For Secretary - Krysta Mirsik
Hello! My name is Krysta Mirsik, and I am a senior music education major from the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University. I am running for the position of State Secretary, and I would like to share some information about myself with you. My music concentration at MSU is vocal, but I also double majored in French horn for a brief time. While at MSU, I have been involved in the majority of the school's music ensembles: University Singers, MSU Chorale, Symphony Orchestra, MSU Symphonic Band, Harry Partch Ensemble, Vocal Jazz Ensemble, and a brass quintet. As with most musicians, my passion for music carries over into my non-academic life as well. I serve as a cantor for my church, teach private French horn and trumpet lessons, and substitute teach in two districts. I am also involved with the Charles Seller Foundation Talent Time Players in the summer, as well as Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society and the MSU Sodexo Student Board Committee during the school year.
I have been involved in MENC since my freshman year, starting out as an active member, and then being elected as Vice President (2006-2007), President (2007-2008), and Senator (2008-2009.) During that time, the MSU Executive Board revitalized the MENC program, hosting fundraisers such as “Musical Squares” and the “MSUtube Film Festival,” as well as hosting educational lectures such as “Getting the First Job” with Joe Akinskas (past NJMEA president), “Time and Stress Management (co-sponsored by Counseling and Psychological Services at MSU), and “Copyrights and Wrongs” with James Frankel. My leadership skills have grown immensely from serving MSU MENC, and I would love to bring my skills and ideas to the State Executive Board!
I am running for the position of State Secretary in order to keep every Collegiate MENC member connected to what is happening in the state. One of my biggest goals when working with the MSU Executive Board was to promote chapter involvement and get people excited and informed about music education. The best way to achieve this is through quick and accurate communication, something with which I am very efficient. I have served as interim secretary for my chapter on several occasions, and am very thorough when writing meeting minutes. As MSU's Senator this year, I have made it my priority to keep the state Executive Board informed about all of the activities hosted by our chapter, and as State Secretary, I would hold myself responsible for communicating with all of the chapter Senators on a regular basis. I am very used to working collaboratively, and have many ideas to bring to the State MENC Executive Board. For starters, I would like to create a list of professional music educators who would be willing to lecture at our colleges and share their wisdom and expertise with the collegiate membership. This idea was successful at MSU, and I would love to see it flourish on the state level. For Music in Our Schools Month, I would like to make sure that every chapter has contact information for several local teachers that would be interested in having demonstrations, masterclasses, and performances. If we keep our focus on a few local schools right now, we can hone our musical offerings and then expand the program's scope at a later time. I also think we should continue offering free lessons to students in need. This activity takes very little time, but could have a huge impact on a child's musical success. After all, isn't that the goal of MENC?
Good luck to all of the candidates! I look forward to seeing you in February!
Krysta Mirsik