory workshop - we will be playing some tricky passages together, and applying these techniques to make them playable so bring your instruments and music for the concert. It won't be too taxing on the chops, so bring your axe and join us!

Are you wondering what you and your band can do to further Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) goals? Do you even have DEI goals? Do you even know what DEI means? This workshop is intended to be an open discussion for band members and band leadership to discuss what you've done to embrace DEI or whether you just don't know where to start or somewhere in the middle. The output of the workshop will be quarterly DEI online forums facilitated by Pride Bands Alliance to help bands keep moving towards their DEI goals.

Each year on November 20, people gather in communities around the world for the Transgender Day of Remembrance.  This day honors the memories of people whose lives were lost in anti-transgender violence. The day falls at the end of Transgender Awareness Week, which raises the visibility of the transgender community and the need to address the issues the community faces.

The timing of the 2021 Pride Bands Alliance Annual Conference provides an opportunity for our Pride Bands family to observe the day together for the first time. All are invited to join in this observance following the Pep Band performance.

"Transgender Day of Remembrance seeks to highlight the losses we face due to anti-transgender bigotry and violence. I am no stranger to the need to fight for our rights, and the right to simply exist is first and foremost. With so many seeking to erase transgender people -- sometimes in the most brutal ways possible -- it is vitally important that those we lose are remembered, and that we continue to fight for justice."
- Transgender Day of Remembrance founder Gwendolyn Ann Smith

Over our nearly 40 years, the annual Pride Bands Alliance conferences have grown and evolved, becoming a highlight of the year for many of our members.  As we approach our anniversary, we have a chance to take a broader look at our conferences and chart their future into Pride Bands’ next decade.  The Pride Bands Alliance Conference Oversight Committee invites you to join in a discussion as we brainstorm the future of conferences.  Some topics for discussion include:

• What new elements would you like to see at conferences?
• How can hosting a conference become more accessible to bands of different sizes?
• How can we adjust scheduling and accommodate even more participants?
• What should the balance of work be between the Pride Bands Alliance and the host organization?
• Could an event management company assist in producing conferences?
• Could we move some of the business elements of the conference to other times to allow more time to enjoy the conference itself?

Business Session 2. Details TBA