It is a strange and trying time for all of us in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. We certainly understand times are tough for you, as it is for us. We have been proud to bring School Band & Orchestra for free for more than two decades and we will continue to provide you with free subscriptions during the pandemic. However, we would like your consideration in these difficult times to help support our efforts here at School Band & Orchestra to keep our information flowing and to provide you with a continuous stream of current and vital information when you need it the most.
It is with the utmost sincerity we ask you to consider supporting our efforts here with a small donation which will allow our staff the ability to keep these interesting stories about your chosen career coming to you in a consistent and timely basis. Your consideration is greatly appreciated. We at School Band & Orchestra wish nothing but the best for you, your school, your family and co-workers. We hope you continue to remain healthy during this most strenuous of times.
Conn-Selmer has shared a special message for music educators in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter, which is from Steve Zapf (president & CEO, Conn-Selmer, Inc), Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser (chief education officer, vice president of Education), and Michael Kamphuis (managing director, Division of Education), arrived on Friday (March 20).
It reads:
Our world of music education has changed tremendously over the past few weeks. The music education industry is a small and tight network of great people across our great nation changing students’ lives on a daily basis. We are committed as an industry partner during this unprecedented time in our country’s history to remain committed to serving you in all the challenges you are facing. As we continue to monitor the COVID-19 virus and its impact, we want to reassure you that our factories are continuing to build high-quality musical instruments for your programs as we move towards the end of the school year and prepare for the next.
We know that many school systems are making significant adjustments to their academic calendars and staffing at this time in response to the pandemic. Our Division of Education is calling all school districts with orders being shipped from our facilities to the school to verify if someone is on hand to receive shipments or not during this period. If schools are unable to take shipment, we will either hold the order, or in some cases have it shipped to your local dealer for future delivery.
Please rest assured your Conn-Selmer Division of Education team will continue to assist you with any and all of our resources including ongoing development of comprehensive reports delivered via our free 1) Conn-Selmer Instrument Inventory System and 2) the Conn-Selmer Instrument Wish List.
As many districts are shifting to on-line learning activity for the foreseeable future, we want to also draw your attention to the variety of free, on-line video assets in support of your ongoing instructional objectives. These can be found by clicking here.
We wish everyone the utmost in both safety and security during this challenging time. Please know that our team is here to support you and your program’s ongoing success 24/7.
On behalf of all of us at Conn-Selmer and our Division of Education,
Steve Zapf
President & CEO
Conn-Selmer, Inc.
Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser
Chief Education Officer
Vice President of Education
Michael Kamphuis
Managing Director,
Division of Education