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 DOI: 10.1177/002743217806400501

1978 64: 101Music Educators JournalFor President-Elect

  

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- Jan 1, 1978Version of Record >>

by Iustina Groza on October 29, 2014mej.sagepub.comDownloaded from by Iustina Groza on October 29, 2014mej.sagepub.comDownloaded from

For President-Elect

Mary E. Hoffman is an associate professor of mu- sic education at the University of Illinois, Urbana- Champaign. She teaches graduate and undergradu- ate courses in general music methods and materials.

Prior to going to Urbana-Champaign, she was su- pervisor of elementary and junior high music in Mil- waukee schools, elementary district music supervi- sor in Philadelphia schools, and vocal music teacher at both the elementary and secondary levels in pub- lic schools in Delaware, Connecticut, and Pennsylva- nia. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree at Leba- non Valley College, a master's degree from Teachers College, Columbia University, and spent two years in advanced study at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois. She has served as guest conductor for more than forty district and all-state choruses, and she has been general clinician at national and regional MENC conferences. She has conducted more than two hundred workshops in thirty-three states and Canada. As 1974-1976 North Central Divi- sion president, she served on MENC's National Exec- utive Board. She was a member of the MENC Pub- lications Planning Committee from 1966 through 1972. Before leaving Wisconsin in 1969, she was elected president-elect of the Wisconsin Music Educators Conference (WMEC), and she served on the WMEC Board of Directors from 1963 through 1967. She served as chairman for the search com- mittee for a new MENC executive director in 1976. She is currently a member of the curriculum com- mittee for the educational television project, "MUSIC ... ." She has coauthored three music texts: Teaching Music: What How and Why; Silver Burdett Music Book Seven; and Silver Burdett Music Book Eight. She also has served as special editorial consul- tant for two other book series; Making Music Your Own and Summy-Birchard Music Series.

"There are foreboding signals on the education scene today that have begun to affect music programs around the nation. These signals divide into two main categories: economic and ideologic. In many instances, the latter is a direct result of the former; when the dollars are not there, cutbacks must be made. Music is often the scapegoat because curricu- lar and budgetary decision-makers do not have any comprehension of what music really contributes, in an educational sense, to life.

If we, as music educators, are to reach the deci- sion-making team, we must give attention to several major arenas: students, administrators, parents, leg- islators, school board members, and the general pub- lic. This attention must be given through personal commitment, accountability, public relations, eco- nomic know-how, and political strategy.

A personal commitment to music education im- plies an enthusiasm for sharing one's knowledge with another person. It means both being a superb

musician and having the ability to understand fully the way students of all ages learn music.

For years music educators have been showing proof (accountability, as it is now termed) of stu- dents' learning through performance results. The ac- countability problem lies in the overwhelming per- centage of students for whom we have no achieve- ment data because they are not involved in the public performing aspects of music, nor do they de- sire to become involved. We must devise ways of reaching a larger number of students in a variety of music settings and of securing hard data to show the general public that nonperforming students have learned something important.

We must mount high-powered public relations programs at the local, state, and national levels to translate our fine teaching into real meaning. We must seize every opportunity and utilize every medi- um to demonstrate exactly what it is we want to have students learn as a result of our work.

We must anticipate economic problems and be willing to do a bit of collective cheese-paring in order to save total programs. We must take our message to our legislative bodies. We must convince lawmakers of the importance of music to life. We must promote legislation that puts music education as a line item in school budgets and ensures inclusion of music in the school curriculum.

And finally, we must ask of ourselves and our na- tion the ominous question: 'What would our world be like without music?'"

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For President-Elect .. North Central Division

Mark Lammers is chairman of the department of music at Gus- tavus Adolphus College in St. Pe- ter, Minnesota. In addition to his duties as chairman of the depart- ment, he teaches brass instru- ^ . - ments, brass ensembles, stage l: band, and music education. He 4 is in his twenty-sixth year of teaching in Minnesota schools. Eighteen of those years were in the public elementary, junior high, and senior high schools of the state. Last year, while on leave from Gustavus, he served as acting director of bands at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. He has been an active member of MENC and the Minnesota Mu- sic Educators Association, of which he is past presi- dent. He has also held state offices in the American School Band Directors Association and the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instruc- tors. He holds memberships in the American Associ- ation of University Professors, the National Band As- sociation, the National Association of Jazz Educa- tors, Phi Beta Mu, various honorary societies, and the American Federation of Musicians.

"A motto by which the Music Educators National Conference stood for many years was 'Music for Everybody-Everybody for Music.' Although we have not used this motto for some time, it might hold for us the key to effectively move music education forward in spite of adverse economic conditions in various parts of the country.

With the advent of various forms of arts legisla- tion, both at the national and state levels, we may be entering what many people are calling 'The Age of the Arts.' If the nation as a whole is entering such a period of adventure in the arts, the schools must be involved-in fact, I doubt if there will be an 'Age of the Arts' in this country unless the schools are in- volved.

Music educators will have to go the legislative route. We will have to become arts advocates not on- ly in our schools but at all levels of government. It will take strong and growing national and state or- ganizations of music educators to accomplish this goal. We are fortunate to have a well established or- ganization to help us in our effort to bring the fran- chise of music to every student.

When we make the move to legislative action, we will need all of the facets of MENC that have made the organization what it is today-the publications, the research, curriculum study, and so on. We will need accurate and firm data to support our efforts. All this means an expanded role for both our nation- al office and our state organizations. It will require the active support of everyone in our profession.

There might be some distress for music educators in certain parts of the country, but we might also be in a position to realize the goal for which we have stood: Music for Everybody-Everybody for Music."

Patricia A. Lewis is the imme- i ; diate past president of the Wis- consin Music Educators Confer- ence. Since receiving her bach- elor's and master's degrees in alT-/, 7

Wisconsin, she has taught both t: '-

instrumental and vocal music, - instructed university class-piano --- M and music methods classes, and directed church choirs in Massa- chusetts and Wisconsin. Her cur- rent position, for the past twelve years, as teacher/ supervisor of the K-12 vocal music program in the Stevens Point (Wisconsin) Public Schools has allowed her to work in many areas of music education. She has performed as an accompanist and bassoonist with local civic and university groups, and has been active at the state and national levels as a presider, facilitator, panelist, clinician, and adjudicator for various conventions, workshops, inservices, and conferences for music teachers and educators of all levels of instruction. She is a member of many pro- fessional organizations and serves as a board mem- ber for several fine arts groups.

"In these times of economic difficulties, the basics movement, and other current issues, leadership in music education must have aggressive and optimis- tic attitudes in order to maintain existing music pro- grams and to build even stronger ones in today's schools. It is not enough for music educators merely to say music is necessary to the development of the total child; we must provide evidence that will be understood and accepted by the public in order to change their attitudes and perceptions, thereby plac- ing music education higher in the priorities of school boards and administrators, colleges and universities, teachers of all disciplines, community organizations, artists, the media, legislators, and the parents and students who ultimately decide education priorities. If we do not supply full evidence in terms they can accept, we must realize that we will not be success- ful. The times urgently require the affirmation of a new humanistic vision of man through all parts of our education system. The MENC is the strongest as- sociation of arts educators and is in a position to pro- vide creative leadership on the many issues facing music educators today. To do this, greater emphasis must be placed on research that defines and supports the value of music education. Schools and commu- nities with successful music and fine arts programs must be identified and further highlighted. We must continue to support and expand, if possible, the pres- ent MENC government relations programs at the state and national levels. All the arts, including com- munity arts, must work together, for it is in unity that we will find strength. The arts have genuine political power, and we must create a national confidence in the whole idea of governmental support for the arts that can, in the years immediately ahead, be brought to its full realization."

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For President-Elect Southern Division

Marianne Holland is choral -': director at Spring Valley High School, Columbia, South Caroli- na. She received her bachelor's degree from Limestone College, Gaffney, South Carolina, her Master of Music Education de- gree from the University of South Carolina, Columbia, and has done further graduate study. She has taught vocal and general -> music at all levels, from kindergarten to college. She was coauthor and music team member for the Dreher High School federally funded humanities program. She served as South Carolina Music Educators Asso- ciation (SCMEA) choral president and is a past presi- dent of SCMEA. She is currently serving as editor of The South Carolina Musician, SCMEA's official pub- lication. She was South Carolina's MENC Building Fund chairman and served as SCMEA convention chairman for four years. In 1972 she was chairman of the Humanities Committee for the Atlanta MENC conference. She was 1970 Teacher of the Year in Richland School District No. 1 and is 1977-1978 Teacher of the Year in Richland School District No. 2.

"Throughout its history, MENC has attempted to provide leadership in meeting the challenges of building and maintaining music programs in the schools of our country. The profession has presented to us current trends and new directions for future development in the arts. We music educators in the classrooms have, unfortunately, not always kept our- selves informed and aware of trends in education and, thus, have failed to realize that, in terms of the educational climate today, music programs may be in jeopardy. From kindergarten through the graduate level, music educators must remember that one not only must teach the talented but also the average, the below-average, the handicapped, and the emotionally disturbed students. Music curriculums should be planned to provide meaningful learning activities for all types of students. Music is a basic value in meet- ing the challenge of preparing youth to live well in society.

MENC should continue its dialogue with other arts education groups, for through cooperative efforts the positive image of the arts may be presented to a much larger segment of the population. The music profession can provide information, schedule confer- ences of arts educators, work for federal and state arts legislation, and provide instructional assistance for the development and maintenance of music pro- grams. We are the music profession: let us use its tools and services in the development of a music cur- riculum for all students. Remember that today's stu- dents will be the performers and consumers of music as well as the taxpayers, voters, and community lead- ers of tomorrow."

Joe B. Buttram is director and professor, school of music, Uni- versity of Kentucky, Lexington. In addition to administrative duties, he teaches graduate courses in history and philoso- phy of music education, re- search, and psychology of music, and guides graduate research. He holds bachelor's and master's de- grees from North Texas State University and received his doctorate from the Uni- versity of Kansas. He was assistant professor of mu- sic education at Loyola University, New Orleans, and later served as dean of the college of music at Loyola. For five years, he was instructor of vocal and instrumental music in elementary and secondary schools. His writings include articles in the Journal of Research in Music Education and the Journal of Music Therapy. He has delivered several papers and has served as panelist or moderator for state, region- al, and national conventions of professional music organizations, including the Music Educators Na- tional Conference. Currently, he serves as research chairman for the Kentucky Music Educators Associa- tion.

"Music educators constantly seem to be in the po- sition of having to make justification for the in- clusion of music in formal education. This situation does not appear likely to change for some time, par- ticularly in view of the present economic squeeze and movements such as 'back to the basics.'

Through the efforts of many in the profession, the importance of music has become increasingly well defined and the underlying rationale made much more convincing. Music is recognized as providing a unique aesthetic experience essential to the full at- tainment of human potential. Music can meet needs for the individual that are unapproachable through any other medium. At the same time, music may fill societal needs, such as understanding and accept- ance of others and their values. Music can serve functionally as used in therapy or ceremonially.

Justification for music education does not really seem to be the basic problem. The problem is making effective use of supporting arguments through educa- tion, research, and the constant insistence on quality programs. More effective education is needed for the members of our profession. Constant research is needed to answer basic questions, to sharpen meth- odology, and to refine materials. Improved tech- niques for communicating to the practitioner new ideas derived from research must be developed. Quality must remain constant-only quality pro- grams are and should be in demand. Continued at- tention by the members of the Music Educators Na- tional Conference to these efforts will be a major fac- tor in obtaining greater stability and success for the profession."

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For President-Elect Western Division

Pat B. Curry received his bach- elor's and master's degrees i from Arizona State University, Tempe, and his doctorate from Brigham Young University, Pro- vo, Utah. As an Arizona high school teacher he directed bands, orchestras, and choirs, and taught theory and literature classes. For over twenty years he served as minister of music in his church. In 1960 he became director of orchestras at Northern Arizona University (NAU) in Flagstaff, where he currently is chairman of the music depart- ment, director of the University Orchestra, and direc- tor of the NAU Summer Music Camp. He is a life member of MENC. Curry has been a regular member of the viola sections of the symphony orchestras of Phoenix and Tucson and principal violist of the Flag- staff Symphony Orchestra. He has been guest con- ductor for orchestras in Arizona, California, Utah, Nevada, and New Mexico. He is a past president of the Arizona Band and Orchestra Directors' Association, the Arizona Music Educators Association (AMEA), and AMEA's Higher Education Division.

"MENC was developed as a consortium of music teachers and performers-experts or specialists- who were highly interested in music and young people. I believe that music has an intrinsic value that can be experienced only through sound. The outstanding band, orchestra, and choir directors of the past instilled taste for and imparted knowledge about music to their students-the less than superb directors did so in lesser degrees. MENC has to hang onto the obvious-the musicians and music. If MENC makes its greatest thrust toward this end then it can survive as a vigorous influence on the Ameri- can education scene. If it assists its members in sus- taining music and the making of music, there will be a greater reluctance on the part of school districts to drop or even deemphasize music in the schools. The feeling exists among some band, orchestra, and choir directors (of all levels) that MENC is trying to tell them that they have served their purpose in MENC, and they are no longer needed. We must stop this trend of thought and allow these music experts to return to positions of prominence in their own organ- ization. MENC's primary effort should be to promote excellence in all its teachers (members). If excellence of teaching and of musicianship exists in a school program, the pressures of economic difficulties and moves to the basics would have to be very powerful before that music program would be cut back or elim- inated. Music can be over intellectualized. Let's re- flect carefully and cautiously in our attempts to force music into a mold that may not be appropriate for an art. Let music survive and MENC will always have a reason for being."

Louis P. Nash is consultant in music and the arts for the Califor- nia State Department of Educa- , tion. He studied at Amherst Col- ; . lege and received his bachelor's degree from the University of California at Los Angeles, and his master's degree and a doctor- ate in music education from the University of California at Berke- ley. He has been president of the California Music Educators Association. He has taught music at the elementary, secondary, and col- lege levels. He was supervisor of music in the Bur- bank (California) Schools and taught music educa- tion at California State University at Los Angeles. He served on MENC's National Commission on Organi- zational Development, which spent two years study- ing the total organizational structure of the Confer- ence. He has been president of the Oakland and Los Angeles County music educators associations and has served as a clinician and adjudicator throughout California. He assisted in the development of music objectives for the National Assessment of Education- al Progress and is coauthor of Goals and Objectives in Music Education. He currently serves on the board of the California Music Educators Association and the California Alliance for Arts Education. He represents California in a coalition of states that pro- vides national leadership in arts education and is supported by the JDR 3rd Fund.

"To maintain and build strong music programs in the schools, the profession should ascertain the ma- jor concerns from music teachers and provide direct service to schools according to needs expressed at the local level. California has established a success- ful program to assist schools and districts. Music teachers and their schools requesting assistance have been helped by a cadre of their fellow music teach- ers, resulting in some dramatic improvements for music education. A variation of the California plan could be implemented on a national level to provide direct service to the local music teacher and the con- cerned school community. Music education should continue to develop and implement a public rela- tions program to convince national and state legisla- tors and local school boards and their communities of the necessity for strong music programs.

In spite of overwhelming evidence of the impor- tance of music education and the increased interest of the general public in music, schools are often very slow to respond. The greatest support for music comes from good music teaching and outstanding music programs. The profession must stand behind and support music teachers so that their expertise may be extended to its full potential, and they will provide the finest music program possible in each school and college in the country."

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