Thank you for the invitation to join you as you celebrate your fifty years of affiliation with MTNA. I have thoroughly enjoyed visiting with you and getting to know you. I want to commend you on a fabulous conference and wonderful hospitality. In spite of all the electronic means of communication we have at our disposal, there is nothing like the face-to-face contact with each other, which I believe is one of the greatest benefits of local, state, and national membership in MTNA.

As I was listening to Bob Duke's session on "Beautiful" this morning, I was reminded of a quote I heard recently. "Art is a means to the life abundant, it's not the abundant life in and of itself, but a means to that life abundant." The majority of our students will not be professional musician, and only a few are exceptionally talented, but as professional music teachers, we have the best job in the world. We have the opportunity to nurture, inspire, and influence our students through their study of music, not just for the sake of music, but to nurture individuals throughout our society who appreciate art, beauty, expression, and creativity. What a tremendous role we play in helping our students realize their potential of living life to the fullest.

While I know that everyone at this conference believes in the value of music study, I fear this isn't the case throughout the country. I recently heard Michael Feinstein reflecting on the music environment of the 1920's and 30's where it was more common for a family to own a piano than not. Today, those pianos have been replaced with TV's, video games, and computers. We must meet the challenges of a 21st century society that is often uncertain about the value of music study. When music programs are downsized or eliminated from public school curricula, regional orchestras flounder to stay afloat, and pop musicians are treated by the media as music icons, is it any wonder that many parents contemplating music study for their child might wonder about the value of music lessons?

Our commitment to the music teaching profession has never been as important as it is right now. It is up to us, the members of our professional association, to ensure that music study is valued as a part of our culture. By staying vigilant about the benefits of music to individuals and society as a whole, we ensure the future of our profession as music teachers and guarantee a music education for music students in the next decade and the decades to follow. Your presence at this conference affirms your commitment to the music teaching profession and your desire for continued professional growth. You are a part of a legacy of your state association that began 50 years ago and continues to provide a strong influence to the citizens of your own communities and your state now a half century later. I especially want to thank you for your membership in MTNA. Our missions have been fully intertwined for 50 years. And I am confident that we will continue to work with and for each other for ages to come. In so doing, we will more effectively advance the value of music study and music making to society and support the professionalism of music teachers...in South Carolina and all across the country.

On behalf of the MTNA Board of Directors, Executive Director and CEO, Gary Ingle, and our 23,000 members, I am delighted to present this commemorative plaque recognizing South Carolina Music Teachers Association for 50 years of partnership and affiliation with MTNA.