My experience serving large and mid-sized locals, combined with my work alongside officers from locals of all sizes throughout the Eastern Conference, has given me a deep appreciation for the diverse needs of our Federation. I believe in listening first, working collaboratively, and finding practical solutions that strengthen locals and better serve our members. The following priorities reflect areas where I believe the AFM can provide strong support, and effective advocacy for Locals and members across the Federation.
Stronger Locals to Build a Stronger Federation
- Practical support for local officers – Local officers need real-world solutions. Too often, newly elected officers step into position with little guidance and are immediately faced with complex administrative, financial, and operational responsibilities. The Federation should provide practical training, mentorship, and resources that help officers succeed from day one. The Federation needs to recognize the value of all locals and provide meaningful support tailored to their size, resources, and needs.
- Recognition that one-size-fits-all solutions often don’t work – Locals vary greatly in size, staffing, financial resources, and member needs. Expectations should reflect those realities. The Federation must recognize the unique challenges faced by smaller locals and provide meaningful support rooted in the realities of their available resources and capacities.
Spend Less Time on Paperwork and More Time Serving Members
- Technology that works for locals – Effective membership management and reporting systems are fundamental to serving members and operating efficiently. The Federation should prioritize modern, reliable technology that reduces administrative burdens, improves communication, allows for easy membership crosschecking, and provides local officers with the tools they need to focus on serving members rather than working around outdated systems.
- More resources and less bureaucracy – Strong locals are built through support, partnership, and practical tools – not through additional administrative burdens. Before imposing new requirements, the Federation should ensure locals have the resources, training, technology, and staffing support necessary to meet those expectations successfully. Our goal should be to empower locals, not overwhelm them.
Building Membership for the Future
- Organizing and Member Engagement – Organizing is at the heart of unionism, but what works in one community may not work in another. Musicians work in a profession unlike any other. We invest heavily in our instruments, training, and careers, often travel long distances for work, and perform in a wide range of musical settings. The realities facing a symphony musician, club musician, theater musician, studio musician, or freelancer can be very different. The Federation should recognize the unique nature of our profession and diversity of our musical communities. By providing practical, music-industry-specific training and resources, we can help locals build meaningful relationships with musicians, strengthen engagement, and create organizing programs that reflect the realities of the members they serve.
Protecting Musicians in the Age of AI
- Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the entertainment industry and creating challenges for professional musicians. The AFM must be a strong advocate for policies that protect musicians’ rights, livelihoods, and creative work. Musicians deserve to have control over how their performances, recordings, and likenesses are used and live musicians must not be replaced. The Federation must continue to fight for strong intellectual property protections and legislative safeguards that prevent technology from being used to undermine professional musicians.
Stronger Political and Legislative Advocacy
- Effective communication is more than sharing information; it is creating an ongoing dialogue between the Federation and its locals. Local officers should have meaningful opportunities to provide input before major initiatives are developed. By engaging locals early, communicating openly, and creating clear channels for feedback, the Federation can build stronger partnerships, improve decision-making, and increase confidence in our shared direction. Transparency and collaboration are not just good governance practices—they are essential to a strong and united Federation.
Communication and Transparency
- Effective communication is more than sharing information; it is creating an ongoing dialogue between the Federation and its locals. Local officers should have meaningful opportunities to provide input before major initiatives are developed. By engaging locals early, communicating openly, and creating clear channels for feedback, the Federation can build stronger partnerships, improve decision-making, and increase confidence in our shared direction. Transparency and collaboration are not just good governance practices—they are essential to a strong and united Federation.
Respect, Inclusion, and Professionalism
- The strength of the AFM lies in the diversity of its members, locals, and leadership experiences. Our Federation benefits when people from different backgrounds, musical genres, generations, geographic regions, and leadership roles have a seat at the table. We should strive to create an environment where all members are treated with respect, differing viewpoints are welcomed, and opportunities for leadership are accessible to everyone. A culture of professionalism, inclusion, and mutual respect makes our union stronger and better prepared to meet the challenges ahead.