1/30/2011

Gospel Music Assoiciation


“Gospel Music Association serves as the face and voice for the Christian/Gospel music community…” (GMA).  This association was founded 1964 and with over 4000 members it continues to assist many organizations, artist and individual professionals in creating a positive environment and good name for the Gospel community.  While looking for an organization to participate with, I found that this organization would also help to fulfill many of the goals for my company.  Through programs such as the Dove Awards, IMMERSE or GMA Music Week, members are able to join together for achievement awards, different seminars performances and networking. “ Dove Awards is a televised awards ceremony that recognizes achievements in all genres of Christian and Gospel music.”(GMA). The GMA Music Week is an event that meets yearly in April for educational seminars, networking and more.  Immerse is a talent competition and training for artists, songwriters, worship leasers and future music business professionals.  These are the type of tools that would be useful within my company.  Our goals to educate our employees as well as the clients would fit well with these opportunities.  This would only be the start.  There are other opportunities we would be able to take advantage of, such as the advertisements and the resources.
    As an organizational member my company could have an ePROFILE, a direct link to my companies website as well as use of the GMA”S logo in all corporate communications.  They have also added a new feature in which platinum members would have two weeks of banner advertisement in the GMA’s official newsletter.
GMA also offers a Weekly Industry Newsletter Access as well as a discount to Christian SoundScan subscription.  With these subscriptions the company will have access to current news in the industry through the GMAS newsletter, which is offered to the entire staff.  They have added a new resource is which we would also have access to the GMA’s staff.  This would include staff members from the board of directors, volunteers, and members.  This could be a daily access of networking. 

GMA also offers a Weekly Industry Newsletter Access as well as a discount to Christian SoundScan subscription.  With these subscriptions the company will have access to current news in the industry through the GMAS newsletter, which is offered to the entire staff.  They have added a new resource is which we would also have access to the GMA’s staff.  This would include staff members from the board of directors, volunteers, and members.  These opportunities would help to establish the family environment in which we nurture and encourage. 

Singing after a double lung transplant

In life many people are quick to give up and follow the advice of the experts that may tell them they cant, wont or ever be able to fulfill their dream. When you do this you give up on your dreams and in most cases on life.  Well Charity Tillemann is wonderful example of what can happen if we stop settling for what we are told and continue to work hard to succeed.
     Just at the start of Charity’s career to become a professional opera singer she was diagnosed with this disease called PH (pulmonary hypertension), and was initially told she would not ever sing again
This is inspiring to me because of perseverance and determination.  I have lost my mother, who was my number one supporter; to cancer and with the many ailments that I fight through now, it is hard to hold on to my dream to work in music.  I have long given up on the dream to perform vocally and instead strive to help others to achieve what I was afraid to do.  After seeing so many conquer so much through pain and strife it creates a bowl of inspiration for me to pull from.  She used her life experience with PH and the loss of her grandfather and father with months of each to stress how hard it was for her.  This better exemplified her story of her struggles to becoming an opera singer.  After facing death once and enduring a stressful surgery, in which she flat line twice, she awoke after months of recovery, and said nothing, just smiled.  Because of her passion and determination she inspired the doctors to search and find ways to help her continue on her path in singing. 
After listening to this story, I am encouraged to work harder and not settle for anything but the best.  I am able to see my life in a different light, because in all honest if one woman is able to endure so much and still smile and sing so beautifully then who am I to say it is not possible.  Who am I to just throw my hands in the air and say, “Oh well"?  I haven’t experienced half of what she has, so it makes it harder for me to make excuses to give up or just settle.