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AVA gives you the opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals who are passionate about voice-work, including
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- psychologists
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From the President's desk
September 2011
Dear AVA Members
Greetings and all good wishes from me and the Board of Australian Voice Association, Spring 2011!
I hope this message finds you well, happy and enjoying this season of awakening and invigoration!
ASPAH-AVA Conference
As I write this President’s message, excitement is mounting with the continuing approach of the ASPAH – AVA Conference to be held in October 2011.
This is a very exciting collaboration - for the AVA to be holding a conference in conjunction with the Australian Society for Performing Arts Healthcare (ASPAH) - and I urge you all to be there!!
The conference in Sydney, 21st-23rd October 2011, at the University of Sydney promises to be exciting and stimulating.
Speaking out on performers’ health: Perspectives for a new decade includes many aspects of voice, performance and performers’ health.
The AVA is delighted to be part of this exciting and very relevant collaboration between like-minded professionals, performers, students and others.
Visit the ASPAH website now – www.aspah.org.au to register and to gain snippets of the wonderful programme that’s planned.
Both Vice President, Adele Nisbet, and I have been representing the AVA on the organizing committee, very ably led by Dr Jonathan Livesay, Ear Nose and Throat Specialist, with other organizing committee members including
- Bronwen Ackermann
- Alison Evans
- Cliffton Chan
- Samantha Warhurst from ASPAH (who was the AVA NSW Student Encouragement Award recipient for 2011)
Some highlights of the ASPAH – AVA Conference will include -
- Registration from 5:00pm Friday 21st October, with drinks, Band of Giants to play at the Friday reception, (the trio line up will consist of three of Sydney’s finest jazz musicians),
- opening presentation and guest lecture from Associate Professor Ralph Manchester MD,
and a Saturday and Sunday proposed timetable to include
- academic paper presentations,
- a keynote speech from ASPAH Patron, conductor Richard Gill,
- guest lectures on Accent Breathing and Articulation from Ron Morris, Speech Pathologist and Counter Tenor, (along with workshops from Ron and others).
The AVA is also supporting the Guest Master Class by Marvin Keenze - The Benefits of the Age of Information - How We Teach and How We Listen to Singers in 2011 - at the time of the ASPAH AGM 5 -6.30 pm Saturday.
The conference program will also include Annual General Meetings for ASPAH and AVA, the Conference dinner and a singalong finale!!!
A conference not to be missed! Do get on line and register at www.aspah.org.au to take advantage of being in Sydney for this exciting AVA Event. Several ASPAH members are also members of AVA, we share a common culture and interests and are looking forward to an exciting collaboration in October.
I hope to see many of you there!
AVA Annual General Meeting
AGM: The AVA plans to hold its Annual General Meeting at the ASPAH- AVA Conference in Sydney Saturday 22nd October 2011, between 1.10pm and 2pm (at lunchtime). We look forward to having as many members as possible attend the AGM in person at the University of Sydney venue.
Board Portfolios
The AVA Board continues to be active on your behalf, meeting regularly throughout the year by teleconference. At the 15th August teleconference meeting it was decided that portfolios would be allocated to members of the Board to stimulate and create greater efficiency within the AVA.
To this end the Board has now allocated the portfolio roles below, the incumbents of which will continue until the AGM 22nd October 2011, while the roles will continue beyond that date.
| President |
Jane Mott |
| Vice President |
Adele Nisbet |
| Treasurer |
Sharon Moore |
| Secretary |
Helen Tiller |
| Website Organiser |
Johanna Flavell |
| Professional Development |
Sheryl Mailing |
| Membership |
Thea Peterson |
| Marketing/PR |
Julia Moody |
We look forward to the stimulus and increased momentum that we believe this will provide.
Already Sheryl Mailing is active in the PD role, creating a survey monkey to look at member interest in Professional Development and with the able assistance of Sharon Moore is looking at events for 2012.
Members can look forward to the AVA providing future PD Events to meet your needs!
Website Management
Website - John Waller continues to manage the technical operation and we thank him for this. Johanna Flavell is now our AVA Website Co-coordinator, after a most helpful period with Moya Pattie in this role, so please email her photos, information about events including workshops and conferences and other newsworthy items relevant to voice.
The AVA Board remains committed to further development of the website and continues to aim to make it up to date, informative, interactive and responsive to your needs.
We haven’t yet been inundated with responses to our intention to provide an area for VIPs (Voice Interested People) and member resources so do please contact Johanna with ideas on how the website and your association can be improved!
Your involvement with the AVA & the website is paramount to our efficacy and survival!
We need member input and enthusiasm for a viable Australian Voice Association!
Membership News
AVA Membership at the time of writing is continuing to grow in and includes international as well as local members.
We are encouraged with our efforts to enhance and promote the services and benefits of AVA membership and that they are bearing results.
We continue to be aware that a strong and vibrant membership brings benefits to us all.
Student Encouragement Awards
We also continue to be particularly keen to involve students with the AVA. To this end it has been rewarding to have brought to fruition the Inaugural AVA Student Encouragement Awards.
The Australian Voice Association’s Student Encouragement Award is now well established. The AVA has set up this annual award scheme to encourage students, student membership and future involvement in the Association.
The award is comprised of
- AVA membership for the remainder of the year,
- complimentary entrance to workshops and conferences conducted by the AVA
- a substantial book prize.
Remember to make use of and foster our connection with British Voice Association!
Voiceprint
Voiceprint: Continues to be a vibrant and highly informative link, providing us with a most valuable print connection within the AVA amongst our voice interested professionals.
We are delighted to have this 41st Edition produced by Guest Editor Jenny Caire to add weight to our 20 year operational milestone.
We apologise for the delay in Voiceprint this year.
Unfortunately Alison Winkworth was not able to commit time to the production of Voiceprint 41 as anticipated and we had to reorganize our Guest Editor and re-schedule its production.
Our thanks to Alison for consideration of the task and we are all understanding that voluntary tasks sometimes have to be put on the back-burner in our increasingly busy world.
I urge you to continue to support Voiceprint by contributing information and items of interest (adding your voice!) to our voice community.
Continue to communicate with your Association, the AVA, to ensure it meets your needs.
Jane Mott
President
Australian Voice Association
September 2011
