Hot Jazz at MACUL 2008

I haven’t attended the Thursday night reception during the last couple of MACUL Conferences. I know, you must be thinking “Wait, aren’t you a board member? Aren’t you required to be there? Don’t you want to hang out with all of the cool MACUL members and network, connect, that sort of thing?”

The truth of the matter is that I really enjoyed the receptions that I did attend. In fact, the Gateway sponsored event at Comerica Park a few years back was a real blast! And I really do like to connect with others during the conference; just try to find me at the conference and you’ll see me madly running to catch up with a presenter to introduce myself or ask a few questions. I especially enjoy meeting new MACUL members (which we’ll have a LOT of thanks to the MI-Champions Grant), but I’ve been so busy the past few years, I haven’t been able to make the Thursday evening reception. It’s either time I’m spending with people from my district or preparing for a presentation the next day (I get REALLY nervous otherwise).

So I was happy to hear that this year’s Thursday night reception will feature Roger MacNaughton, a rather famous jazz pianist from West Michigan. It’s been awhile since I had the opportunity to listen to live music (an unfortunate reality), and with refreshments being served, I may very well find myself meeting, greeting, and catching up with others over at the Eberhard Center on Grand Valley State’s Campus to hear some hot jazz on Thursday night.

And while you’re there, you can also check out Graduate Educational Technology programs from several of Michigan’s leading universities, who are happily sponsoring the entire event. So if you’re looking for some entertainment, some refreshment, and a look at graduate and masters’ programs in Ed Tech, consider stopping by the Eberhard at GVSU on Thursday night of the conference, from 7:30-9:00.

Image Source: “Jazz Hands” www.flickr.com/photos/84834136@N00/24575274