Dear song-sharing friends,

As we continue our year-end fundraising/friend-raising campaign, I am delighted to officially welcome my dear friend and co-conspirator, Conie Borchardt, as our next Executive Director for Music that Makes Community! I have worked with Conie on the Board for the past two years.  When I came on Conie adopted me as their “Board buddy,” so I have had quite the behind-the-scenes look as she has prepared for the transition into this new role.

(Image:  2023 MMC Board retreat at Good Courage Farm)

Conie brings a wealth of experience and connections to this position, as well as deep passion and care for our work. In addition to being MMC’s Board Treasurer for the last two years and a musician with 30+ years of experience in Lutheran, Episcopal, and United Church of Christ (UCC-USA) churches, Conie has been administering community art projects, writing grants, and fundraising under her business, Points of Light Music, LLC. They have woven Dances of Universal Peace, a multi-faith paperless movement and spiritual practice, into MMC workshops and trainings. Conie is also a Full Voice Coach and a Spiritual Director. All of these experiences give Conie a solid foundation from which to grow and lead Music that Makes Community into the next season.

Conie was essential to bringing book groups around My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem to the MMC community, and continues to delve deeply into the systemic racism we encounter and the ways in which song can confront evil and heal trauma. As a mixed-Asian person raised in predominantly white, rural Minnesota, this work is close to their heart and lived experience, and we are committed to continuing this conversation through MMC’s work.

Conie also led the process of reimagining our Mission Statement, Vision Statement, and Guiding Principles along with the Board, and is the perfect leader to guide our organization into living out our mission, vision, and principles in this next time together. Conie intends to spend the first year of their work as Executive Director learning the position and connecting with and listening to leaders and practitioners within our network.

In the spirit of listening and learning (and singing!) together, the Board of Trustees and I would love to invite you to two Conie Meet and Greet events on Monday, January 15th. This is a chance for you to learn more about Conie and her vision of leadership for MMC, as well as to build community in, with, and around Conie as they step into this new role. Join us 

 - for Morning Grounding at 10 AM Eastern, 9 AM Central, 8 AM Mountain, 7 AM Pacific with an extended conversation time.  More details here.
 - for Happy Hour at 5 PM Eastern, 4 PM Central, 3 PM Mountain, 2 PM Pacific.  More details here.

Bring a song, a question, and a friend!

Looking forward to more song-sharing and community-building in the new year!
 

In Peace, 


Breen Marie Sipes
President, Board of Trustees
Music that Makes Community

p.s. Thank you so much for continuing to support Music that Makes Community!  If you would like to make another year-end donation to generously support Conie's first year, please go to https://musicthatmakescommunity.kindful.com/.