It is almost ten years since the International Guild of Musicians in Dance first met and formed in Brockport, NY in January 1991. The gathering of our ranks at annual conferences seemed to be one of the most important and energizing things we do for each other. As the decade progressed the Guild grew nationally and internationally with the conferences serving as our raison d'etre. Ten years later we still are operating in isolation and in many ways the situation has not improved for musicians in dance. In Universities there are more people who have been tenured and promoted but there are still problems.
Many private studios choose to use CDs over live music for class.
The need for our organization is perhaps more necessary now than ever, if for nothing else a chance for us to commiserate with each other. For a while most of the work of the Guild fell on those who were organizing conferences and the one or two people that produced the Newsletter and Journal. In 1997 there were huge changes in the lives of several key players in the Guild that tended to slow down the workings of the organization. I think many of us have realized that we need to find a way to create Guild activities or products that truly engage us in ways we can translate directly into our creative livelihoods. In order to do this we need to share the responsibilities of the organization to avoid having things fall on one or two people.