3 President’s Message by Anne Fennell, CMEA President
4 California Budget for Arts Education Update
6 CMEA State Council
7 Stand Up 4 Arts Education Advocacy Day by John Brashier, CMEA Stand Up 4 Arts Advocacy Day Performance Coordinator
9 Meet the 2022-2023 CMEA Collegiate Council
11 CMEA Mentorship Program
12 Yes on 28 by Brad Van Patten, CMEA Music Supervisors Representative
13 ButtonBass - Make Music Online by Holly MacDonell, CMEA Music Education Through Technology Rep
15 Bay Section Update by Sandra Lewis, CMEA Bay Section President
15 Capitol Section Update by Patrick Neff, CMEA Capitol Section President
16 Central Section Update by Michael Tackett, CMEA Central Section President
17 Central Coast Section Update by Samuel Oh, CMEA Central Coast Section President
19 North Coast Section Update by Dan Sedgwick & Collin Kirkwood, CMEA North Coast Section President
20 Northern Section Update by Tanner Johns, CMEA Northern Section President
21 Southeastern Section Update by Dr. David Betancourt, CMEA Southeastern Section President
22 Southern Border Section Update by Dr. Jeff Malecki, CMEA Southern Border Section President
22 Southwestern Section Update by Dr. Tamara Thies, CMEA Southwestern Section President
23 CMEA State Honor Festivals
24 NAfME Backpack Resources
25 Teacher Voice by Zack Pitt-Smith, CMEA Urban Schools Representative
26 Creating and Composing Opportunities by Dr. Lisa Crawford, CMEA Creating and Composition Representative
28 Innovation. What is it? by Dr. Megan Foley, CMEA Innovations Representative
33 Boston Conservatory
11 Forum Music Festivals
43 Loyola Maramount University
5 Moosiko
30 Nick Rail
27 Peabody Conservatory
13 Pepperdine University
16 Sacramento Jazz Education Foundation
25 San Jose State University
IFC Sonoma State University
35 University of Portland
18 World Projects
Orchestrate Success in Your Career... JOIN CMEA+. Visit www.nafme.org. CMEA is a federated state association of the National Association for Music Education.
CMEA Magazine is published quarterly (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer) by CMEA.
Graphic Designer: Adam Wilke
Editors: Chad Zullinger, Tony White, and Trish Adams
Business Manager: Trish Adams
CMEA Administrative Office
Mailing Address: 2417 N 11th Ave, Hanford, CA 93230
Office: 559 904–2002 E-mail: cmea@calmusiced.com
Website: www.calmusiced.com
Rates and advertising information available here: calmusiced.com/communication/magazine/ publication-guidelines
The Executive Board of CMEA serves as the Editorial Committee. The observations and opinions expressed in any article in this magazine are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Association. CMEA does not necessarily endorse any product or service advertised in this magazine.
30 What Got You Hooked on Global Music? by Dr. Will Coppola, CMEA Global Music Education Representative
31 Happy Trails by Rita Zigas-Brown, CMEA Retired Members Representative
31 California Arts Standards and Arts Framework by Dr. Kara Ireland D’Ambrosia, CMEA Higher Education Supervisors Representative
32 Joyful Connections in the Music Classroom by Sal Rios, CMEA Elementary Music TK-5/6 Representative
34 CBDA Update by Jeff Detlefsen, CBDA President
36 Fall Update: CODA by Tiffany Ou-Ponticelli, CODA President
2020-2022 Armalyn De la O, San Bernadino 2018-2020 John Burn, Cupertino 2016-2018 Scott Hedgecock, Fullerton 2014-2016 Michael D. Stone, Bakersfield 2012-2014 Russ Sperling, San Diego 2010-2012 Norman Dea, Walnut Creek 2008-2010 Jeff Jenkins, Chula Vista 2006-2008 Cheryl Yee Glass, Danville 2004-2006 Rob Klevan, Pacific Grove 2002-2004 Sam Gronseth, Paradise 2000-2002 George DeGraffenreid, Fresno 1998-2000 Dennis L. Johnson, Salinas 1996-1998 Jay D. Zorn, La Crescenta 1994-1996 Don Doyle, Pasadena 1992-1994 Bill Adam, Roseville 1990-1992 Carolynn Lindeman, Greenbrae 1988-1990 L. Leroy Roach, Walnut Creek 1986-1988 John L. Larrieu, Portola 1984-1986 Vivian M. Hofstetter, Bakersfield 1982-1984 David S. Goedecke, Stockton 1980-1982 Charles L. Freebern, San Diego
1978-1980 Henry Avila, Monterey 1976-1978 Mary C. Reed, Elk Grove
1974-1976 Marlow Earle, Lakewood
1972-1974 Louis Nash, La Crescenta
1970-1972 Anthony L. Campagna, Foster City 1968-1970 Judd Chew, Sacramento 1966-1968 Kenneth D. Owens 1964-1966 Keith D. Snyder, Davis 1962-1964 Gibson Walters, San Jose 1960-1962 Douglas Kidd 1957-1960 Joseph W. Landon, Fullerton 1955-1957 Harold Youngberg, Oakland 1953-1955 Fred Ohlendorf, Long Beach
1951-1953 George F. Barr
1949-1951 Elwyn Schwartz 1947-1949 Clarence Heagy, Fresno
37 CCDA Update by Dr. Chris Peterson, CA CCDA President
38 Nuggets to Reflect On: Reserach that Changed my Teaching... Part 1 by Dr. Ruth Brittin, CMEA Higher Education and Research Representative
40 Adjusting to a New Normal by Amy Lui, CMEA Secondary Music 6-12 Representative
42 NAfME Website by Dr. Diana Hollinger, CMEA Collegiate Representative
2022 - Marlene Mudge
2020 - Stephen Luchs
2019 - Judi Scharnber, Jeri Webb
2018 - Dr. Lawrence Stoffel, Dean Hickman
2017 - Dr. Edward Harris, Michael Corrigan, James Mazzaferro
2016 - Dr. Robert Halseth, Rosemarie Krovoza, Rick Meyer
2015 - Dale Anderson, Ann Marie Haney, Dr. Thomas Lee
2014 - Jon Christian
2013 - Orrin Cross
2012 - Gayane Korkmazian, 2012; Gerald E. Anderson, 2012;
2011 - David Whitwell
2010 - Nicholas Angiulo, Vincent Gomez
2009 - Kem F. Martinez, Carl W. Schafer, Robert W. Lutt
2008 - Duane Weston
2007 - John Larrieu, Mary Val Marsh, Barbara Cory, Bill Ingram
2006 - Carolynn Lindeman, Joe Foster, Paul Shaghoian
2005 - Frances Benedict, L. Leroy Roach, Silvester McElroy, Jerry Kirkpatrick
2004 - Robert Greenwood, Arthur Huff, Lyle Stubson, Lois Vidt
2003 - John Farr, Thomas Eagan
2002 - Larry Johnson, Mary Louise Reilly
2001 - William Hill, Helynn Manning, Wesley “Colonel” Moore
2000 - Vivian Hoffstetter, F. John Pylman
1999 - Lawrence Sutherland
1998 - Chuck Schroeder
1997 - Dean Semple
1996 - Burl Walter Jr.
1994 - Jerry Moore
1992 - Mike Pappone
1991 - David Goedecke
1987 - Marlowe Earle
1985 - Arthur Dougherty 1983 - William Burke 1981 - Aubrey Penman 1979 - Steve Connolly 1977 - Howard Swan 1975 - Russell Howland
I hope you’ve all had a wonderful start to your new academic year. I know some members started in mid-July and are already enjoying a fall break, while others just began before Labor Day. No matter when your school year started, music rooms were a-buzz around the state with so many of our members putting in extra hours and days to prepare for their students’ arrival. Everyone was hustling to make sure their space was ready to go and that all details were in order to make it a seamless and engaging start. Every deliberate action laid the foundation for the classroom community that our students get to experience through music and your guidance. Our students in California are SO fortunate to have such dedicated teachers that care so much!
I’ve been thinking a great deal about the communities we intentionally co-create in our classes, as well as the communities we make with our peers, and across the state in CMEA. We create these communities and establish places to learn because we know the personal and cultural value of music through our first-hand experiences, and because we want the best for our students as well as our own personal growth. It’s these very communities and relationships that make and foster memories of a lifetime, bring value to our lives, and also support us when things get tough. We’re so fortunate to be able to have these communities in music.
In every action and thought we make on behalf of our students and ourselves, we are building a community’s foundation that will live beyond us while contributing to an expressive and creative culture. This is a gathering of passionate people that celebrate,
motivate, and honor one another. So may we grow in our collective communities and celebrate the connections that will support us through this coming year and into the future. Our students need us at our best, so I encourage each of you to reach out, recognize, share resources, and provide words of encouragement for one another throughout the year.
By the way, we’ll need this community – because when Proposition 28 passes, we will quickly become the foundation for the 1,000s of new teachers that will appreciate our support as they venture into music education. So, vote YES on Prop 28 because millions of students in California need music teachers just like you!
May your year be filled with a rich community that supports your goals and dreams for you and your students, and may you lean on CMEA to be connected and supported.
Brown and Black Lives in White Spaces: NonWhite Student’s Perceptions of a Music Education Program
Dr. Sarah Minette, CSU Stanislaus
The Ideology of Hierarchy in Music Education: Egotism, Elitism, and the Ethics of Musical Humility
Dr. William Coppola, University of Southern California
We Can Do ANYTHING: Engaging English Language Learners in Your Ensemble
Tony Sauza, Little Kids Rock
The Temporal Continuum: Implications of Stability, Variability, and Choice in Instrumental Performance Practice
Dr. Ruth Brittin, University of the Pacific
Preservice Music Teachers’ Classroom Management Beliefs
Dr. Jennifer Gee, San Diego State University
The Impact of Mindfulness Techniques on Self Regulation of Practice Habits and Routines of High School Band Students
Dr. Karen Koner, San Diego State University
Amy Villanova, Canyon Crest Academy
Abigayle Weaver, Ramona High School
I hope your year is off to a fantastic start! In regards to the California Budget 2022-2023, we can simply say that this is the year for funding and arts education in California! The four arts organizations (CAEA, CDEA, CTEA, CMEA) have joined efforts and co-created a slide deck to ensure arts educators have the necessary information to access funding for arts education, materials, and professional learning.
Why look at the slide deck? To...
• learn about current and possible future funding opportunities in California
• find money for music programs and materials, and support students as well as our professional growth
• share information with everyone
• be informed and advocate
You can also view this on CMEA’s website at this link.
CMEA EXECUTIVE BOARD CMEA President Anne Fennell afennell@calmusiced.com
CMEA President-Elect Chad Zullinger czullinger@calmusiced.com
CMEA Vice President Tony White twhite@calmusiced.com
CMEA Secretary Tiffany Barry tbarry@calmusiced.com
CMEA Immediate Past President Armalyn De La O adelao@calmusiced.com
CMEA OFFICE cmea@calmusiced.com 2417 North 11th Avenue Hanford, CA 93230 559 587-2632
CMEA Executive Administrator Trish Adams cmea@calmusiced.com 559 904-2002
CMEA Administrative Assistant Heather Adams hadams@calmusiced.com 559 410-2425
CMEA Legislative Advocate Martha Zaragoza Diaz lobbyist1.mzd@gmail.com
CMEA Bay Section President Sandy Lewis slewis@pausd.org
CMEA Capitol Section President Patrick Neff patrick.s.neff@gmail.com
CMEA Central Section President Michael Tackett michaelt@cos.edu
CMEA Central Coast Section President Sam Oh samuel.oh@salinasuhsd.org
CMEA North Coast Section President Collin Kirkwood collinkirkwood1@gmail.com
CMEA Northern Section President Tanner Johns tjohns@chicousd.net
CMEA Southeastern Section President Dr. David Betancourt dbetancourt@cerritos.edu
CMEA Southern Border Section President Dr. Jeff Malecki jmalecki@sandiego.edu
CMEA Southwestern Section President Dr. Tamara Thies Tamara.Thies@csulb.edu
NAfME OFFICERS NAfME President Scott Sheehan 1806 Robert Fulton Drive Reston, VA 22091 800 336-3768
NAfME Western Division President Scott Hedgecock shedgecock@calmusiced.com
COUNCIL OF REPRESENTATIVES CMEA CAJ Representative Barb Catlin barbcatlin@gmail.com
CMEA CASMEC Coordinator Francisco Marquez fmarquez123@me.com
CMEA CBDA Representative Jeff Detlefsen DetlefsenJ@gmail.com
CMEA CCDA Representative Dr. Christopher Peterson cpeterson@fullerton.edu
CMEA CCDA Choral Leadership Academy Coordinator John Sorber johnso@cos.edu
CMEA CODA Representative Tiffany Ou-Ponticelli touponticelli@pausd.org
CMEA Advocacy Day Performance Coordinator John Brasier jbrashie@egusd.net
CMEA Advocacy Representative Russ Sperling sperlingruss@gmail.com
CMEA Collegiate Representative Dr. Diana Hollinger dhollinger2006@yahoo.com
CMEA Collegiate Council Representative Andrew Shousha andrewshousha1230@gmail.com
CMEA Creating and Composition Representative Dr. Lisa Crawford lisacrawfordmusic@gmail.com
CMEA CTA Liason Alan Underwood
CMEA DEIA Representatives Jonathan Raman Jraman85@gmail.com
CMEA Diverse Learners Representative Regan Lambert rlambert@emcsd.org
CMEA Elementary Music TK-5/6 Representative Sal Rios rioss@gfusd.net
CMEA Global Music Education Representative Dr. Will Coppola wcoppola@usc.edu
CMEA Higher Ed Music Education Supervisor Representative Dr. Kara Ireland D’Ambrosia Kara.IrelandDAmbrosio@sjsu.edu
CMEA Higher Education and Research Representative Dr. Ruth Brittin rbrittin@pacific.edu
CMEA Innovations Representative Dr. Megan Foley mfoley@polytechnic.org
CMEA Mentorship Program Chairperson Ryan Duckworth DuckworthMusic@gmail.com
CMEA Music Supervisors Representative Brad Van Patten BradVanPatten@iusd.org
CMEA Music Education through Technology Representative Holly MacDonell hollymacdonell@gmail.com
CMEA New Teacher Representative (5 or less years) Nico Salum nicolosalum@gmail.com
CMEA Retired Members Representative Rita Zigas-Brown rzigas.brown@gmail.com
CMEA Rural Schools Representative Jeremiah Jacks jeromejacks30@gmail.com
CMEA Secondary Music 6-12 Representative Amy Lui amy.lui@polyhigh.org
CMEA Social Media Representative Holly MacDonell hollymacdonell@gmail.com
CMEA State Band and Orchestra Festival Coordinator John Burn jburn@calmusiced.com
CMEA State Choral Festival Coordinator Stacey Kikkawa stacey.kikkawa@gmail.com
CMEA State Solo and Ensemble Festival Coordinator Cheryl Yee Glass cglass@srvhs.org
CMEA Tri-M Representative Troy Trimble troyatrimble@gmail.com
CMEA Urban Schools Representative Zack Pitt-Smith zackpittsmith@gmail.com
It’s taken a while to bring back live performances to a lot of places in California. One place is certainly at our State Capitol. But now, plans are in place to bring back the sights and sounds of arts education to the Capitol grounds. On March 21st 2023, live performances will grace the State Capitol once again. In keeping with our shift in advocacy day involvement, Stand Up 4 Arts 2023 will again be a collaboration of the four different arts education disciplines: Art - CAEA, Dance - CDEA, Music - CMEA, and Theatre - CETA. Dance, theatre, and musical ensembles, accompanied by displays of visual art, will be displayed live and in person, showcasing all of the incredible product that our fine state has to offer in arts education.
Arts Advocacy Day will consist of these live presentations combined with addresses, Q&As, and in-depth meetings in chambers with our arts leadership for the four disciplines and our participating legislators in the State Capitol. This year, we have the opportunity to advocate for substantial legislation which allocates the equivalent of 1% of the state and local monies dedicated to education to go specifically to fund arts education. And for those school districts with a certain number of students, 80% of these funds must be dedicated toward staff. This means more teachers helping to reach more students in every corner of the state! We have a lot to potentially look forward to, but also a significant effort still to come.
Please consider this an all-call for interested groups to offer to participate in what will prove to be a fantastic vehicle to bring our arts programs to the fore. Those of us near the Capitol have
an opportunity to represent all of the exemplary teaching going on across our great state. Please consider submitting your interest today. No school is too small or too large, too old or too new, or too anything. The planners’ goal is to draw a deep slice from our diverse communities, varied programs, and innovative avenues for bringing the beauty of our arts to a young generation. You can submit your offer to participate by filling out the google form linked here.
are looking forward to hearing fromC MEA Stand Up 4 Arts Advocacy Day Performance Coordinator
• Website listing with logo and web link on corporate sponsorship page of website
• Exclusive Gold Partner access to CMEA direct sponsored email pricing+
• Company name designation with URL link in each CMEA Magazine
• 25% discount on all CMEA Magazine Advertising
• Company name and link as gold sponsor on CMEA state festival programs
+see sponsored email marketing options below
• Company name designation with URL link in each CMEA Magazine
• 15% discount on all CMEA Magazine Advertising
• Website listing with web link on corporate sponsorship page of website
• Company name and link as silver sponsor on CMEA state festival programs
• Company name designation with URL link in each CMEA Magazine
• Website listing with web link on corporate sponsorship page of website
• Company name and link as bronze sponsor on CMEA state festival programs
Reach your customers directly! As a Gold Corporate Partner, you can now have exclusive access to our members through CMEA sponsored emails. Each month, CMEA will send up to two (2) sponsored emails on behalf of our Gold Corporate Partners. Corporate Partners may submit content and formatting to CMEA, who will distribute your email to the members of your choice. Contact a staff member today for more information. Availability is limited. All email content is subject to approval by CMEA. Rates excluded from discounts.
We will send a promotional email to our membership on your behalf. Sponsored emails are only available for our Gold-level Corporate partners. Pricing below is for Gold-level Corporate members; all others will need to factor in the price of a Gold partnership also.
Pricing per Email (March - October)
• One (1) email to all Full Active Members: $350
• One (1) email to any segment (i.e. band, choral, orchestra, elementary): $250
Pricing per Email (November - February)
• One (1) email to all Full Active Members: $500
• One (1) email to any segment (i.e. band, choral, orchestra, elementary): $350
Daniel Crispino, CMEA Collegiate Council President
Senior (5th year), California State University, Chico
Primary Instrument/Voice: Clarinet
I am excited to work with other collegiate members across the state so that we can build a stronger connection between our universities so that we can build a better and stronger music education field.
Senior, California State University, Northridge
Primary Instrument/Voice: Trombone
I am excited to work with and learn from other like-minded future music educators from around the state to advocate for students and our profession.
Junior, California State University, Fresno
Primary Instrument/Voice: Trumpet
I am excited to be able to support and share ideas with those in different areas and be able to advocate for a profession and subject that has changed my life.
Victoria Guerrero
Senior, California State University, Bakersfield
Primary Instrument/Voice: Alto Saxophone
I am excited to serve on this council as a representative of Kern County and I look forward to meeting and collaborating with other collegiate members in our journey to becoming music educators!
Dr. Diana Hollinger, CMEA Collegiate Council Advisor
Music Education Coordinator, San José State University
I am excited to work with the Collegiate Council because, quite simply, these are the people who are the future of music education, and I would like them to have as much support and guidance as possible as they move into their professional lives.
We are pleased to offer a mentorship program that is available to music educators as a part of CMEA membership.
Our mentors will receive professional learning to support our new music teachers in music classrooms across the state.
Teachers with less than five years of experience will be invited to apply as a mentee.
CMEA will be accepting applications for mentees (with 5 years or less teaching experience) for the 2022-2023 school year. Applications for new teachers will be available by the end of September.
Click here to apply!
Educational Travel
for domestic destinations and any date. Contact info@forumtravel.org for
Hello, I hope you all had a restful and relaxing summer. As school years across the state are beginning again with fewer health restrictions, it is good to see enrollment numbers starting to rise in all our music courses and to see the happy smiles on the faces of our students.
As a music program leader, we are constantly focused on the equality, access, and equity of our programs and how they serve students. This year could be a breakthrough for resources to help each school district achieve an appropriate and equitable music education for every student.
Proposition 28, which is on the November ballot, will increase funding for arts and music education programs in all California public schools. It does not do this by increasing taxes or taking away from any of the proposition 98 guarantees. Instead, it funnels almost $1 billion, or approximately 1% of the budgeted LCAP, directly to school sites while requiring schools to disclose publicly how they are using the money every year.
You can learn more about the proposition at: https://voteyeson28.org
This proposition could be a renaissance for music and arts education for years to come, and it is significantly more than the Art and Music block grant from 2006, which was $105 million annually and was eventually swept away during the last fiscal crisis.
Besides passing the proposition, the next most important step would be to start pre-planning this investment and educating our stakeholders. On October 7th, 2022, we are inviting music and arts program leaders to meet and engage at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, CA, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. We will have guest speakers, along with collaboration time with our community of program leaders to help leverage our knowledge and expertise in how to best plan and execute your vision for what could be the largest investment in arts education in California history. Cost for the session is $50 for members and includes a light breakfast, lunch, and parking at the Center.
You can register at https://tinyurl.com/Fall2022CMEAPL or learn more at https://calmusiced.com/membership-services/musicsupervisors/
My name is Sandra Lewis and I am serving my first year as Bay Section President.
We had our first full board meeting on Sunday, August 28th and it was great to see both new and familiar faces. This was only my second meeting as president so I was a little nervous, but with my executive board supporting me as we went through the agenda, I began to enjoy the process of getting the business of Bay Section started for this new year.
In a week or so we will open our festival registrations and have decided to continue to offer what Bay Section calls “CMEA Comes to You.” This festival offering is where we have adjudicators go out to a school and adjudicate either multiple ensembles at the particular site or schools from the surrounding districts. Last year traveling and masking restrictions made this option popular and both the ensembles and judges mentioned that they enjoyed going out to various school sites and listening to the students and getting a chance to provide feedback.
Besides our regular festival offerings in the spring, we will once again be holding our Bay Section Winter Conference at San Jose State University, January 6-7, 2023. We are grateful to our site host, Mr. Craig McKenzie, along with his “team” of collegiate students that help set up rooms, organize tech needs and move equipment. With a return to having Bay Section student honor ensembles, our area representatives, special representatives and other full board members also play key roles in helping to provide a successful experience for all of our student participants and Bay Section music educators.
I wish everyone the best of luck as they go forward into this new year!
The board of CMEA Capitol Section is excited to take on a new school year and continue to serve the music educators and students in our region. We hope everyone has a wonderful start to 2022-23.
For the first time since before the pandemic, Capitol Section held our In-Service event in person on August 20th. It was a truly great day. Huge thanks to Brad North, our In-Service Coordinator and new Mentorship Representative, for organizing the event,
and to the Sacramento State School of Music for hosting. The day included sessions for elementary, choral, orchestra, band, jazz, and more. Among the highlights included the session “Mariachi Programs in Schools,” presented by Jordyn Kennell, a member of the outstanding Mariachi Bonitas. It was very special to listen to the group not only in the session, but also during a wonderful lunchtime concert. Other sessions that put CMEA’s new Diversity, Equity, Access, and Inclusion policy to action included “Multiculturalism and the Orff-Schulwerk Process,” by Jamie Jun and Genesis Santos, as well as “Gems of Underrepresented Composers,” by Stephanie Sugano. We also greatly appreciated Chad Zullinger, President-Elect of CMEA, for joining us during our general session to discuss the great work that is being done by our state board. Our section is privileged to have incredible presenters that take the time to share their knowledge with others. We are also proud of the full spectrum of those who participated, from collegiates and first year teachers all the way through to retired members. The students in our section will benefit from their commitment to improve as music educators.
Our board is continuing to solidify plans for the rest of the year, which will include honor band, honor choir, honor orchestra, festivals, clinics, award banquets, and more. We look forward to sharing what is to come.
Please remember that CMEA and CMEA Capitol Section are here to serve you, and we are eager to provide the support you need. For more information about CMEA Capitol Section, please visit www.cmea-cs.org.
Sandra Lewis
Patrick Neff
Central Section President
Our board has been busy planning for the 2022-2023 year this summer, holding meetings in June and August. We are determined to focus the further development of music education and contribute to the professional growth of music educators. The 2023 large group festival schedule has been posted on our website alongside a few updates regarding registration. Please visit us at www.cmeacentral.
org for the schedule and updates. As a board, we have been working hard the past few years to incorporate sight-reading into every festival. Sight-reading is a critical skill, and we feel it is beneficial to the students and directors. While music programs continue to
build, the board has decided that sight-reading will be optional at festivals for one more year, but any ensemble wishing to receive a “Unanimous Superior” rating must sight-read following their stage performance.
The Central Section represents four county Music Education Associations including Tulare-Kings MEA, Fresno-Madera MEA, Mariposa-Merced MEA, and Kern County MEA. Each organization meets and plans a variety of events throughout the year including honor ensembles and conferences. The Kern County Music Educators Association (KCMEA) hosted a Fall Conference on Saturday, September 17, at Bakersfield College. We hope many educators from the Central Section attended!
The board will be revising and updating the Central Section Constitution By-Laws & Handbook starting this fall. It is protocol to revise and update every four years. The revisions and updates will be complete by June 2023.
As an organization, we take pride in donating funds to a meaningful organization or MEA in honor of the passing of a music educator or board family member. It is a small token but has proven to be appreciated by family members. This past summer we donated to two organizations in honor of loved ones involved in CMEA Central Section.
In closing, I would like to encourage music educators from all disciplines to join our association. I have personally made countless relationships with music educators over the past twentythree years through CMEA. Please visit us at the link above for more information. The Central Section mission is: Empowering Educators to Inspire All Students Through Music Education. Please reach out to us at any time. We are here for you!
and February. As for the festival, the proposed month is March. We are in the process of finalizing the date once we have found a venue.
Samuel Oh Central Coast Section President
As we move forward to the new future, I hope everyone had a restful summer and whatever week you are on has been successful so far. As for me, students seem to be happier to be in school and more engaged this school year. Last year, there was a lot of uncertainty and challenges, which I thought were a lot worse than teaching online during distance learning. With many barriers now removed, I believe we are in a new beginning.
After one year of struggling teaching online and another year of getting students back into a routine on how to be a student, it seems like this school year is the year to be very optimistic. In the Central Coast it is our goal to host all of our normal events, just like the pre-pandemic years. That means we will be having all of our honor events and festivals as planned. Honors auditions will be due around mid-October to early November with the performances in January
Two weekends ago on September 10th, 2022, we had our general meeting/In-Service day. It was very productive and we had great speakers who spoke at the In-Service. During our general meeting we were able to fill in our last board position. I am happy to announce that Edward Maag from Soledad High will be joining us. It is great to have more representation from southern counties to be involved in our events. As president, I am going to make it my goal to reach out to the southern counties to have more representation and voice for that region.
Another thing I would like to add is that for our solo and small ensemble festival, we are going to make some changes that I believe will be more inclusive and open. For starters, it has always been the tradition to have the soloist find a piano accompaniment, but we are going to be more relaxed with rules. If the piece does not need accompaniment, that would be fine, or the student can play with a piano part track. Much of the student demographic does not have the resources to have a piano accompaniment and we do not want to deter these students away from performing. Another change is that we are open to any genre. It does not have to be western music. Many of the students in Monterey county belong to a Mexican banda/cumbia group. We are allowing that genre of music to be performed as long they have music for judges to follow. This will also include music instruments outside of the norm, such as accordions or bagpipes.
I hope we will be able to have a great school year and it will be as normal as we can get it to be.Central Coast Section leadership, Fall In-Service. CMEA President-elect Chad Zullinger
Instrument repair in our school district has always been difficult. When I first started teaching 15 years ago, we had a road rep from the closest music store in Grants Pass over 70 miles away. This was a valuable resource but still had its problems. Our repair budget was very limited and we always had to prioritize major repairs and never had the budget to do more than a handful of instruments a year. The other major problem was that we had to wait…the turnaround time was about 30 days to get a solder joint put back on a trumpet.
My name is Collin Kirkwood. I am in my third year teaching and second at Del Norte High School, where I primarily teach choir but also have a beginning band and a jazz band. North Coast CMEA is coming out of the pandemic and rebuilding our traditions. We offer multiple festivals, and an All-Counties Festival with honor ensembles that include 6-12 grade students from Mendocino, Humboldt, Trinity, Del Norte, and Curry (Oregon) Counties. In addition, we offer professional development opportunities for our membership throughout the year. It is an honor to be President of North Coast CMEA and I look forward to seeing everyone at CASMEC!
by Dan Sedgwick
Del Norte County Unified School District is nestled in the heart of the Redwoods and is the last county along the northern coast in California. Currently the district employs seven full time music teachers that run a comprehensive instrumental, choral, and classroom music program for nine schools. Music instruction begins in Kindergarten, recorder instruction is in the 4th grade, and band is introduced in the 5th grade. At the middle school level, ukuleles, choir, and various levels of band, including percussion ensemble are offered. At the high school level (the only high school in the county) we have two full time teachers with a student population of about 1,050. In addition to choir, band, marching band, colorguard, percussion, steel band, and jazz programs, we now are offering our newest class in instrument repair.
I had a little knowledge in repair coming from a music store background in college. I worked at Nick Rail music in Santa Barbara, and during my four-year stint working for the company, I did some basic repairs. I mostly did woodwind repadding and clarinet tenons, but did a little bit of everything where needed. It was enough for me to help subsidize the district shortfall in the instrument repair when I started work for DNUSD in 2008. When I was hired at DNUSD and the other teacher found out I could do a tenon cork…Let’s say, I have done a few! As the years progressed the instrumental program grew to about 3,000 active instruments a year and we had a problem. Preventative maintenance was never a thing. We sent out what we could per year, but mostly we had to put band aids over band aids.
About seven years ago a colleague, Sara Rogers, and I started investing some of the district’s yearly music budget into a few basic and some more advanced tools to fix instruments. Trombone slides were always the worst. In the early days, a dent in the slide meant we retired the horn. That is not the case now!
As we gained traction and proved to the district that if they invested into the program we, the teachers, could help keep the budget in line, interest grew in the program. We also received a very generous donation from Nick Rail of an entire repair shop from a closing music store. Thus, instrument repair as a class was born! I am in my third year of teaching this class. The first year (during covid) we had six students and we had a closet to use for the shop. It wasn’t glamorous but it was awesome! Two of the students in
the first class went on to the Renton technical college and now are working at a music store in Tucson, AZ, doing instrument repair!
In year two the class jumped to 20 kids but I had to tell about half that they had to drop the class since there was no room to teach safely in our small closet. We got the class down to 12 but it was still too many and the class always spilled into the instrument room off of the main classroom. Even with the space challenges, we had a great year and the students were fixing instruments at a high level.
A baritone sax was brought in from one of the middle schools and a student that had about six months of the class was able to bend and put the horn back in regulation within the hour and the horn was back at the school site within 24 hours.
Teaching instrument repair has always had two main goals:
1. Teach the students a trade that is music related but not performance based.
2. Maintain DNUSD’s inventory at the highest level.
I can say with confidence that we are achieving those goals. I have now graduated three students that have gone on to make this a career and this past summer we went through all 3,000 districtowned horns and did preventative maintenance on all of them. We are also in the process of making the class a fully fledged CTE class and I am working on my clear CTE credential.
Music in Del Norte Schools is thriving. We have an incredible staff that works very closely together and meets regularly to align curriculum and plan events. Also, a huge shout-out to the very supportive administration: Jeff Harris - Superintendent, Thomas Kissenger - Assistant Superintendent, and Alison Eckart - Principal, Del Norte High School.
If anyone has any questions on how to get started with this, please do not hesitate to contact me (Dan Sedgwick - ddsedgwick@ delnorte.k12.ca.us).
I am excited to serve as the CMEA Northern Section President and I would like to invite any and all readers to reach out to any one of the awesome team of music educators serving on our section executive board. We are here to plan and host educational experiences for your students and provide access to support, skills, mentorship, and training for the wide array of things you do every day as a music educator. We hope that through our section you will find information about upcoming events including honor
band and choir groups, regional large ensemble and choral festivals, solo and ensemble festivals, training, and continuing education opportunities.
I’d like to invite you all to consider the importance of wellness. The vast geography of the Northern Section can feel isolating, but know that there are resources available. Most districts now provide some sort of access to free counseling and many other resources. We all know that many of us work far and above “the contract” because we care for our students and programs. Amidst the twists and turns of a busy school year, it is difficult to make time for self-care. An emotionally dysregulated adult cannot be there for a student who needs help. Compassion fatigue, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress are real. Make sure to reach out to people you trust for support and work to promote a stigma-free environment with your school and classroom community.
We all know that the music classroom is often the closest point of contact between students and school. Our students have experienced repeated traumatic events over recent years. They need safe spaces with the best versions of the adults they trust most to learn and thrive more than ever. Those spaces exist only as long as we provide a healthy life-work balance for ourselves. Find what de-stresses you and make time for it. Whether it is a hike or an afternoon reading a book, be sure to make time for it.
Good morning from the Southeastern Section!
I would like to share a little bit of salt and pepper in this article.
It is so fantastic to see all the posts about various activities. From marching bands, to orchestras, to choirs and jazz groups, to general music classes and professional development for colleagues, music education activities are buzzing. Congratulations to all who are involved in this noble profession. We did not give up, we did not roll over, we pushed through, united, came up with creative solutions, persevered, and found our way through the fog. Granted, we are not fully through yet, but are we ever? Aren’t we always finding that our discipline is shifting? I love to see the posts that share a victory, seek solutions from colleagues, give a heartfelt testimony, or just participate in a bit of much needed humor and silliness. I scroll through social media and the various music education groups, smiling, reflecting, learning, sharing, and enjoying our profession. I seldom come to a dead stop on any single post (probably the conditioning of social media).
The other week, a post stopped me in my tracks. It was short and to the point: Being the last person to leave the school is not a badge of honor.
I just stopped on that post and read it several times. I reflected on the tide that has been building in our profession toward taking care of ourselves and not slowly dismantling our own physical and mental health in the service of others. I wish I could say I have always thought this way, but I have not. I posted pics too. I wanted to be part of that family. I still do. It has only been through hard learned life lessons that I realized this might not be the best approach. How much of ourselves are we willing to sacrifice? How much of our relationships outside of our music sphere are we willing to sacrifice?
I am not suggesting that posting those pics is bad, or that our colleagues who find themselves living at their schools, even on weekends, are somehow overachieving or setting a standard that we shouldn’t follow. Often, it is those individuals that find some of the most enriching moments with their students, community, colleagues, and even family and friends. I am not interested in
taking away from the success of colleagues and students. I am more interested in reflecting on what success means and how that term can mean different things for different people. True to life, it does! Personally, I respect all our colleagues who are doing what they can to enrich the human condition through music, regardless of time spent. We do what we can.
So I come full circle to those photos of us being the last to leave. Are these photos to be lauded and rejoiced as a colleague who has joined that group of teachers (a badge of honor)? Should they be addressed as a challenge that we should discuss and consider possible alternatives? Should they be accepted as part of the profession? I do not have the answer. What I do have are questions, and a desire to know what my colleagues think.
The Southeastern Section is excited to announce that we have a handful of exciting and beneficial activities coming around this year. They include a pre-festival choral festival, a mariachi festival, a colleague social, and a leadership symposium for your indoor groups. Please keep an eye out as information and invitations go out. It is an amazing time to be in our profession.
Find those victories, be part of the solution, and keep taking care of yourself so you can share with your students, community, family, and friends, the best version of you.
centered concert experience. My ensembles grew dynamically by implementing some of the concepts we discussed, including trying new community venues, connecting the audience to who composers personally are, getting our ears around advanced music theory concepts, and performing a piece from memory.
Things are great at the bottom of the state!
We are especially happy to be welcoming dynamic new members to our Southern Border board: Emma Joleen Schopler (Lauderbach E.S.), former VP of choral education, is our new president elect; Mike Sakell (Chula Vista H.S.) is moving into the VP of choral education position; and our new treasurer is Abbie Gerdes (Ramona H.S.). New additions to the full board include Dr. Karen Koner (communications), Carissa Mattison (elementary instrumental music), and Andrew Rodriguez (mariachi).
As we are in the middle of election season (Music and Arts in our Schools Initiative, woo!), let’s take a moment to think about democracy. Don’t worry, not the lofty political flavor, but instead how we as educators interact with our students, audiences, and broader communities. I wrote an article for this magazine last fall questioning how we could “democratize” an audience-
This built on a group research project in collaboration with Dr. Karen Koner, Amy Villanova, and Abbie Gerdes, three pillars of music education in San Diego County. The other portion of the research focused on democratizing the rehearsal process, with a focus on student-centered learning. I would like to briefly share three of our ideas. For more information on democratizing the rehearsal and performance, I hope you can attend our sessions at CASMEC in February!
First, before we even get to the “guts” of our rehearsal, consider involving students in the planning of a rehearsal. Just like a guest conductor hears our ensemble with a fresh, different perspective, a student sitting in the middle of the group will also hear things differently. In an open, safe environment, students can give us valuable input on musical segments that need work.
Next, we all know there is a time for intense, fast-paced, conductor-driven rehearsal. Consider breaking this up with studentled discussions on how the music could be improved. With younger groups or when trying this for the first time, we may prepare students with leading questions ahead of time: “Listen to the violas play this line, and tell me which note has the best intonation and which needs the most work.” Eventually we can work up to rigorous engagement, where students should be trying to listen to the full group throughout rehearsal and readily offer suggestions.
Finally, don’t feel the need to treat your scores like top secret nuclear codes! Consider projecting or copying a page or two of your score to visually elaborate musical ideas that involve multiple instruments. By reinforcing listening with the visualized score, students can gain a more robust understanding of preparation and the rehearsal process.
Tamara Thies
Check out the NAfME Backpack for resources that will help you respond to the opportunities of this new school year.
No matter what the new school year brings, National Association for Music Education (NAfME) and your state music education association are committed to supporting you in your efforts to safely and effectively teach music to your students.
As a member of NAfME, you have access to many effective ways to ensure your students receive music education regardless of the learning environment. Use the menu or scroll through the page to find the most current resources, including offerings addressing virtual teaching and diversity/access issues.
We are here to listen and to help in any way we can. Contact marketing@nafme.org with questions or ideas.
This is the second episode of “ TEACHER VOICE,” a podcast about music education in urban public schools. One of the most significant challenges, and yet rewarding experiences of teaching music in city schools is being a part of a culturally diverse community. However, we know all too well that some members of each community are better served by our public institutions than others. As educators we have a lot of work to do looking at our own practices and finding community partners already doing good work. We can find thriving examples if we look outside of our classrooms and at community-based arts institutions.
In today’s episode, I have a conversation with Angela Wellman, award-winning trombonist, scholar, music educator, and activist. She founded the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music in 2005 to ensure that Black children and adults have access to culturally resonant, affordable music education. In our conversation, she
explores the impact of racism and white supremacy on access to music education for Black students. I ask her what teachers in traditional classrooms can learn from her life’s work. She gives us a glimpse into her career, starting in Kansas City and winding up in Oakland, weaving personal stories with her philosophies on education.
Thank you for listening and stay tuned for the next episode when I interview Fernando Pullum, lifelong music educator and founder of the Pullum Arts Center in Leimert Park, Los Angeles.
This article overviews events I hope you will participate in through the 2022-2023 school year! Everyone is welcome:
• CMEA Creating and Composition Monthly Zoom Meetups (2022-2023)
• CASMEC Young Composers Symposium (2023)
• CMEA Composition Blog (2022-2023)
• CMEA Creating and Composition Summer Workshops (2023)
Beginning in October 2022, I would like to invite you to a post-pandemic Zoom meetup once each month. The purpose of these meetings will be to work together to create strong and creative composition, songwriting, technology and music production, and lyric-writing for our classrooms for the coming year.
As we are meeting in digital environments more commonly, I would like to present monthly Zoom meetups, for anyone to join, for conversation about how to begin opportunities to create and compose music in K-16 music education. These meetings will be specifically for music educators in the field, students in credentialing programs, and professors who would like to share ideas, have discussion about what has or has not worked for them in all classroom environments, and to consider the endless possibilities for Creating and Composition that supports the work of music educators. I would like to invite interested speakers to add their voice to our meetings.
I have developed a survey so I can learn the best meeting times for those of you interested in our meetups: CMEA Creating and Composition Meetup Survey. Please respond as soon as you are able about which days of the week and what times might work best for you. We will begin with our first meetup toward the end of October 2022. Contact me with any questions as you have them! (lisacrawfordmusic@gmail.com). Watch for updates through social media and email about meeting times and dates.
You know how powerful the addition of creative work is for preK-12 and university music students. To develop ideas together, we will work on projects collaboratively, hear what others are doing in the field of creative music-making, and create engaging content that interests K-16 students in any classroom and with your choice of musical genres.
An important aspect of these discussions will be the opportunity to use the 2014 Music Standards that highlight many ideas for different areas of music education: PreK-8 General Music, Composition and Theory, Technology, Guitar/Keyboard/ Harmonizing Instruments, and Ensembles (https://nafme.org/myclassroom/standards/core-music-standards/). As well, we will use, as guidelines, the National Core Arts Standards in music (https:// www.nationalartsstandards.org/) that include Creating, Performing/ Presenting/ Producing, Responding, and Connecting. (https://www. nationalartsstandards.org/sites/default/files/Music%20at%20a%20 Glance%20rev%2012-1-16.pdf )
While we don’t yet know meeting times, here is the link you may use to join our meetings once they are scheduled: Zoom link for 2022-2023 Creating and Composition meetings
While I hope you will enjoy participating in Young Composers Symposium 2023, coming to hear the works of young composers at CASMEC 2023 is also a great way to introduce your students to the idea of composing and songwriting and hear for yourself what students are composing.
Young Composers Symposium is an opportunity for young composers to present their original and creative work for an audience in the form of digital/electronic compositions, contemporary compositions. Compositions may be performed by our ensembles at CASMEC, groups the student may arrange to perform at CASMEC, or by students themselves.
1. Please invite students to write an overview of their compositional process with details about the work submitted.
2. Please submit a recording of the composition or song.
3. Please submit notation of the work, if available.
4. Please submit your students’ creative work via email to Dr. Crawford, CMEA Creating and Composition Representative (lisacrawfordmusic@gmail.com) by December 1, 2022.
Please make time to get involved with the new “Composition 2022-2023” blog (Composition 2022-2023 Blog). It can be inspirational to learn and share with others on topics of interest in music teaching and learning!
Over time, summer workshops have been offered for teachers and students with the goal of working with creating, composition, songwriting, and music production topics for all classroom types. We hope to resume these in Summer 2023. Thank you for attending our composition-themed sessions each year at CASMEC, and I look forward to seeing you at CASMEC 2023.
by Dr. Megan Foley
CMEA Innovations Representative
Greetings! My name is Megan Foley, the new CMEA Innovations representative. I am truly humbled to be in this role and look forward to meeting and hearing from many of you in the coming weeks and months.
To many of us, including me, the term “innovation” suggests a technology focus: MIDI keyboards, DAWs and laptops, oh my! Perhaps these items have indeed played a role (COVID notwithstanding) in your program, particularly in the last couple of years. As I informally survey colleagues, the use of technology has indeed been either a welcome or daunting addition to their programs; some of us have awkwardly learned to embrace their use while others have seamlessly integrated them. I will confess to being one of the awkward – but enthusiastic – adopters. I tend to operate on the “I think X could be a game changer for my program, and I have no practical knowledge of it, but, hey, I’m gonna do it anyway!” mode. COVID has certainly played a role in such thinking for me. Pre-COVID, however, I had been thinking about a reshaping of my program anyway, largely because I was catering to what seemed too small a group of students. I define the concept of “innovation” as a reimagining of the traditions and tenets of music education. Going far beyond technology, I think innovation means flexibility and broadening curriculum, methods, and ideas, as well as including and honoring student voice and musical experiences they bring to the classroom.
As another year begins and I madly set up my room, organize instruments, reeds, cables, etc., I am also wondering, “Is there a place for every student in this program?” What about the students
who don’t read music (and don’t really want to), students who want to learn but maybe are arriving to the program later, the kids who are there because that is the only place they feel safe, and the “lifers” who you can pencil in your roster each year? Perhaps you have a few of each in your ensembles, or you’ve begun to create spaces where you can take them all. As I look back on my musical education, I remember not only was it great fun, but it was also the place where I felt most comfortable. I was part of a traditional band/chorus/ jazz band program, yet it was clearly exclusive. We all knew how to read standard notation, albeit to varying degrees, and everyone had an instrument that “fit” the group they were in. No ukuleles or accordions in band, violins in jazz band, or laptop in marching band, much less the kid who could not read music.
I have spent the past several years thinking about and working towards reshaping my program with the intent to create spaces for any student to participate – and belong. Though the pandemic accelerated my thinking, such consideration is not new: see Allsup, 2015, 2016; Allsup & Benedict, 2008; Green, 2002; Jorgensen, 2005a, 2005b; McPhail, 2018.
1. Is my curriculum malleable? Students know that they can play violin in jazz band, I find/rearrange/create music for my “orchestra,” which is really a chamber ensemble with non-traditional instrumentation, but is there space to explore the music the students engage with?
2. Do students have a voice? Do they suggest repertoire? Are they expected to arrange the tunes we agree on? Do they rehearse or conduct the group? Can the group work together without me? (Green, 2002)
3. Do I know what they are listening to? What they dig may not always be my cup of tea, but if I am open and listening to what makes them alive, they’re more likely to check out the pieces by Caroline Shaw and Zoë Keating I’ve been raving about. We tell them to be open to everything, but are we doing the same? (Kuhn & Hein, 2021)
4. Do they know I think they are capable musicians, no matter where they happen to be in their musical journey?
Okay, but does such an approach always work? Absolutely not! At times, it is incredibly messy, uncomfortable and chaos often reigns. It also means more work for me; sometimes the students are not quite ready for leading, conducting or arranging. But, out of chaos often comes engagement. Often when I think all is lost, a student will tell me that they really loved what we did and when can we do that again! When things do work, the music made cannot only be meaningful but also very different from what was originally imagined. It is made in spaces where students are not only included, but they belong, which means the music then also belongs to them.
Obviously, we are all in different situations, with different budgets, administrative expectations, spaces, and populations. A reshaping of a program can be a daunting task, but there are ways to start small. To help students work through a challenging musical idea, we show them how to break tough things into smaller chunks, to slow things down, right? Don’t we agree that we want students to have the best experiences and to be lifelong musicians, in whatever capacity they choose? My hope is that the students know they are important and my classroom is a place where they can risk, be safe, and belong. We all know that the best music is made when everyone has ownership of the music, but what about when they have currency? That, to me, is true ownership. The best part? I always learn something.
Throughout the year, I keep notes of things I should consider for next year. At the end of the school year, I evaluate each class. I ask students about their experiences during the semester or year. What did they want to learn that they did not? What did they learn that they did not think they could or were not expecting to? Sometimes their responses lead me to broad curricular changes, sometimes they are simple ones. I research ideas, talk to colleagues, take classes and read – a lot. For me, being flexible means there is space to innovate.
In the coming issues, I plan to share ideas about creating innovative spaces for ALL students in a music program. Inclusion is important, but belonging is even more powerful. If you are thinking about your program and wanting to make some changes, I would love to hear what you’ve been thinking about! Feel free to reach out to me at mfoley@polytechnic.org
Here’s to an innovative 2022-2023!
Allsup, R. E. (2015). Another perspective: Our “both/and” moment. Music Educators Journal, 102(2), 85–86. http://www. jstor.org/stable/24755665
Allsup, R. E. (2016). Remixing the classroom: Toward an open philosophy of music education. Indiana University Press.
Allsup, R. E., & Benedict, C. (2008). The problems of band: An inquiry into the future of instrumental music education. Philosophy of Music Education Review, 16(2), 156–173. http:// www.jstor.org/stable/40327299
Green, L. (2002). How popular musicians learn: A way ahead for music education. Routledge Publishing.
Jorgensen, E. R. (2005a). Four philosophical models of the relation between theory and practice. Philosophy of Music Education Review, 13(1), 21–36. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40495465
Jorgensen, E. R. (2005b). Transforming music education. Indiana University Press.
Kuhn, W., & Hein, E. (2021). Electronic music school: A contemporary approach to teaching musical creativity. Oxford University Press.
McPhail, G. (2018). Too much noise in the classroom? Towards a praxis of conceptualization. Philosophy of Music Education Review, 26(2), 176–198. https://doi.org/10.2979/ philmusieducrevi.26.2.05\
This festival is open to any school solo and/or ensemble, regardless of instrumentation:
• Band, choir, orchestra, jazz, rock/pop band, mariachi, steel drum, ukulele, guitar, hand bells, or any instrument or vocal ensemble.
• Recordings of in-person performances, non-virtual, not digitally enhanced.
• Any/all styles of music are welcome!
• Director must be an active CMEA/NAfME member.
From time to time, it’s nice to think back to those very first memories that forever changed your life as a musician. Thinking about those moments as a global music specialist, there’s one experience that stands above the rest: it was when I had the privilege of attending a Wagogo music festival in Chamwino, Central Tanzania, in 2016.
There was something about this music—the music of the Wagogo people—that touched me like no other musical experience ever had before. To this day, I’m not sure what was most impactful for me: whether it was the inseparable relationship between singing, dancing, playing, and pageantry (what is called ngoma); the pure joy and power of the sung harmonies that would literally resonate within my body; or the elimination of the us/them binary between musicians and audiences (something I’d commonly feel imprisoned by in many Western performances, and something I fully expected to feel as a cultural outsider).
Whatever it was, the Wagogo people taught me that music is never just about the music; it’s always about the people. It’s about community and communication. It’s about exchanging and sharing. So, for this issue of CMEA Magazine, I want to share with you a part of this unforgettable experience that the Wagogo people so kindly shared with me.
Each summer, in the city of Chamwino, a Wagogo Music Festival is organized under the direction of the Chamwino Arts Center (www.chamwinoarts.org). Here is footage from their 13th annual festival, held this past July. I hope to return one day soon to experience this music once again in person.
MMARLAR@NICKRAILMUSIC.COM 805-952-8234
So, spend an afternoon “getting lost” in a musical practice that is at the same time intricate and welcoming. Allow it to push your boundaries of what you know (or think you know) about what music is or can be. And to support the ongoing work of cultural exchange in and around Chamwino, Tanzania, visit www.chamwinoconnect.org
The California Music Education Foundation is a 501(c)3 California Nonprofit Public Benefit corporation that supports charitable and educational efforts to promote quality music instruction for the children and adults of California.
donate, or to receive more information, visit:
Hello, fellow retired members and members at large! Summer has drawn to a close, but that does not mean your fun and adventure should come to a screeching halt. I had mentioned my love of travel and hiking in my summer article, so I thought I’d share the app All Trails that you might enjoy as much as I do.
You can download the app onto your smartphone (or peruse hiking options at www.alltrails.com) and just put in the area, or county, or park region, or state that you would like to find trails to explore. There are reviews of the trails by others that have completed that trail, and there is a rating system of easy, moderate, or hard, plus the distance, elevation and approximate duration of the trail.
Relevant information for each trail is also listed, including family friendly trails, dog friendly trails, bike trails, and wheelchair accessible trails. I especially love the GPS mapping feature that can run while on the hike so that there is assurance of not getting lost or turned around!
I hope that you’ll check it out, and if you do, please shoot me a message letting me know how it worked for you.
Happy trails to you all.
The detailed new California Arts Standards (adopted 2019) and Arts Framework has directed a spotlight on the education of future teachers and laid the foundation for a strong anti-racist arts teaching philosophy at the core of our music education credential programs statewide. The careful focus on social-emotional development, the call for culturally responsive/relevant pedagogy, and development of deep knowledge by forging connections across content areas sets high standards in our quest to catalyze skilled, resilient music educators.
We hardly had time to get familiar with the new standards and framework when the pandemic struck us all and shut down our schools (spring 2020). However, in this New School Year as we work to rebuild our programs, I encourage you to dive into our 2019 CA Music Education standards and framework. If you are guiding a teacher candidate, as a mentor teacher, engage in the practice of lesson planning, allowing our CA Standards to lead the learning objectives. Lead a professional learning chat with your
teacher candidate, colleagues (other music or arts teachers) to model your thinking process of how your teaching practice connects with the assessment of the students’ learning outcomes in relation to the CA standards. Try exploring the framework ideas, model lessons and best practices. You might find a new way to engage your students in the learning process--add in some universal design assessments! Taking the time for thoughtful lesson planning with our standards in mind allows us all to engage in the CMEA vision of ensuring all CA students have equal access to high quality music instruction. Sharing your lesson plan with others, including parents and administrators, may remind our stakeholders that our subject area has state standards that all students should be afforded the opportunity to learn.
I echo my first proclamation, “Happy New School Year!” May this year bring you joy and new learning experiences that get you jazzed for teaching music and sharing your experience by mentoring pre-service and new music teachers!
by Sal Rios CMEA Elementary Music TK-5/6 Representative
Through our transitions from learning in different spaces, something in-between, and back to in-person instruction, the role that the music classroom plays is more important than ever. I am not only referring to the effects that learning music plays on the developing brain, but also the joy of music making and connecting with others. There are times when we are focused on an academic goal or performance deadline and forget to highlight the joyful connection opportunities embedded into our curriculum.
Making music, whether it is in a general music, band, choir, or orchestral setting, involves important social interactions that are built into what we teach daily. Let’s allow joyful social connections to flourish through opportunities for collaboration and discussion among students. As we’ve probably heard before, students might not remember the specific lesson or piece they played, but rather the way it made them feel and the relationships that grew from these experiences. Give students moments to laugh and giggle through play, alongside the purely academic instruction. Allow moments to be silly and connect with students who they might not interact with outside of the music classroom.
As music educators, we have a profound impact on our students’ life-long music interactions. Often, we are the only formal music education students receive. It is crucial that while students learn to read, write, and think musically, they do so in a joyous environment. Let us program music that challenges our young musicians, but also brings a smile to their face when everything
locks into place. Bring in content from their world. Extract rhythmic and melodic elements from the things they already enjoy, bridging the gap between academic music and the music at home. Have students remember their time in the music classroom with joyful memories of movement and creative expression where they also learned to be musically literate.
“Often a single experience will open the young soul to music for a whole lifetime. This experience cannot be left to chance; it is the duty of the school to provide it.” -Zoltán Kodály
The music classroom provides a space where students are no longer only consumers of music, but creators. The role of the teacher can often get lost in our responsibilities to get students to reach the performance goals. Alongside teaching literacy and performance skills, we are also active music makers with our students. Throughout this new school year, let’s remember to be in the moment as we create beautiful music with our students every day. The finish line might seem like the culminating performance, but even in rehearsal, we can let those joyous musical moments shine through. Let’s remember to celebrate the little victories too.
We thrive on connecting with others. Our connections to other educators are just as important. There are many opportunities to connect through professional organizations like this one. There is joy in sharing resources and connecting with the teaching experiences of others around our community and throughout the state.
As we move forward, we have a unique position to purposefully seek opportunities for joyous connections every day. Let’s connect!
It was great to see so many groups out performing and touring again last spring and summer. It made me realize how much live music was missed during the shutdown. Watching groups from California travel all over the state, country, and even across the globe was a wonderful step back to “normalcy”. Although there are still a number of challenges with travel, sickness, and supplies, I hope to continue to see groups getting back to their regularly scheduled trips and performances and continue to make memories for the music students of California.
Our 2023 Social Impact Consortium is underway, and it is great to see the excitement continue behind this new topic. Marie Douglass has joined us to write a three-movement, grade 2.5 piece focused on the topic of mental health. The “You Are Enough” consortium is now open for members to join. You can join this movement and have your organization name added to the printed publication which will again include a curriculum on how to speak on such a delicate topic. Join at www.cbda.og for just $150. Physical copies of the music will be available for pick up at CASMEC 2023.
This wonderful new piece of music will be premiered by the inaugural CBDA All-State Small Schools Band. This band will be open to all California Band students that attend a school with enrollment under 1200 and meet one of three criteria that can be found on the CBDA website. Dr. Peter Boonshaft is joining us as the conductor for this amazing group and they will join the CBDA HS Wind Symphony and CODA HS Symphony Orchestra on the Saturday night concert to premiere the consortium piece this year. Information on this band can also be found on the CBDA website. If you teach at a small school, as I do, you don’t want to allow your students to miss out on this amazing opportunity. World class conductor, a world premiere performance, and a wonderful all-state experience for these students! Spread the word to other small schools to encourage all students to apply!
As CBDA grows, we are continually striving to find ways to
better serve the band directors and students of this great state. As we work on new and exciting projects our board will grow and flux with the changes. CBDA maintains wonderful partnerships with our CASMEC partner organizations, CAJ, CCDA, CMEA, and CODA and continues to work together with them to provide the best experiences for our membership.
We are very excited to have four spectacular guest ensembles perform at CASMEC this year. With so many high caliber groups applying, our panel had a tough job in narrowing it down. Please join me in congratulating the following groups: South Point Middle School Wind Ensemble, Amador Valley Wind Ensemble I, San Francisco Brass Band, and CSU Fullerton Wind Symphony. I am looking forward to listening to these groups perform in Fresno at CASMEC in February. I hope many of you are able to attend their performances, you definitely won’t want to miss out.
With exciting new support coming from the governor’s office in the June budget revision, I hope many of you are finding more funds funneling into your districts and programs specifically for music and arts. Advocate for yourself, and music education. What we do is important to a well-rounded education for all. Plan to attend CASMEC 2023 in Fresno. We have some amazing performances and informative clinics we are excited to share!
With access to small classes, talented professors, quality academics, and the city of Portland, University of Portland’s nationally accredited music program and liberal arts curriculum will prepare students for the future they want.
February
Happy Fall! My name is Tiffany Ou-Ponticelli, and I am honored to continue serving as President of the California Orchestra Directors Association. CODA is looking forward to a fantastic year, with a return of the full version of our CODA December Honor Orchestras, along with an exciting slate of conductors and repertoire for All-State at CASMEC 2023.
December 2-3, 2022
San Diego State University and Patrick Henry High School
The CODA Board is excited to announce the return of our full Honor Orchestra event Dec 2-3, 2022. This event will host a Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Mr. Michael Gerdes (San Diego State University), and a String Orchestra conducted by Dr. Alexander Kahn (Sonoma State University). Audition materials are available here! Audition materials are due online on October 11th. Please encourage your students to apply!
We are also looking forward to our All-State Ensembles in Fresno February 16-19, 2023. This year, CODA will offer four ensembles:
HS Symphony Orchestra
HS String Orchestra
JHS String Orchestra
JHS Concert Orchestra
CODA is excited for the return of our JHS Concert All-State Orchestra for 7th and 8th grade students, after a successful first ensemble at CASMEC 2022! CODA has been fortunate to receive large pools of auditioning students over the last few years, and the second JHS ensemble allows us to include more students in the AllState experience.
Junior High School orchestra directors, and private teachers of 7th and 8th grade students - this is a great year to encourage your students to audition for All-State! The Junior High excerpts were updated last year to encourage accessibility - please do encourage your students to take a look and consider auditioning!
• High School All-State Orchestra Audition Materials (please note that Cello excerpts were updated 8/31/22 and Bass excerpts on 9/11/22 - please do make sure your students who plan to audition have the most recent versions).
• Junior High All-State Orchestra Audition Materials
It’s also time to renew your CODA Membership! member today and help take an active role in supporting students, educators, and school orchestra programs across the state of California. Click here to view membership class information and here to join the organization or renew your membership.
I hope your fall season is filled with music, laughter, and hopefully a little more stability than the last year offered us. Wishing you the best!
Stay connected with the California Orchestra Directors Association throughout the year. Join us on Instagram, Facebook, and via our website
CCDA is excited to launch our fall schedule of events, Fall into Place: Local Choral Connections. We are hosting multiple events around the state throughout the fall. The number one thing we’ve missed since COVID shut us down two and a half years ago is being together and singing together. These fall events will reconnect us to each other and inspire us all! Check for events in your area: https://www.calcda.org/fall-into-place.html
There are three regional high school honor choir events for students in grades 9-12: Coastal, Central, and Southern/SCVA Each regional event has a TTBB choir, an SSAA choir, and an SATB choir. Applicants audition in September/October to become a member of one of the state’s regional honor choirs in November. Students who have participated in a regional high school honor choir and have indicated that they wish to be considered for AllState will have their audition scores assessed for participation in the All-State Honor Choirs.
There is one Middle School/Junior High All-State Honor Choir for students in grades 6-9. Auditions for this honor choir are submitted online in November.
The All-State Honor Choirs bring together the finest high school singers from the entire state of California to sing at the California All-State Music Education Conference each February.
February 16-18, 2023 Fresno, CA
Ms. Connie Drosakis, Junior High SATB
Dr. Lynnel Joy Jenkins, High School SSAA
Dr. Betsy Cook Weber, High School SATB
Dr. Jefferson Johnson, High School TTBB
If you are not sure which CCDA region you are in, email the All-State Co-Chairs at honorchoir.allstate.ca@gmail.com.
Reflecting on events of the summer and last couple years, I started thinking on the research studies that change a person’s life. By that I mean the way one teaches, or the skills, materials, or philosophies one prioritizes. There are a few studies that have impacted me in a “WOW, who’d of thought?” way. And they transformed my teaching. I would like to focus this 2022-2023 year on collecting reflections on impactful studies from my colleagues around the state.
It might be a particular technique where a colleague thought “this is the way everyone does it”… and then it turns out there is another way that works (maybe even better). It might be a revelation that bends the arc of one’s direction or philosophy. What are some of these inspiring research projects, be they recent or vintage? And how did this research change practice?
I will be asking various university and college music educators what research studies transformed their own teaching. The colleagues I ask might reflect on seminal studies that shaped their research agendas or careers, inspirational studies that catapulted them into a new line of exploration, or studies that inspired them to “shake up” their work with students or teachers in the field.
Colleagues around the state can share their perspectives, reflecting along these lines:
1. What was a study showing me something I didn’t really know existed?
2. What was a “mythbuster” study disproving something thought to be “true”?
The caveat is that our contributors center on something they learned from reading our journals associated with NAfME and CMEA.
And so I will start with a few thoughts on a study that impacted me! There have been a lot, so it is hard to choose…. So I’ll go with a vintage study that transformed my teaching. It was written by Rita Klinger, Patricia Shehan Campbell, and Thomas Goolsby, and it appeared in 1998 in Journal of Research in Music Education, titled “Approaches to Children’s Song Acquisition: Immersion and Phrase-by-Phrase.” I was just finishing my first year in California teaching at University of the Pacific when it was published, after being a music educator in New York, Florida, and Texas for fifteen years.
So why did this study surprise me? In teaching university students how to teach general music (the majority of them instrumentalists who thought they would NEVER need, much less want, to teach elementary general music), I had learned a specific mode of rote teaching songs. Please keep in mind rote teaching is a very appropriate mode of learning music at the elementary level as part of developing music literacy. This rote teaching model is described in Klinger, Shehan, and Goolsby’s study as the “lineby-line” or “phrase-by-phrase” approach. Indeed, this was the approach I had always seen used, and it has deep association with the “chunking” approach in psychology. It makes sense to us as a sequential approach: Model a phrase and have students repeat it, model the next phrase with students echoing, put those shorter parts together in a longer chain and have them echo; continue with more phrases and ever-longer phrases, and the students learn the song by having “chunked” it together by successive approximations. That’s the approach I had always seen used (across multiple institutions in diverse parts of the country).
However, this 1998 study was a controlled comparison of that approach with another approach, the “immersion” approach. I was astonished. Here’s what went through my mind: “I’m a university professor, I’ve been teaching how to do this for over a decade, my students are very successful, and yet…. Here’s another way some people approach rote teaching! Well, the study is in JRME, and its authors I highly respect…. OK, what the heck is this?!?”
I spent hours reading that study. Here is the summary: The immersion approach gives more opportunities to hear the song completely before the student is asked to start singing. For students, it gives more chances to get the song “in your ear” before trying to produce it with the voice. It “immerses” the listener in the total context before reproducing the target. By contrast, the “line-byline” approach asks students to start emulating the teacher’s model sooner, before hearing the full context of the song several times. It turns out that hearing the model several times in its entirety, BEFORE starting to sing, is more effective (at least with relatively simple four-phrase structures). It seems the connections between the phrases are the “weak points” in learning the song with confidence, and the “phrase-by-phrase” approach does not strengthen the confidence in moving from one phrase to the next as much as the immersion approach.
Well, I read that study. I couldn’t believe it. What?? This
approach I had scarcely seen used had such profound effects? I spent hours (yes, HOURS) poring over that study trying to understand it. Was it a fair comparison? Did the students in this controlled experiment literally get the same amount of instruction in each condition? (the answer is yes). How could this be? Why would people gravitate to “phrase-by-phrase” if immersion is so much more effective? Those questions make for good class discussion! And while one finds references that the Gordon method, for example, advocates for multiple listenings before singing and using good questioning to focus attention (https://giml.org/mlt/classroom/), I have certainly come across many teachers who use the conventional “phrase-by-phrase” structure as standard procedure.
There is a nuance of immersion that is important. One must engage the students’ focus during those initial listenings so they do not become bored or restless, and thus having engaging prompts or focusing strategies is critical. The immersion technique takes some extra effort from the teacher to creatively and efficiently keep students’ attention. Until one gets accustomed to the approach and/ or knows their students and their needs very well, it takes some extra preparation to have effective listening prompts in mind.
Well, the point of research is that you go with the evidence. If the evidence, the facts, show you a certain thing, you consider that in its full weight. You don’t just say, “Well, it must have been rigged,” or “it must have been a conspiracy,” just because you did not see the result you expected or wanted. When one is an educator, an educated person, a critical thinker, one gives full weight to what one might have considered implausible. That is the definition of having an “open mind” and of critical thinking!
So what was the result of this big “aha”? I reshaped my classes. Instead of teaching “phrase-by-phrase” exclusively, I started teaching both systems, showing students the research, having discussion, talking about limitations (other ages and formal structures might have a different effect), and encouraging them to explore both models (and possible hybrid models) in their teaching and maybe their future research. The discussions in class often center around the question, “Why, when the immersion model has been shown to have distinct advantages, do we gravitate towards the “line-by-line” approach?” Students often mention their uneasiness in keeping students’ attention through multiple listenings (and thus the urge to “get them doing something” right away to avoid classroom management issues). However, if the students are internalizing incorrect pitches, or lyrics, or insecurities about their singing, the rush to get them singing too soon may be counterproductive.
It is easy to rely on “phrase-by-phrase” as a formula, so that knowing how the song goes is all the preparation needed. Of course, as teachers get more experience, and know their students’ abilities and interests better, they can utilize effective prompts more fluidly in the moment. But for those of us working with teachers new to elementary general music, helping them understand the importance of good prompts and incorporating chances to practice developing and using those focusing prompts is important. Thus with many teachers in the last year or two adding elementary general music into their loads, this is a topic for induction programs and inservices. Additionally, as mentioned, this effect may not apply to all ages or stages of musical development, and that would be a great nuance to research further!
The conclusion? Reading the research journals (JRME, Update: Applications of Research in Music Education) may lead to revolutions in your teaching. If you feel like you don’t have time to read the journals, then engaging with conferences, in-services, and the
student teachers coming out of higher ed programs may jumpstart conversations about new approaches (or substantiate existing curricula or modes of delivery).
The point of research is that we are constantly looking for new understandings and examining “best practice” to know what really is best. We live in a constantly changing environment, so what was best a century (or five years) ago may have morphed. I think that is why it is called research. We search. And then we continue to search (thus RE-search). It is never-ending. For an educated and evercurious person… isn’t that the point? There’s always more to learn!!
I have quoted Socrates more than once over the years in CMEA magazine articles… and this quote has been posted on my office door for many years. I’ll quote it again: “Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.”
You might be wondering if anyone else has tried this comparison again, perhaps with students of a different age. Indeed, Natalie Sorrells replicated the study in 2006 in her masters thesis at Texas Tech University, including both 2nd and 5th graders. The title was “The Effects of Immersion and Phrase-by-Phrase Learning on Elementary Students’ Song Acquisition”
I found this study at this link using a Google search with the terms “music education research singing immersion.” Sorrells also asked students which approach they preferred. Overall, both ages learned songs with fewer errors with immersion. Overall, this was true regardless of the student’s preferred approach (although there was a higher connection between better performance and preference for the immersion approach).
So, again, immersion was found effective, this time with two different ages, tested out in a different part of the country roughly ten years after the Klinger, et al. study. It was interesting that in the 2006 thesis, the author cited previous data she had collected in 2004, which found 100% of the teachers in that area reported using the phrase-by-phrase approach. This brings to mind questions for today: How much do teachers identify with these approaches? Do teachers incorporate immersion techniques with song material before using phrase-by-phrase (perhaps amounting to a hybrid approach)? How do teachers describe their process?
This brings us to a more recent dissertation by Kateri Miller, “Song Teaching and Singing Accuracy of Third Grade Elementary Music Students: An Investigation using Multilevel Modeling,” from 2020. Here, Miller tested out (with over 300 students and 22 teachers) the phrase-by-phrase, “holistic” (immersion), and combination approaches. Her analysis is more intricate, and she used a researcher-composed song that did not include any repeated phrases (a unique variable as all other studies before had at least one repeated phrase in the four-bar song structure). She did not find statistically significant differences in the three approaches, though she found some evidence that perhaps phrase-by-phrase was most impactful. You can easily access her dissertation to explore these nuances further; I found the study at this link using a Google search.
Seek and you shall find, and then you’ll find some more! The Klinger, et al. (1998) is an example of a study that made me take a hard look at my own teaching approaches. I look forward over the coming year to seeing what vintage and newer studies have inspired my colleagues around California. And don’t forget, at CASMEC we will have our annual Research and Educational Projects Poster Session on Friday morning so we can see what all our friends have been seeking and finding out lately. Here’s to a great new year of exploration!
by Amy Lui
CMEA Secondary Music 6-12 Representative
Although the effects of COVID-19 are still lingering and we now have a better understanding of its transmission and prevention, the physical, emotional and social toll that this pandemic has taken on us as educators and as musicians is insurmountable. When schools went into distance learning, music making - a largely physical and social experience - was downsized to being in a bedroom and in front of a computer. For students in lower socioeconomic communities, that bedroom may be shared with a number of siblings in a small apartment with disgruntled neighbors, and the computer may not have had a reliable internet connection. Unfortunately, this was a time when many of our students realized that the fun music class that they had initially signed up for is not for them.
But with the return to being fully in-person, educators have had to adapt to constantly changing policies at the state and district levels, and sometimes with little to no advance notice. After speaking to some of our secondary education colleagues in the field, here are some of their struggles and how they have been adjusting to their new normal.
“Though I was thankful that our district required weekly COVID PCR testing for all students and employees, it meant one day a week of interruptions to instruction and learning, as various individuals would leave and miss part of class and then return at various times. We were required to mask indoors for most of the year, and then in the spring when the mask mandate was lifted, most continued to mask indoors. It was difficult to hear students singing through masks. I was pretty sure some were not singing, as I didn’t see their mask move one bit. For those who were singing, the mask would muffle their sound. I didn’t feel very effective in improving their volume and tone quality, as I tried constantly to remind them to open their mouths more and properly shape their vowels, but I could never see if they actually did it.”
- Monica Chi, Choral Director at Francis Polytechnic High School and 27 years in education
“Last year was difficult, for many different reasons, with the pandemic and virtual learning, and teaching [how to play] is
How was your first year back to being fully inperson last year?
a large part and was noticeable when we returned to campus. I discussed with educators in and outside of [our district], many with 20 or more years of teaching experience, and all agreed it was one of the most difficult years behavior-wise we have experienced. There was also much more apathy among students. Several colleagues either left the teaching profession or retired.”
- Jeffrey Zeh, Instrumental Music Director at Olive Vista Middle School and eight years in education
“Last year was challenging with outdoor rehearsals, having to haul everything outside and back in every day. Practice was a little noisy being near the PE field, and on some days, jackhammers for road construction! [Our program] also had a reduced enrollment since many students were not aware of the band’s existence after nearly two years of not touring the feeder schools or having public concerts. Fewer beginners returned to band because music was less fun over the internet.”
- Brian Blanchard, Instrumental Music Director at Ernest Lawrence Middle School and 17 years in education
“The 2021 - 2022 academic year was one of opposites; full of joy and frustrations, successes and challenges, old and new landscapes. Masks, instrument bags, social distancing, sound shields, puppy pads, and MERV-13 filtration became commonplace vernacular for the students and directors. [Another] common struggle for teachers and students in our program was the ever-changing policies and procedures… [and these] rapid changes kept everyone on edge and caused some very severe emotional swings in students and the directors. I had many days that would begin hope-filled, only to end with a new hurdle that had to be addressed immediately to keep the program alive [and] I never knew how my day would begin or end [where] providing my students with a safe place to create art was seemingly undermined by COVID on a regular basis. In my preceding 32 years as a teacher, I have never worked harder to resolve issues that were well outside of my education and experience.”
- Thomas Slabaugh, Director of Bands and Mariachi at Davis Senior High School and 33 years in education
“Returning to the classroom for the 2021 - 2022 school year was a welcome return to the classroom for me. I was grateful for the skills developed during my time away, but I was ready to get back on a podium and in front of my students. The biggest struggle had to do with the dual classroom setup needed to accommodate the band and strings classes. Safety protocols required that all wind classes be held outside. In addition to setting up my regular classroom daily, I had to set up an outdoor one too. This was a tedious task [but] I was fortunate enough to count on homeroom students to help set up the eight EZ-ups, four rows of chairs, a piano keyboard, and the portable sound system in the morning. My 6th period class was just as amazing at striking it all down and bringing it back inside, every day.”
- Juan Rodriguez, Instrumental Music Director of Robert Frost Middle School and 14 years in education
“One week before the first day of school last year, my district was still trying to figure out if the band could actually rehearse and what it would look like. Band ended up being able to take place outdoors, which required all instruments, chairs, and stands moved outside daily and then moved back inside. Most of my prep was
spent moving equipment, and it was hard not to have the room ‘ready to go’ for Monday mornings. Another hard part of last year was dealing with the disappointment of unpredictability. Our first concert of the year was canceled in October by the district because they had not set guidelines and protocols for concerts, despite the band coming up with a spaced out, outdoor performance. Thankfully, we worked together on a plan for the rest of the year and were able to have the remaining concerts as scheduled.”
- Jonathan Pwu, Instrumental Music Director of Dartmouth Middle School and ten years in education
“Initially what felt like struggles ultimately transformed into successes. Due to the ever-changing nature of COVID, my first concert back was for the student body only. However, we began to record those performances and offer them on a private YouTube channel for parents. Later, this former workaround turned into common practice because for our spring concert, we filmed it, even with parents in attendance. This way we could still send home the links for the parents that could not be there otherwise. This is something that never would have occurred to me [and] made me better at reaching out towards our community… Ultimately, our school community gained from this new practice, because our music can now reach more listeners, the students have the chance to perform more, the school has a chance to attend a concert, and the parents can still see their child shine on stage.”
- Keith Cerrato, Instrumental Music Director at Irving STEAM Magnet Middle School and fifth year in education“The positive from last school year was the population of students who were focused on their academic goals, and we celebrated their achievements. The biggest takeaway for me was a realization of the importance of social-emotional teaching and learning. This year, in addition to teaching music to the state and national standards and introducing students to the joy of playing music, each day will consist of modeling and discussing kindness, respect, perseverance, empathy, self-control and other habits of the mind.”
- Jeffrey Zeh“Despite these trials and tribulations, we were able to make beautiful music with every group. We all witnessed a renaissance of how music making is a profound human experience, one that became fleeting for nearly one and a half years. [Our booster program] had the most dedicated group of parents I have ever worked with… Overall, the year ended with everyone recognizing what a wonderful triumph could come about when we allowed music to work its magical wonder! This coming Fall, I think we are excited to see what the year brings. Ensemble enrollment is strong despite shrinking school enrollment and we are preparing to make this coming year fantastic!”
- Thomas Slabaugh“Many emotions have been experienced since March 13, 2020. I look for the silver lining in the hardest of situations. I was thankful to have the opportunity to continue to work with my students. I was able to ‘pivot’ to the online mode of teaching and even though
the class schedule did not favor music in the first semester of online teaching, my students and I were still able to finish the school year and put a concert together. My wife and I had just welcomed our second child in February of 2020 [so the] extra time at home allowed me to be with my wife, daughter, and new son. I am not going to pretend that it was easy. It was not. But teaching is not easy. My family, friends and colleagues gave me the encouragement to press on. I want to believe that the worst has passed; if that’s the case, I am ready to move on and rebuild.”
- Juan Rodriguez“Something I’m looking forward to this year is rebuilding the community. Band is so much more than just learning how to play an instrument, and the community events really bring people together… Many lead parents have graduated and it’s a completely new booster group supporting the band this year. We haven’t had in-person meetings in the last two years, so getting people together and getting to know one another is a big goal for both parents and students. The start of the school year has already been the smoothest start since 2019! Rather than constantly putting out fires and operating in crisis mode, we’ve been able to start the year with a sense of calm and excitement, and focus on musicianship and camaraderie.”
- Jonathan Pwu“I think my teaching practice has grown tremendously. Into this second year post-COVID, a colleague recently asked how my year was going so far. I replied that it was oddly smooth. I had more returners from the previous year and I was eager to see who would show up in my classes. I also felt that I had finally arrived into my profession. I think a large part of this had to do with coming back to something that I had restarted. It is a nice feeling to come back into your classroom after a summer break and feel at home.”
- Keith Cerrato“Many of the students in my choir classes did not choose this elective, have never sung in a choir before, and have shy personalities or are insecure about singing and performing, afraid of being “judged.” Some are just here to earn their Fine Arts credit to fulfill their graduation requirements and have very little interest in singing. This is only my second year teaching choral music in high school, so I’m learning, too. Based on struggles last year, I know now that I have to work a lot more on the non-musical aspects: building their confidence, establishing camaraderie, and getting them to trust me more.”
- Monica ChiThough the colleagues who have shared their struggles in this article range in years of teaching experience, it goes to show that we have all had to grapple with similar realities in our profession that can make us question our efficacy and sanity. This is why we need to connect with one another now more than ever by sharing and to make meaning out of our experiences in order to move forward and improve our profession. I truly hope that everyone will have a positive new school year and let’s rejoice in one another’s company at the annual CASMEC in Fresno!
Hello, Collegiates! Are you familiar with what the NAfME website has to offer? Below are a few links to better know your professional organization. Start here, then explore on your own!
https://nafme.org/about/
https://nafme.org/programs/scholarship-resources-for-musicstudents-2/
https://nafme.org/advocacy/
https://nafme.org/my-classroom/nafme-online-professionallearning-community/
Upcoming topics include (live):
• Between the Podium and Me: Recruiting and Mentoring a Diverse Body of Future Music Teachers
• Jazz Programming at Every Level
• We Want to Hear from You – a NAfME Professional Learning Town Hall
Past webinars include (recorded):
• Creativity Across the Curriculum
• Let’s Put the Festive Back In Student Festivals!
• Teaching Music Culturally
As you all know, California’s CMEA is under the umbrella of NAfME, but we have many of our own resources. Below are a few links to help acquaint you with what is there to support you.
https://calmusiced.com/resources/jobs/
https://casmec.org/
https://calmusiced.com/membership-services/mentorship/
The CMEA Magazine is accepting article submissions for consideration of publication. Whereas the CMEA Magazine is not specifically a research journal, submissions should be based in professional literature. Articles should be written in a straightforward, conversational style that avoids unnecessary jargon, technical language, and excessive reliance on long quotations from other sources.
Articles should address the needs of the music educators who read the magazine and should not have been previously published elsewhere. Authors should avoid personal asides that are not relevant to the primary topic, as well as content that promotes a person, performing group, institution, or product. Submission of a manuscript implies commitment to publish in the CMEA magazine.
Further information/technical requirements can be found here.
Questions/Submissions should be directed to Tony White.
CMEA is looking for a Web designer to maintain calmusiced.com, perform regular updates to content and information on the site, and create pages and content as needed.
Desired experience includes familiarity with Wordpress, menus/navigation, and mobile device functionality.
Contact, cmea@calmusiced.com if interested.
At LMU Music, we offer a personalized approach to music education, housed in stateof-the-art facilities in the second-largest U.S. music market. Offering concentrations in Contemporary Styles and Practices, Instrumental Studies, Vocal Studies, Theory/ Composition, Musicology, Ethnomusicology, and Conducting,
Ensuring all California students have equal access to a high-quality music education as part of a well-rounded education.
