SOCO
Sheet
Official quarterly newsletter of the AFM Southern
Conference of Locals
Sharon Montgomery,
President --Madison Harding, VP -- Jeffrey Apana,
Secretary-Treasurer and Editor and Publisher
Aaron Pino and Laura Ross, Directors
2025Q4
Conference Updates
The next virtual meeting will be on Monday, December 1, 2025 at
1 PM Eastern/12 NOON Central and will feature YOU!
Our agenda will be your concerns, and what help you need at your Local.
We will use this information to plan our upcoming agendas, as well as
bring relevant issues to the AFM's attention. Mark your calendars now!
SOCO now has a Facebook page! The page follows the pages of all of the
Locals of the Conference, and shares their posts, so you can view the
feeds of all of the Locals of the south by visiting our page at http://facebook.com/afmsoco
AFM News/Reminders
Officer's Edge Live
The next edition of Live will be held on November 18 at 3PM eastern
and will feature a discussion on CBAs for jazz orchestras with the AFM
organizing department's Leni Kreienberg and featuring Bob Breithauft
talking about the Columbus Jazz Orchestra. Please contact Dave Shelton
if you need a link.
AFM Convention
Please note that the 2026 AFM Convention will be in Canada. If you do
not already have a passport, now is the time to get one! And if your
passport is expiring in 2026, now is the time to renew it.
The President's Dispatch
Siblings of the Southern Conference,
Greetings, SOCO family!! Our officers and directors are already
thinking hard about what we want to accomplish together at our next
conference, to be held of course in Ottawa prior to the AFM convention
next June. Just as it is in politics, real progress begins LOCALLY and
trickles UP, so two of the loudest thoughts in my brain currently are:
1) What do the officers of our smaller locals need in order to grow
their membership without sacrificing their own sanity, health, and rare
personal time and
2) How can we most efficiently inform & enroll those tough-as-nails
freelancers out in our communities who are currently gigging for $40
and a beer? (Here’s one thought—why would they join if they don’t even
know your local exists? Let’s help fix that!)
Of course you know that I have some thoughts—but I need to hear YOURS.
Because until we know what’s hurting YOU the most, we can’t put
together a conference that will send you home with a tool kit.
I’m in the process of creating a survey—but until then, PLEASE email me
with your concerns and thoughts!! (I’d actually prefer that to a survey
so I can hear everything you’d like to say.) I know how terrifying and
exhausting it is to feel that the weight of the entire local is on your
shoulders. I want to hear about it from YOU!!
You can email me at stm@afmhouston.com or call me at 713-236-8676
10-4pm M-F central time. The only thing I know for sure is that
nobody—no officer, no member—should ever feel like they’re struggling
alone.
In solidarity, love, and light— as we try to heal this world with music,
Sharon Montgomery, SOCO President & AFM Local 65-699 Houston Sec/Treas
Local Activities
Austin Local 433, Orlando Local 389, and Tampa Local 427-721 are conducting membership drives this quarter.
Austin Local 433 and Houston local 65-699 are now featuring their new members on New Member Mondays.
Orlando Local 389 hosted an Empowering Freelance Musicians workshop featuring the AFM Organizing Department.
Miami Local 655 has been hosting weekly Brews and Bylaws informal get-togethers at a local brewery.
Nashville Local 257 has been working to address parking issues for musicians on Music Row.
Atlanta Local 148-462 hosted a panel on Artificial Intelligence.
Email the Secretary-Treasurer to have your news included here!
Tips for Locals
Newsletter Sharing
Please send your newsletter to newsletter@afmsoco.org so we can
share them with the rest of the conference! If you would like to be on
the mailing list to receive these newsletters, please contact the
Secretary-Treasurer.
AFM Document Library
Do you have newly elected officers? There is a wealth of information on
the AFM website, including Local Officer 101, common deadlines for
officers, InTune instructions, information on banking issues, and more.
You can find this in the Document Library on the AFM website, under
/Education/Local Governance.
Do you have a tip for Local officers? Please send your tips to the Secretary-Treasurer for inclusion in future issues!