President-Elect Updates - Lisa Vartanian

Lisa Vartanian Paramus School District lvartanian@paramusschools.org

Greetings and Happy New Year to everyone! In this report, I will share some stories from presenters at the National Association for Music Education’s Leadership Forum in November. I also am including an interview I conducted recently with our colleague Jayson Martinez at Arts High School in Newark. At a time when we all continue to struggle with the effects of COVID-19 on our lives and our work, I find comfort and inspiration in the determination of music educators to keep finding creative and effective ways to connect with our students and put them on a path to success and fulfillment. Stay safe and keep up the great work!

On November 4 and 5, 2020, I had the opportunity to attend the National Association for Music Education’s Leadership Forum. As always, I left inspired by the many outstanding presentations from incredible music educators and leaders around the country such as Anne Fennell, Michael Stone, Marc Greene, and Timothy Bupp. I want to highlight two workshops I attended.

Our Hero’s Journey Anne M Fennell, M.Ed. K-12 Music Program Manager, SDUSD, San Diego, CA, CMEA President-Elect, NAfME Immediate Past Innovations Council Chair

Anne Fennell gave the keynote to start the Forum, entitled, “Our Hero’s Journey.” I will summarize her points, but I implore you to visit her website and read the full report. It took my breath away, and I think you will feel the same after you read it. She shares that music teachers are the real inspiration in the story, “Our Hero’s Journey,” Supervising Music and the Visual, Performing Arts, and 21st Century Life and Career programs for the district, I can say, with certainty, that all teachers are heroes in this journey. Ms. Fennell takes us on a journey through the process of teaching through the pandemic, and presents teachers with several badges. She says that “what keeps us on our path is our beliefs and that we passionately care for music education.” The first badge she presents is the Badge of Courage. Teachers, no matter what was sent your way, you “mustered the courage and became the computer genius, tech support, counselor, teacher of teachers, learner, creator, guide, and overall musical magicians while you encouraged everyone to share and give.” You also earn the Badge of Perseverance because no matter what, you “climbed onward to do what was right for your students.” You also earn the Badge of Resilience. “You learned about who you were, what you can do, and what is possible.”

Anne ends with a challenge. She asks about the ending of the story. “If you have integrated your new knowledge and grown to live a new life, then YOU will receive the title or Badge of Master because you became the master of both worlds with newfound freedom and expansiveness for all. Courage, Perseverance, and Resilience are already yours. You are in charge of how your story ends.” Read the full keynote in Anne’s blog, https://www.annefennell.com/blog

Creating a Music Program that Uses Contemporary and Traditional Ensembles and Instruction to Reach All Students Timothy Bupp Music Supervisor, Spring Grove, PA.

In this presentation, Timothy Bupp challenges all of us to create music programs in our schools that reach

all learners and that reflects our communities, which is essential to students. Mr. Bupp recommends that if you are interested in creating a modern band program, start with ukulele in 4th grade, followed by guitar, keyboard and drums in 5/6 grade. In 7/8 grade, add bass and voice and by the time students enter high school, they can take classes like modern band, songwriting, and applied instruments. He concluded his session by encouraging the audience to make music education relevant to your community of learners. By doing so, you will create excitement and enthusiasm for music. Through this presentation, I thought about many school districts and teachers that are already implementing new programs in their schools such as one of my colleagues, Jayson Martinez. A few years ago, I met Mr. Martinez when I served on the Victorian Foundation grant committee to help provide funds to innovative arts programs in the Newark School District. Through the grant process, I was honored to visit Newark Arts High School. Around every turn, in every room, I was in awe of the level of arts instruction that was taking place. As I entered one of the music rooms, Mr. Martinez worked with students on classical guitar followed by a piece from Metallica. These students were immersed in what he was teaching them. They were excited to play us an excerpt from what they were learning and more. Mr. Martinez gets it, I thought. He found a way to create a program that reaches his students, and he has given his students the excitement and enthusiasm for music that we all hope to bestow. In November, I had a chance to sit down with Mr. Martinez and ask about his music journey and what inspires him as an educator and lifelong learner.

NJMEA MEMBER: JAYSON MARTINEZ Arts High School, Newark, New Jersey

What is unique about the Arts High School guitar program?

The guitar program at Arts High School is a tiered program where students are exposed to a variety of genres and playing styles. Unlike other school guitar programs, which focus primarily on classical technique and repertoire, our program also offers other styles including flamenco, jazz, pop, and rock music. Moreover, each year our midterm exam includes a performance component from the jazz standard repertoire, while the final exam includes a solo from a famous rock tune.

Every graduating student presents an adjudicated recital which highlights these various genres as part of their solo and ensemble performance. An example of a recent student performance included classical solo pieces from Francisco Tarrega and J.S. Bach, a jazz solo excerpt from Barry Galbraith, an ensemble work by flamenco duo Rodrigo y Gabriela, and a heavy metal song by Metallica. As a result of this expanded musical spectrum and teaching methodologies, students are more engaged in their musical studies while diverse learning needs are met.

Magnet schools such as Arts High School are unlike charter or private schools. Although they belong to the local public school system, they differ in that students are not automatically zoned into their residential schools. This allows for students across the city that show a talent and interest in the arts to audition, and if accepted, enroll in our magnet school.

The Newark Arts High School offers students the opportunity to ignite their artistic passion by majoring in music, dance, visual art, television production, and drama. The interdisciplinary studies in which our students participate enable post-secondary matriculation to many of the best conservatories, colleges, and universities in the country.

The curriculum for our guitar department was founded on an ethos to provide innovative and contemporary material for music and the arts. Our program includes the most academically rigorous, industry-relevant qualifications designed to support our aspiring artists. For instance, we have partnered with the U.K.’s Rock School LTD in order to provide the students with the best resources for contemporary music, which also prepares them to qualify for graded music exams and certifications that are honored in leading conservatories.

We have also partnered with the Royal Conservatory’s music program, in order to provide students with the leading classical pedagogy that is studied worldwide. The Royal Conservatory is one of the largest and most respected music education institutions in the world, providing the definitive standard of excellence in curriculum design, assessment, and performance training.

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As an educator for over two decades, I have found great personal satisfaction in providing comprehensive and inclusive music-making opportunities to students within non-traditional ensembles. For instance, when I taught at the elementary and middle school levels, I had great success directing my World Music Ensemble, which included African percussion and guitar.

Currently, as the guitar teacher at my alma mater, I have come full-circle by providing students with the musical knowledge that my teacher instilled in me. Thus, my own musical path has been paved by a non-traditional music setting.

Traditional music ensembles have historically consisted of the big three: band, orchestra, and choir. However, demographic shifts in student populations and diversified musical interests have led to the creation of alternative instrumental ensembles such as ukulele, guitar, steel drum, mariachi, and modern band programs in schools.

There are ongoing debates within the profession that offering multiple ensemble opportunities may weaken the traditional band, orchestra and choir programs. As I do acknowledge and respect both philosophical viewpoints, I aver that providing diverse music offerings within a school can instill passion, offer choice and give students the tools to create music while encouraging them to continue their exploration even after they leave our ensembles.

As the NJMEA Chairman for Guitar Education and the NAfME Eastern Council Representative for Guitar Education, what are some of your accomplishments and highlighted moments?

Perhaps my proudest accomplishment was conducting the NJMEA Honors Guitar Ensemble at our GuitarFest event. It was directed by my fantastic predecessor, Thomas Amoriello, and hosted by my college alma mater, New Jersey City University. Not only was the performance a spectacular event, but my own guitar professor, Dr. Ana Maria Rosado, was in attendance, which made the event even more special. A few months later, three of my students qualified for the All-National Ensembles Festival, which is hosted every year by NAfME and took place in Orlando, Florida.

One of my current projects for the NJMEA is leading our NJ Honors Guitar Ensemble in a virtual project, which is graciously sponsored by the Augustine Foundation. This initiative is a collaborative effort with 13 other MEA’s around the country to produce virtual guitar ensemble videos, with the hopes of inspiring each and every state to include the guitar in their own all-state events and festivals.

Our NAfME Guitar Council has teamed up with the Guitar Foundations of America in order to produce three levels of educational guitar videos for aspiring guitarists worldwide. The first level, Foundations, is a weekly series for beginning classroom guitar programs. The second, Revolutions, is a weekly series for intermediate and advanced classroom guitar programs. The third, entitled Global Vision, is a monthly hour-long delve into various interesting guitar-related topics hosted by our staff.

Above all, I strive for our guitar programs and ensembles to maintain a standard of excellence. This is accomplished by making our visibility a priority through student performances in feeder schools, community venues, and State MEA festivals. In sum, my work is based on the belief that performance drives future enrollment, continued parental support, and community involvement.

Jayson Martinez, M.Mus; M. EdLd NAfME Council for Guitar Education NJMEA Chairman of Guitar Education Essex County College - Professor of Online Music