From the Executive Director

My deepest thanks go to Emily Talley, whose selfless service helped guide and support the campaign, and to the dozens of collection site captains, music dealers, and volunteers across the state who opened their doors, gave of their time, hauled instruments, assessed playing condition,, and handled repairs so that every donated instrument could successfully find its way into a student's hands. This work was made possible through the strength of our partnership — Music Matters Ohio is a joint effort of OMEA, the Ohio Foundation for Music Education (OFME), the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education (OAAE), and the Ohio Arts Council (OAC) — and we are proud to say this is just the beginning. Music Matters Ohio will be an annual campaign, and we are already looking ahead to next year's drive with the goal of reaching even more schools and putting even more instruments into the hands of Ohio students.

Alongside the OMEA website, the president’s monthly newsletter, and direct emails, you can now catch up through the OMEA: Backstage Pass podcast for behind-the-scenes conversations on where the organization is headed as well as interesting classroom tips, follow TRIAD Tonic — the new blog from TRIAD Editor Stephanie Bonitz — which provides timely reflections and resources, and connect with us across an expanding set of social media channels for quicker, more frequent updates. You can now follow OMEA on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, X, Bluesky, Threads, and even TikTok. Obviously, these systems only work effectively if they are right for the individual member.

We do need something from you, as well: take a few minutes this month to check that your contact information in your OMEA profile is current, follow us on the platforms you use, and share these resources with colleagues in your building who might otherwise miss them. Good communication is a two-way street — we'll keep building the roads, but we need you to help us drive the traffic.

Recently, someone remarked that All-State was OMEA’s “cash cow.” This revealed a failure in communication and transparency on my part. In fact, the All-State program runs at a deficit annually. Depending on the city where we are hosting it, All-State runs at a financial loss of between $10,000 and $20,000. While the students do pay a fee to offset the costs, the fee does not cover the expenses. In 2026, OMEA collected $225 for each student to participate in the high school ensembles. However, the cost per student was $265 per student. The cost per Children’s Chorus member was $42 more per student than what each student paid. In the business sector, this financial model would be considered untenable, but in order to provide our students with these opportunities and keep the barrier of cost as low as possible, we find other ways to offset the loss of revenue.

Over the past five years, we have managed to operate without an increase in costs for our members, and in fact, reduced the fee charged to All-State students. However, our costs have continued to increase. We have managed to achieve this so far through careful cost stewardship, creative new revenue opportunities, and tightening OMEA’s belt wherever possible. It is important to underscore that the portion of Ohio’s dues collected by NAfME that come back to Ohio only account for 8-9% of the total budget in a given fiscal year. The remaining budget is made up through alternate revenue streams here on the ground in Ohio.

Though times are tough, we remain committed to do all we can to provide expanded critical programming for our teachers and students while maintaining a healthy fiscal future.

Together the Strike-A-Chord Golf Outing and the Summer Winds at Wolf Creek Winery raised over $15,000 to go toward student and future teacher scholarships. When giving time is upon you, we hope that you will consider a gift to OFME to continue its work of providing support for Ohio’s students and teachers.

While the road ahead will not be easy, we are up to the challenge. You show up for your kids. You find the extra hour, the extra dollar, the extra bit of patience to make a program work when the facts say it shouldn't. That's a calling, and Ohio’s students are lucky to have the thousands of members of OMEA to answer the call.