Dear Colleague,

It is with great pleasure that we at the Educational Programs Network offer the second edition of "PowerTalk" – our on-line newsletter. Since our first newsletter hit the web over two months ago, commendations have been pouring in. With articles by Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser, Elliot Del Borgo and our family of educators I should have expected such a positive response.

This latest edition of PowerTalk initiates a six-part series of articles by Dr. Tim and a follow-up article by Professor Del Borgo. Dr. Ben Fritz has served us invaluably in the Festivals of Music sight reading room, and now shares his experiences and offers his guidance for the most positive sight reading experience for you and your students. Dr. Mark McCoy offers his insight into one of the more difficult personal performance aspects with "Five Steps to Better Jazz Solos". These resources can certainly enhance your contest and concert experiences and we deeply appreciate the input by these esteemed educators.

Since the tragedy of September 11, we have all been faced with many questions. While it is incomprehensible that anyone would perpetrate such an act of terrorism in the name of a religion-dictated cause, we must stand firm and continue on. For this reason, Festivals of Music and Music In The Parks still have all of their 2002 dates available to serve your program. If you have not taken advantage of these opportunities to date, simply go to our web-site for more information.

Hope you enjoy our latest PowerTalk.

Jim Wells
President