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<td width="100%"><font face="Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" size="2" color="#000000">Dear MASTA Members,</font></td>
<td nowrap><font face="Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" size="2" color="#000000"><b><a href="http://ui.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?p=oo&m=1110525170879&ea=members%40astamichigan.org">Subscribe Me!</a></b></td>
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<br><font face="Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" size="2" color="#000000">Diane Winder has forwarded this email to you with the following message: Take time to read and contribute your voice! Thanks!
Diane L. Winder, DM
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<font face="Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" size="1" color="#000000">Please Note: You have <b>NOT</b> been added to any email lists. If you no longer wish to receive these messages, please contact <a href="mailto:dwinder@emich.edu">dwinder@emich.edu</a>.<br><br>
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<p class="yiv810260097msonormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; background: white;">This past week, music educators and music education supporters in Lansing, Michigan (and all across the country) have been reacting to the announcement by the Lansing School Board and Superintendent Yvonne Caamal-Canul that, in light of budget considerations, elementary music, art and physical education positions will be cut en masse. In place of certified music educators, the district plans to contract out arts education to community artists.</span><span style="color: #222222;"><br /> <br /> <span style="background-color: white;">In response to this deeply troubling development, we need to CONTINUE TO PROTECT sequential, standards-based music education, as taught by certified educators. Our very own MMEA and NAfME member Mitchell Robinson, Associate Professor at Michigan State University, authored the following statement, which MMEA and NAfME have endorsed: </span></span><span style="color: black;"><a shape="rect" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=fgngkrmab.0.r84dkrmab.4fvkhikab.0&ts=S0892&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cms.msu.edu%2Fel%2FLansingCuts.php" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; background: white;">http://www.cms.msu.edu/el/LansingCuts.php</span></a></span><span style="color: #222222; background: white;">. </span></p>
<p class="yiv810260097msonormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /> <span style="background-color: white;">At this time, we are asking that all MMEA members please consider taking a moment to add their voices to the chorus of opposition to this action in Lansing, by writing a note directly to Superintendent Caamal-Canul: </span></span><a shape="rect" href="mailto:yvonne.caamal-canul@lansingschools.net" target="_blank"><span>yvonne.caamal-canul@lansingschools.net</span></a><span style="color: #222222; background: white;"> Please let the Superintendent know that MMEA and NAfME stand for certified classroom music education, and remind them of what students will be missing if we replace certified teachers with community artists. </span></p>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; color: #222222;"><br /> <span style="background-color: white;">Thank you, in advance, for your time and efforts</span></span><br /><div><span style="font-size: 14pt;">
<div><span style="color: #888888;"> </span></div>
</span>Christina Hornbach<br />President, MMEA<br /><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span> </span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span>Cory L. Micheel-Mays</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span>Executive Director, MMEA</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span> </span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span>(517) 748-6518 </span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span><a shape="rect" href="mailto:cmicheelmays@sbcglobal.net" target="_blank">cmicheelmays@sbcglobal.net</a></span></p></div></td></tr></table><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
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