About Us

The Ann Arbor Council for Traditional Music and Dance (AACTMAD) is a nonprofit foundation based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It's a participatory membership organization that enriches people's lives and sense of community through traditional music, dance, song, and related arts.

We organize and sponsor over 200 traditional music and dance events each year that welcome the public. Our members actively learn and preserve many different types of traditional music and dance. With almost 300 members, mostly in SE Michigan, we also support the traditional music and dance community as a whole, throughout Michigan.

Strategic Goal Areas

Building on the long-term plan adopted in 2001 and revised in 2006, the organization has identified five goal areas:

• Outreach - providing traditional music and dance opportunities for the larger community
• Programming - developing high-quality events
• Teaching - encouraging the development of dancers, musicians, and dance leaders
• Marketing and communications - finding out what people want and telling our story
• Operations - providing stable financial and operational management

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors sets the long-term direction for the organization and oversees its activities focusing on the "what and why" of realizing the mission, including what human needs are to be met, for whom, and at what cost. Half of the board members are elected each April for two-year terms. Board members as of May 4, 2008:

Monthly Board Meetings are open to all members; dates are listed in the Events Calendar.

Current Board Activities

• The facilities committee has been chartered by the board to work toward securing a facility suited to traditional music and dance.
• The board utilizes a formal annual budgeting process that addresses quality improvement and measures of success.
• The board has compiled ideas and objectives (12 page PDF) and developed measurable goals for all of the goal areas above.
• The board is developing an expanded set of fundraising programs.

Committees

AACTMAD fulfills its mission through the efforts of its committees. They focus on the means (the "how") of accomplishing the goals set by the board. Committees organize activities, provide services and resources, and make recommendations to the board. To learn more about the committees, see Sponsored Activities, Services and Resources, and our most recent Annual Reports.

Affiliations

AACTMAD is a Group Affiliate of the Country Dance and Song Society and a founding member of The North American Folk Alliance.

We welcome your suggestions and involvement:

 

Learn more from our Annual Reports:

      April 2008
      April 2007

Documents (PDFs):
  About Us brochure

  2007 Goals

  2007 Objectives

  2001 Plan

  Facilities FAQ

  Membership form

  Volunteer form

  2005 - 990 Return

  2004 - 990 Return

  2003 - 990 Return