Abstract
ASTA Membership Benefits All of Us
I closed my August 2009 column with the reminder that ASTA's members are the heart and soul of the association and it is only through our membership that ASTA is able to move forward with its mission of advancing string teaching and string playing. I also offered two arguments for ASTA's existence and for our continued support: 1.) the United Nations argument (ASTA is the only venue for our string teachers, students and performers to maintain contact with each other); 2.) strength in union (our banding together allows ASTA to provide programs and services that we would not be able to obtain as individuals plus it furnishes the clout necessary to exercise effective advocacy).
Recently, our Executive Committee was discussing ASTA's member benefits (not that we don't do that all of the time!). We talked about ways to keep the association strong during the current economic uncertainty. ASTA is a very diverse association, which is one of the factors that makes it so special and our role in the country's musical life so vital. Our programs have evolved both through tradition and because of a rich history of inclusiveness. A member of the committee made a potent analogy: the association is much like a shopping mall with big anchor stores that satisfy many needs and specialty shops that focus on specific customers. This is both a challenge and an opportunity. As we look towards the future, we need to focus on what it is that benefits our profession and the majority of our membership the most. What are the services and benefits that members can't do without? What would you say that makes ASTA membership is a MUST? The Board would love to hear your thoughts on this.
As our conversation progressed, we all agreed that the strength of ASTA has always been and always will be our people. The more we interconnect in a variety of ways, the more we will thrive. ASTA is much more than any one program or service. Fifty years from now, the ability to interact with top string teachers and performers will remain a constant. As members we need to champion the idea that string teachers and performers should join ASTA to get and stay connected, not only for today but for 40 years from now.
I certainly agree with this (it is my United Nations argument) but I would like to offer yet a third global argument for joining and supporting ASTA, one especially aimed at teachers and players who may not think that ASTA benefits them personally, for example top level symphony players who have private students but who are not members.
I don't find many musicians (not any, in fact) who think only about their present careers and do not care about music's continuance in the future. They care about both future audiences and future string students. We all recognize that most string students will not become professional musicians but a moment's reflection will reveal that even those who do not become tomorrow's performers are likely, together with their families, to constitute tomorrow's audiences (as well as today's) and become the parents of tomorrow's string students. Many of our programs directly benefit students and while the specific number of string teachers who participate in a program in any given year might be small, the impact and influence on students is broad and far-reaching. This can be said for almost every thing ASTA does for our membership and the profession. Thus all of ASTA's programs, even those that seem to be of the ‘specialty shop’ variety, really benefit all of us.
When you think of ASTA's mission in its broadest sense and tie this back to the shopping mall analogy it becomes clear that, even in today's bottom-line society, it is both our commonalities and our differences that make us strong. Remembering that you and your colleagues are ASTA's most precious resource, please continue to share with the Board your ideas and thoughts on what we can do to serve you better.
