Conference Pages
Annual National Conference:
A Gathering for Children’s Music
October 8-10, 2010
Presentation Center, Los Gatos, California
Welcome, CMN Members and Friends.
Join us at the beautiful Presentation Center in Los Gatos, California. The Presentation Center is located on 67 acres among the coastal redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains, just 20 minutes from the San Jose airport, 45 minutes from the San Francisco airport, about an hour from Oakland airport and a very well-marked 10-minute drive off the freeway. We hope you’ll take advantage of the earlybird registration discount and register soon for our annual conference. An overview of the weekend and registration information follows. See you soon!
Liz Hannan, Conference Chair, (650)619-0230 or lizhannan3@yahoo.com
Magic Penny Honoree: Ruthie Buell (“Uncle Ruthie”)
Keynote Speaker: Peter Alsop
Workshops: Both our keynote speaker, Peter Alsop, and Magic Penny recipient Ruthie Buell will be giving workshops during the weekend. The schedule is nearly complete with four tracks of workshops: Early Childhood Education; Elementary Education; Performer/Songwriter; and Song Swaps. Master classes and a panel discussion are included in the mix. Click here for the conference schedule (subject to minor changes before the conference starts, so check this space regularly between now and October 8th). Click here for a description of workshops and leaders (subject to minor changes between now and October)
Schedule: Registration begins Friday at 4pm, with a newcomers circle at 5pm, dinner at 6pm, and the conference opening at 7pm. Friday evening’s round robin begins at 8pm. Saturday features a keynote presentation by humorist, educator, songwriter Peter Alsop. Workshops, lunch and dinner, another evening of round robin performances and late night jamming round out Saturday’s feast of activities. Sunday’s main event is a special tribute to this year’s Magic Penny honoree: radio host, educator, and entertainer Ruthie Buell, better known to some as “Uncle Ruthie.” Workshops start the day and the closing ceremony provides a warm and lovely finish to the weekend.
Facility: The Presentation Center is a beautiful, earth-friendly, sustainable retreat center committed to preserving the planet for future generations by following earth-friendly practices such as straw bale construction and green building procedures, organic gardening to grow seasonal produce for the dining room, recycling programs, composting of kitchen wastes, water and energy conservation, use of electric vehicles, and responsible recycling of electronics and technology by-products. The facility has a grass labyrinth, hiking trails, a basketball court, and hiking passes to the Mid-Peninsula Open Space Preserve. The center’s Fireplace Lounge offers 24-hour coffee, tea, and hot cocoa and use of a guest refrigerator, plus ping pong, foosball, a 72-inch TV with DVD player with puzzles and board games for guests to check out. Wireless Internet access is included.
The area features many historic and natural attractions including the Art Museum of Los Gatos, the Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad—a real 1905 one-third-scale steam engine that takes passengers through the scenic Santa Clara valley, the twenty-four-horse carousel built for the 1915 San Francisco Exposition, the History Museum of Los Gatos, the 960-acre Lexington Reservoir County Park, the fifty-acre Los Gatos Historic Commercial District, the Los Gatos Mountain Trails complex running from downtown into the outlying hills, plus great fishing at Vasona County Park. Also not far away are the Big Basin Redwoods State Park and the Santa Cruz beach on the Pacific Ocean. The beach features an old-fashioned boardwalk and a roller coaster.
For more information about the Presentation Center please visit their website.
Accommodation choices include college dorm style rooms with showers down the hall, semi-private cottage rooms with shared bathrooms, and a few private rooms. If you prefer to choose your own roommates, want a private room with no roommate, or need a wheelchair-accessible room, you may note that on your registration form. An electric golf cart shuttle will be available by prearrangement for those who may need assistance getting from the cottages to the conference building or to the dining facility. In addition, you may extend your stay to visit area attractions by arriving a day early or staying a day late. Please contact Chip Curry (chipcurry@earthlink.net) for a list of off-site accommodations if you need such information. There are no campground, tenting or RV facilities on-site. RVs may use the Presentation Center parking lot, but there are no hook-ups for electricity, water or sewerage. Please inform the conference organizers prior to arrival of your intent to park an RV on-site. There are several campgrounds at state parks in the nearby Santa Cruz Mountains or San Jose area that are better equipped.
Meals are included in your conference registration. Vegetarian options will be available at all meals. Some might include dairy products or eggs. Please note dietary restrictions on your registration form. We will do our best to accommodate your needs.
Getting there: Attendees traveling by air have a choice of three airports; San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland. San Jose is the closest airport to Los Gatos and the legendary fog that confounds air travel at SFO and Oakland is much less of a problem. Oakland is slightly further away than San Francisco Int’l, but may have a wider selection of discount air carriers. For information about rental cars, shuttle van services and driving instructions, please click here. Upon arrival at the Presentation Center, use the attached directions and map to find the Main Building to check into your room
Children at the Conference: Bring your children. They are welcome to participate in most workshops, song swaps and the round robin. The center has games available and plenty of outdoor activities. Supervision will be provided free of charge during many conference sessions. All parents using this service are required to co-operatively volunteer (on-site) to help supervise the children for one shift.
Teacher Credits: We have arranged for ECE credit from California State University, East Bay. For information, please contact Bonnie Lockhart at bonnielockhart@earthlink.net or call her at 510/451-2005.
Buddies: The CMN buddy program pairs newcomers with CMNers who have previously attended a national conference. You may sign-up to request a buddy or offer to be a buddy on the registration form. Newcomers—and their buddies, if possible—should plan to be at the newcomers circle at 5pm on Friday. Click here for more information for those who want to be assigned a buddy or who would like to be one
Scholarships are intended primarily to increase the diversity of our membership by bringing in new people, but current members may also apply. Limited scholarships are available to members and non-members. To apply, contact the CMN office at office@cmnonline.org or 847/673-2243 for an application form before submitting your conference registration. The application should be submitted with the registration form. Funds for scholarships come primarily from conference registrants. Please use the registration form to contribute, if you can.
Sales Area: The product sales area is a lively part of the conference. Any Individual attending the conference may sell recordings, books, or other appropriate items in the sales area, following the established system. An explanation of the sales procedures, including how to prepare your products, will be sent to everyone who registers.
Arrangements with commercial vendors are made on a case-by-case basis under a general fee schedule. Interested businesses should contact the CMN office or the conference chair, Liz Hannan (lizhannan3@yahoo.com) to discuss details.
Silent Auction: The silent auction held at the conference is a fund raiser for CMN. Come prepared to find some interesting items in a wide price range, most but not all related to music. A fun feature of the auction is the glad rags rack--lightly-used clothing contributed by CMN members that might be suitable for performing outfits. All items on the rack are $5. Click here for more information about the auction.
Program Book Ads: CMN members, non-members, and outside businesses are welcome to purchase an ad in the conference program book. If you register for the conference, the ad submission form is part of the registration form. If you are not going to attend, or would like to encourage someone else to advertise or submit a personal greeting, click here to get a printable ad form. 
Volunteer Opportunities: There are many opportunities to help the conference run smoothly both now and during the weekend of the event. To help with pre-conference projects (soliciting ads, soliciting and collecting silent auction items, etc.) please contact Liz Hannan at lizhannan3@yahoo.com to sign up. To volunteer for on-site tasks at the conference (photography, child care, set-up, clean-up, sound crew, registration, etc.) please use the online registration form. All helping hands are appreciated. It is not necessary to attend the conference to donate to the silent auction or to lend a helping hand.
Before and After the Conference: Freesia Raine (freesia@freesiaraine.com) and Judy Bayse (judybayse@sbcglobal.net) have agreed to organize some pre- and post-conference activities. Further information will be sent later in the summer to people registered for the conference.
Please help spread the word about the conference by posting the conference flyer and telling your associates about it. Contact the CMN office at office@cmnonline.org with the name and mail or e-mail address for anyone you think would like to receive the registration packet.
Click here to REGISTER ONLINE
or print the registration form and mail to CMN, PO Box 1341, Evanston, IL 60204-1341
$50 Discount for Early Registration by August 1
$50 Late fee applied after September 1
Ruthie Buell to receive the CMN Magic Penny Award
In naming Ruthie Buell as the CMN Magic Penny Award recipient for 2010, we pay tribute to one of our own long-standing members. We are proud to add this pioneering artist-teacher to our roster of outstanding recipients. All are people whose seamless lives and careers have made significant and unique contributions to children’s music, and whose lifetimes of work exemplify the core values of the Children’s Music Network.
Read more about Ruthie and the Magic Penny Award.
Meet Keynote Speaker Peter Alsop
CMN is pleased to present our Keynote Speaker for the 2010 National Conference, the celebrated teacher, musician and therapist Peter Alsop. Mr. Alsop has developed a unique career in the theraputic use of music and song to help families deal with complex personal issues such as the death, drug use, abuse and grief. Many of Peter's recordings have earned "Best Children's" designations by parent's and music industry organizations. We look forward to Peter Alsop's presentation and for the opportunity to share his insights into the healing power of children's music.
Learn more about Peter Alsop and his work.
Conference Event Schedule.
For days & times of all conference events, click here.
First Time Attendees and “Buddies”
CMN welcomes first time attendees and will be happy to assign a member “buddy” who will meet with a newcomer at the commencement of the conference and act as a host and guide. If you want a buddy or would like to be one, click here.
Silent Auction & Glad Rags Rack
Help CMN raise funds by contributing an item for the auction or gently used clothing for the glad rags rack. Click here for instructions.
Travelog: Los Gatos, CA
Wondering about the venue for the 2010 National Conference? A scounting party made up of Liz Hannan, Mara Beckerman and Keta Bill scoped the Presentation Center and filed a glowing report.
Conference Archives
To review descriptions, reflections, photos and interviews from our past national conferences, click here.
Watch this page for more conference information!
