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• President’s Message: Millennials Can Lead Music Education to New Heights by CMEA President Michael D Stone
• CMEA Members Attend First NAf ME Western Division
by Russ Sperling, NAf
• Southern Border Section Conducts Mega Arts
President’s Message
Millennials Can Lead Music Education to New Heights
by Michael D Stone CMEA President
As the new school year begins, I realiz e that this is the 27th star t of school I’ve experienced as a professional music educator The years move so quickly I of ten look around me and realiz e that many of my c losest personal friends are also music educators The camaraderie and passion shared by music educators is infectious and impacts our personal lives as well. Professional music educators are some of the most productive, engaged, and imaginative citiz ens of our nation
As you begin the next school year, whether it ’ s your first year in the profession or retirement looms near, remember that the California Music Educators Association (CMEA) is your professional organization. Consider how you can better ser ve your students through par ticipation in the many activities of the association. CMEA’s nine section presidents are listed on the masthead of the CMEA Magazine Reach out to them to see how you can get more involved in our work
This past summer I had the pleasure of par ticipating in the National Association for Music Education (NAf ME) Western Division L eadership S eminar organiz ed by CMEA Immediate Past President and NAf ME Western Division President-Elect Russ S per ling Kudos to Russ, and NAf ME Western Division past presidents Marsha Neal and Mar tha O’Neill, for a successful event The CMEA S trategic P lan inc ludes leadership training as a top priorit y California had a large turnout from each of its sections as we converged in Las Vegas to learn about governance, strategic planning, goal setting, communication, and various other topics in the area of leadership
W hat impressed me most over the course of the three days was the var ying ways in which the various generations in attendance view our profession and the work we do through our
professional organization I lef t Las Vegas believing that each generation has many talents and gif ts which must be utiliz ed in order for CMEA to have maximum relevance in suppor ting California music education Fur thermore, I believe that we have the oppor tunit y to carr y music edu-
CMEA EXECUTIVE B OARD
CMEA President
Michael D Stone
E-mail: stonem@bcsd com Work: 661 631-4810
CMEA President-Elect
Scott Hedgecock
E-mail: scotchdir@aol com Work: 714 626-3984
CMEA Vice President
Steven Hendee
E-mail: sjhendee@sbcglobal net
CM EA Secret ary
Duane Otani
E-mail: Dotani916@yahoo.com Work: 858 485-4800
CM EA Immediate Past President
Russ Sperling
E-mail: rsperli@cox net Work: 858 292-3547
CMEA OFFICE
E-mail: cmea@calmusiced com
2417 North 11th Avenue Hanford, CA 93230
CMEA Executive Administrator
Trish Adams Work: 559 587-2632 Cell: 559 904-2002
SECTION PRESIDENTS
CM EA Bay Section President
Todd Summers
E-mail: tsummers@pausd org Work: 650 354-8264
CM EA Capitol Section President
Santiago Sabado
E-mail: ssabado@pioneer.k12.ca.us
CM EA Central Section President
Kirk Clague
E-mail: clague cmeacentral@icloud com Work: 55) 592-2127 x391
cation to new heights as Millennials begin entering the ranks of leadership within our organization.
I was first exposed to the idea of generational groupings in the profession a few years ago when NAf ME Executive Director Michael Butera did a presentation
CM EA North Coast Section President
Dan Sedgwick
E-mail: dsedgwick@yahoo com Work: 707 4645-0274
CM EA Northern Section President
Todd A Filpula
E-mail: tfilpula@chicousd org Work: 530 891-3026 x 321
CM EA Southeastern Section President Armalyn De La O E-mail: adelao@csusb.edu Work: 909 537-5938
CM EA Southern Border Section President
Marc Dwyer
E-mail: mdwyer@sandi net Work: 619 222-0476
CM EA Southwestern Section President
Lisa A Crawford
E-mail: lisa crawford@usc edu Work: 213 740-6935
NAf ME OFFICERS
NAf M E President Dr. Glenn E. Nierman 18 0 6 Robert Fulton Drive, Reston, VA 220 91 8 00 33 6-376 8
NAf M E Western Division President Dr David C Fullmer Orem, UT 8 4 05 8
COUNCIL OF REPRESENTATIVES
CM EA CA ACDA Represent ative W illow Manspeaker E-mail: wmanspeaker@stevensonschool org Work: 831 625-8339
CM EA CAJ Represent ative
Michael Galisatus
E-mail: galisatus@comcast net and galisatusm@smccd.edu
Work: 650 574-6163
where he addressed each generation’s view of membership and joining groups like CMEA If you are unfamiliar with the terms used to identify the primar y generational groups in the workforce today, here’s a quick reference: Baby Boomers (people born 1946-1964) •
CM EA Research/ Special Learners Represent ative Dr Ruth Brittin
E-mail: rbrittin@pacific edu Work: 209 946-2408
CM EA World Music Represent ative
Dr Lily Chen-Hafteck
E-mail: lhafteck@ucla.edu Work: 310 825-4668
CM EA Retired Members Represent ative
Jon Christian E-mail: jonchristian41@gmail com
CM EA Advoc acy Day Performance Coordinator
Nicholas A Cooper E-mail: mrcoopermusic@gmail com Work: 925 609-9341
CM EA CTA Liaison
Nora Allstedt E-mail: nallstedt@msn com
Work: 559 592-2144 x2200
CM
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•
Generation Xers (people born 1965- • 1979)
Millennials (people born 1980-1995)
The characteristics of Baby Boomers, Generation Xers, and Millennials are ver y different. Baby Boomers make up the majorit y of the job market today, but are retiring in large numbers each day
W hat are the characteristics of each group?
Baby Boomers, in general, are joiners. They believe that ever yone should be a member of a given organization because it ’ s just what you do They are also a little self-absorbed in things that interest them They like teamwork and group harmony Baby Boomers are in charge of the wor ld today.
Generation Xers, on the other hand, want to get something if they join They are independent-minded and uninhibited by authorit y Generation Xers definitely thrive on getting results
Millennials, sometimes referred to as Generation Y, were born into a wor ld with ever-changing technolog y and a fast pace wor ld This generation does not necessarily feel the need to join groups But, they are impassioned with the idea of saving the wor ld They are also ver y generous in their giving, especially when they believe in the cause.
It ’ s impor tant to note that individuals of ten cross categories or have characteristics of more than one group, depending upon when they were born S o, what does all this mean for CMEA and its work?
I’ve come to the conc lusion that CMEA’s success in reaching all of California’s 7, 200-plus music educators is found in a multifaceted approach of marketing the value of membership to all of these three generations of music educators. It ’ s not a one-siz e-fits-all wor ld anymore when it comes to membership. Members today want a diversit y of information, multiple deliver y systems, and a variet y of membership ser vices O ur organizational infrastr ucture must meet all the needs of potential members, not just those in leadership positions today. We must be for ward thinking CMEA cannot tr uly maximiz e the impact of its work until all California music educators stand together as active CMEA Members S o, our solution is bringing relevance to our work so that all California music educators will see value in membership.
CMEA must ser ve Baby Boomers, Generation Xers, and Millennials, all while keeping our focus on the single vision of providing all of California’s students with a first-c lass education in music.
In a practical sense, as CMEA president, I have faced our organizational challenges with the idea of engaging with all three generations of California music educators
A Baby Boomer might be willing to pay a CMEA membership fee no matter what, but a Generation Xer will want to know what he/she gets for joining The Millennial music teacher will join CMEA if he or she can see work of the organization being impor tant and relevant, and if he/she can be effectively engaged in that work.
Generational differences effect how CMEA communicates with potential members as well Millennials thrive on small soundbites of information that they can reach through social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc, throughout the day. Baby Boomers may primarily receive their news from websites or traditional publications Generation Xers may subscribe to specific websites so that they can get a more narrow view of a topic in which they have interest S o, CMEA must communicate in a variet y of ways: Internet, social media and print publications
This past summer, Mike Blakeslee, NAf ME’s chief operating officer, called me and asked if I would co-facilitate a presentation for state music education leaders on the topic of “Marketing the Music Cause” at the 2015 NAf ME National Assembly Af ter agreeing to do so, I realiz ed that I wasn’t so sure that the topic was that which I initially understood it to be Were we looking at marketing the impor tance of music education, or marketing the impor tance of joining the state MEA’s? I quickly realiz ed that the answer inc luded both ideas Providing all California students with access to a first-c lass education in music requires that we effectively communicate the value of music education to the public, but have a unified voice through our professional organization These goals are not mutually exc lusive
D uring the presentation, I learned that other state leaders across the nation are also facing challenges of connecting the dots with regards to generational differences The solution seems to be built
around a multifaceted approach to provide what potential members need and want One of California’s up and coming young music education leaders is S antiago S abado, CMEA Capitol S ection’s new president. I always enjoy speaking to S antiago since he is ver y enthusiastic about music education, has a c lear vision for his school ’ s music program, and understands the impor tance of asking lots of questions of colleagues CMEA Capitol S ection sent four Millennials to the NAf ME L eadership S eminar: S antiago S abado, Lindsay Dow, Taylor Haugland, and Joshua Ludtke W hile in Las Vegas, I asked these four CMEA Capitol S ection board members about the topic of generational considerations. Their responses were ver y interesting. Apparently, Millennials are just as fr ustrated with a wor ld of information bombardment as the rest of us An e-mail inbox with 150 e-mails a day is not uncommon in 2015 President S abado suggested that in the area of communications, CMEA could help young music teachers by organizing and filtering solid information on teaching, pedagog y, and even advocac y Nobody has time to Google search ever ything that comes our way CMEA will look at S antiago’s idea of focusing access to information for its Millennials on the CMEA website and elsewhere within our communications infrastr ucture
I also took away another idea from this group of young leaders W hen I asked them how to best engage Millennials in ser ving CMEA, they suggested finding specific, small tasks that need to be accomplished and asking young teachers to ser ve in that way Although a young music educator might not want to take on the leadership of an entire project, he/she might be willing to do a specific task to help with the greater cause.
S uch amazing advice from the California’s upcoming music education leaders
As we begin the 2015–2016 school year, please take a moment to connect with music educators outside of your generation. The conversations will be enlightening. I know that you will learn and grow from such interactions.
I hope that you will have an exciting year of music education Thank you for all that you do to inspire students through your work in our profession Here’s to a fabulous year of music making!
CMEA Past Presidents
1966–1968
1947–1949
Clarence Heagy Fresno
1949–1951
Elwyn Schwartz
1951–1953
George F Barr
1953–1955
Fred Ohlendorf Long Beach
1955–1957
Harold Youngberg Oakland
1957–1960
Joseph W Landon Fullerton
1960–1962
Douglas Kidd
1962–1964
Gibson Walters San José
1964–1966
Keith D Snyder Davis
Kenneth D. Owens
1968–1970
Judd Chew Sacramento
1970–1972
Anthony L Campagna Foster City
1972–1974
Louis Nash
La Crescenta
1974–1976
Marlow Earle Lakewood
1976–1978
Mary C. Reed Elk Grove
1978–1980
Henry Avila Monterey
1980–1982
Charles L Freebern San Diego
CMEA
1998–2000
1982–1984
David S. Goedecke Stockton
1984–1986
Vivian M Hofstetter Bakersfield
1986–1988
John L. Larrieu Portola
1988–1990
L Leroy Roach
Walnut Creek
1990–1992
Carolynn A Lindeman
Greenbrae
1992–1994
Bill Adam Roseville
1994–1996 Don Doyle Pasadena
1996–1998
Jay D Zorn La Crescenta
Dennis L. Johnson Salinas
2000–2002
George DeGraffenreid Fresno
2002–2004
Sam Gronseth Paradise
2004–2006
Rob Klevan Pacific Grove
2006–2008
Cheryl Yee Glass Danville
2008–2010
Jeff Jenkins Chula Vista
2010–2012
Norman Dea Walnut Creek
2012–2014
Russ Sperling San Diego
Hall of Fame Award Recipients Honoring Lifetime Achievement in Music Education Award
Dale Anderson, 2015; Ann Marie Haney, 2015; Dr Thomas Lee,2015; Jon Christian, 2014; Orrin Cross, 2013; Gerald E Anderson, 2012; Gayanne Korkmazian, 2012; Dr David Whitwell, 2011; Nicholas Angiulo, 2010; Vincent Gomez, 2010; Robert W Lutt, 2009; Kem F Martinez, 2009; Carl W Schafer, 2009; Terry Summa, 2008; Duane Weston, 2008; John Larrieu, 2007; Barbara Cory Black, 2007; Bill Ingram, 2007; Mary Val Marsh, 2007; Carolynn A Lindeman, 2006; Joe Foster, 2006; Paul Shaghoian, 2006; Frances Benedict, 2005; L Leroy Roach, 2005; Silvester McElroy, 2005; Jerry Kirkpatrick, 2005; Robert Greenwood, 2004; Arthur Huff, 2004; Lyle Stubson, 2004; Lois Vidt, 2004; John Farr, 2003; Thomas Eagan, 2003; Larry Johnson, 2002; Mary Louise Reilly, 2002; William Hill, 2001; Helynn Manning, 2001; Wesley “Colonel” Moore, 2001; Vivian Hoffstetter, 2000; F John Pylman, 2000; Lawrence Sutherland, 1999; Chuck Schroeder, 1998; Dean Semple, 1997; Burl Walter Jr., 1996; Jerry Moore, 1994; Mike Pappone, 1992; David Goedecke, 1991; Marlowe Earle, 1987; Arthur Dougherty, 1985; William Burke, 1983; Aubrey Penman, 1981; Steve Connolly, 1979;; Howard Swan, 1977; Russell Howland, 1975
CMEA Members Attend Firs t NAf ME Western Divis ion Leadership Seminar
by Russ Sperling
President-Elect
The CMEA S trategic P lan calls for professional development for up and coming leaders, and this is not an issue unique to California S ince the NAf ME Western Division state MEA’s (Ariz ona, California, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah) also consider the cultivating of future association leaders as a priorit y, the division leadership came together to host such a professional learning oppor tunit y This event, the first of its kind in our division, was held at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas in June and was attended by about twent y Californians and other state leaders.
The event ’ s statement of pur pose was: “For the sur vival of music education in our schools, it is essential for strong and active professional music education associations to thrive Critical to the power of our associations is strong leadership, especially at a time when the work required is more complex than ever before Much has been done to build robust music education associations in the western states, but our organizations will not be sustained without a conscientious effor t to develop future leaders ” CMEA attendees came away feeling invigorated and more prepared to take on leadership duties in their sections The post-seminar sur vey revealed that 100 percent of attendees would recommend this learning oppor tunit y to other music educators One attendee said, “ leaders of ten ignore their own personal development and this seminar was a great for um to learn, reflect and grow. ” and another stated “I am cer tainly glad I was able to come and I would love to come again ”
At the fall western division meeting, division and state leaders will discuss when and where the next seminar will be offered
NAf ME Western Division
and CMEA Immediate Past President
Sitting, left to right: Martha O’Neill, Russ Sperling, Marcia Neel St anding, left to right: Christy Latham, Maureen Blinn, Marc Dwyer, Willow Manspeaker, Bruce Lengacher, Julie Yaeger, Linds ay Dow, Michael Phenicie, Stephanie Adney, S antiago S abado, Michael D. Stone, Laura Smith, Phil Mortensen, Elizabeth Robertson, Taylor Haugland, Troy Trimble, Josh Luedtke, Nichole Heglund, Scott Hedgecock, Kelly McCarley
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CMEA Southern Border Section Conducts Mega Arts Conference
by Marc Dwyer
CMEA Southern Border Section President
This past year has been a busy one of events and collaboration We began the year with a return of our Mega Ar ts Conference This year, more than 600 par ticipants within the four disciplines of visual ar t, music, dance, and theater attended the conference This makes the Mega Ar ts Conference the largest ar ts conference in the state of California In the area of music, CMEASBS offered eighteen sessions with many being presented by nationally recogniz ed professionals such as guitarist and educator Glen McCar thy, technolog y educator Dr J im Frankel, and advocac y exper t Marcia Neel Together with our local presenters, CMEA-SBS was able to provide an exceptional day of professional development. We again offered large group festivals for band, orchestra, choir and jazz as well as honor ensembles for band, choir, and orchestra CMEA-SBS invites you to attend our 2015 conference on Thursday, October 8, at S an Diego’s Balboa Park. P lease visit www.cmeasbs.com for more information.
The year saw much in event expansion as well SBS added an orchestra makeover festival This non-competitive activit y allowed schools to perform and receive a c linic from S an Diego S tate Universit y Orchestra Director Michael Gerdes, and then work with professional musicians in instr ument-specific sectionals We also launched our first annual Guitar Ensemble S howcase bringing together over twelve schools to perform for each other in a noncompetitive environment.
CMEA-SBS continues to work collaboratively with other organizations in suppor ting and promoting music education for all This past year we ’ ve offered events par tnered with local radio station KSDS Jazz 88.3, and we ’ ve worked c losely with
S an Diego S tate Universit y who provided top-notched directors/educators for our honor ensembles, orchestra makeover, and Mega Ar ts Conference. CMEA-SBS provided many professional development oppor tunities for our membership. We worked together with Ar ts Empower and the S an Diego Count y Office of Education in bringing workshops per taining to the National Core Ar ts S tandards and this summer we worked with NAf ME and GAMA (Guitar and Accessories Merchants Association) in offering two sessions of the popular teaching guitar workshop
As the new president for the southern border section of CMEA, I am honored to be taking the presidential baton from Immediate Past President Pauline Crooks. I have big shoes to fill, but I look for ward to continuing the momentum of growth the southern border section has seen over the past two years I am occasionally asked the question: Why would I want to join CMEA? W hen I review our past year and reflect on what we offer our membership and their students, I can only answer with another question: Why would you not join CMEA?
As we move into the next year, I encourage readers statewide to remain active in your local CMEA chapter. Par ticipate in the events, visit your regional website as well as www calmusiced com, and www nafme org Collaborate and network, sharing your ideas and interests with your local board members. Even consider becoming active as a board member in your area. Your ideas and motivation will only lead to making CMEA a stronger organization, which ultimately benefits our most impor tant asset: our students
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Afew years back one of the fif th-grade teachers at my school suggested Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s version of S omewhere O ver The R ainbow for one of our culmination songs. The wrinkle was that she wanted the kids to accompany themselves on ukuleles I said what I usually say when one of my c lassroom colleagues is interested enough in our music program to make a suggestion – “I love it!” – despite the fact that the school didn’t own any ukuleles, and I did not play (I did have guitar skills)
We came up with money for ten ukes (turns out they ’ re prett y inexpensive), and a few weeks later the kids brought down the house with their ukulele-accompanied version of S omewhere O ver The R ainbow par tnered with Bob D ylan’s Forever Young S ince then, those ten ukuleles, and twent y more I have added over time, have become central to how I teach general music, par ticular ly in four th and fif th grade. In addition to being affordable, these instr uments are versatile, por table, easy to achieve success with, and unsur passed for teaching triadic harmony and introducing the concept of chord changes.
As ever ybody knows, the ukulele (pronounced oo-koo-lay-lay) is a traditional Hawaiian instr ument, albeit one with a fair ly recent tradition In 1879, Por tuguese immigrants brought the braguinha, a small four-stringed chordophone similar to the charango or cuat ro, to the islands. A woodworker named Manuel Nunes is credited with giving the ukulele its modern design – enlarging the resonator, simplifying the tuning, and replaced the steel strings with gut so that it could be played without a plectr um 1
Do You H ave Uke s In Your Toolbox?
by Richard Lawton CMEA General Music Representative
The ukulele is central to music education in Hawaii, but it has also been ver y popular in Canada since the 1960s, where J Chalmers Doane, a music educator from Halifax, Nova Scotia, has been promoting the ukulele as a central component of general music instr uction 2 Doane’s effor ts, and more recently those of former Doane student James Hill, have been so successful that when attending a ukulele jam anywhere in the United S tates, one will invariably encounter a large number of Canadian ex-pats, who learned to play in elementar y school
There are a several programs – Guitars in the Classroom comes to mind –that will come to your school and supply ever ything inc luding instr uments and instr uction, but what about adding the ukulele on your own? Is it wor th the time and trouble for a teacher in an existing Orff or Kodály-based music program to develop ukulele skills? I believe the answer is yes. In my Orff program ukuleles fit well, par tly because the easiest chord to play on the ukulele – C – is the also the key in which much of the music for the Orff barred instr uments is written At the same time, ukes have a timbre that is not customarily par t of the Orff sound, and this adds another sonic color to the palette of my young composers
Additionally, like many small chordophones, ukuleles are primarily rhythm instr uments, so they
present all sor ts of ways to introduce or reinforce concepts of meter, durational value, and swing in par ticular
In choral music, oppor tunities for students to accompany themselves on ukulele or other instr uments are less frequent. Here, the value of the ukulele is as an accompanying tool for the instr uctor My elementar y school cannot afford a full-time accompanist, so when I am teaching chor us, the ukulele is a welcome alternative to r unning back and for th to the piano. Accompanying my students on ukulele allows me to make eye contact while listening to them sing, indeed, to stand right in front of them (and I haven’t whacked anyone with the headstock yet, which, I am sorr y to say, is a hazard with a guitar). I have begun to use a uke to accompany warm ups, as well Tuned as it is on S ol, Do, Mi, and La (aka “My Dog Has F leas”) the use of ukulele creates teachable moments about those inter vallic relationships and a better recognition of when instr uments and voices are not in tune.
Guitar skills are helpful, but hard ly indispensable, when picking up a uke for the first time Actually, ukulele is much easier to play than guitar –four sof t plastic
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strings instead of six, no pick to lose inside the instr ument The standard tuning for a soprano uke is a C6 chord (see F igure 1). To produce C major hold the 1st string – “A” – down in the third fret box as shown, making it an octave C (It follows that putting a finger in the second box produces a Cmaj7, and putting it in the first box makes a C7). By Adding the F chord (the IV chord in C) and a G chord, (the V ), you are now ready to play any I-IV-V song from La Bamba to
in F or Bb - using the fingering shown (see F igure 2) And if you add a D chord to your reper toire, you can play the I-IV-V progression in G (G-C-D), a ver y useful key for pairing with soprano recorders
W imoweh in C
C is not an ideal key for young singers, but having learned the I-IV-V chords in C, you already know two of the chords – F and C – needed to play I-IV-V in F S imply add the IV chord
Mastering these five chords and accompanying str umming patterns, something easily achievable over a long weekend, will give you a more than adequate skill set to accompany your kids or to teach them to accompany themselves The ver y simplicit y and accessibilit y of the ukulele has of ten led to a lack of credibilit y for the instr ument as a serious tool for music-making 3 Even if the goal of your music program is polished choral or orchestral performances, however, don’t be too quick to dismiss the uke A growing number of music education theorists have begun to c lassify musical performance as being either presentational - those that align with the more formal, conser vator y model – or participator y – more informal exercises in communit y music-making where musicians of var ying levels of abilit y play together to please themselves 4 U kuleles, with their amateur sensibilit y and adaptabilit y to any venue or circumstances, fit in the par ticipator y model ver y well
At a time when communit y suppor t
is increasingly impor tant to sustain music education in elementar y schools, giving parents and other communit y members a means to experience the joys of playing music along side the kids can be a smar t idea, as well as a fun alternative to the winter and spring concer ts And while there is little doubt that formal music training produces a deep understanding of how to play individual instr uments, inc luding voice, par ticipator y music encourages musical behavior, and in doing so, creates more transferable musical skills For elementar y school music teachers, what could be more essential than that?
•
1. Greenberg, M. (1992). “ The U kulele In Your Classroom ” Music Educators Journal 79(3) p 43
2 ibid p 44
3. Thibeault, M. & Evoy, J. (2011). “Building Your O wn Musical Communit y : How YouTube, Miley Cyr us and the U kulele Can Create a New Kind of Ensemble ” General Music Today 24(3) p 48
4. Turino, T. (2008). Music as S ocial Life: The Politics of Par ticipation. Chicago, IL: Universit y of Chicago Press
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New Beginn in gs!
by Donna Harrison California Orchestra Directors Association President and CMEA CODA Representative
Anew school year is a time to tr y new ideas This is a time to give your students exciting, new motivating music experiences. It is also a time for you to increase your collaboration with other music educators who want the best for their students. The California Orchestra Directors Association, or CODA, is the group that can help you and your instr umental music students achieve these goals I would like to thank our outgoing president, Kate Francis for the outstanding leadership she has provided CODA the past three years I also would like to thank our webmaster, Jason Aiello, for the new CODA website at codaorchestras.org that he has developed. It is easy to navigate even for a low tech like me. CODA provides free membership and has many benefits to you and your students P lease take a moment to join and become a par t of this great organization
CODA is providing two honor orchestra experiences this December 4–5, 2015 at S an José S tate Universit y A full symphony orchestra will be lead by Dr Rober t Taylor from the Universit y of British Columbia. The symphony will give your talented wind, brass, and percussion musicians a chance to be soloists as this group performs major symphonic literature Your string musicians will love being par t of the symphonic experience as well An honors string orchestra will be lead by fellow Californian Doris Fukawa from the Crowden Music Center The string orchestra will give your string musicians a chance to perform alongside other talented string players from throughout California. All CODA members are welcome to obser ve rehearsals and learn from our outstanding guest conductors. Applications and fur ther information can be found on the CODA website, codaorchestras org The dead line for all forms and fees must be received by S eptember 25, 2015
CODA is excited to announce an additional AllS tate High School S tring Orchestra that has been added to CASMEC in Febr uar y 11–14, 2016 in S an José. This addition will allow more outstanding string players the experience of performing in an all-state performing ensemble The All-S tate High School S tring Orchestra will be lead by S oo Han from Carmel, Indiana The All-S tate High School S ymphony will be lead by Jung-Ho Pak from the Cape S ymphony and the Wor ld Youth S ymphony Orchestra S tring players in seventh and eighth grade have the oppor tunit y to perform in the All-S tate Junior High S tring Orchestra lead by Bill Bitter from Gilber t, Ariz ona. All applications and auditions are to be postmarked by December 1, 2015 Again, all forms, audition music, and necessar y instr uctions can be found on the CODA website, codaorchestras org In conc lusion, I would like to encourage you to inform your students about these oppor tunities that can have direct benefit not only to them but your program as a whole. I know from personal experience how participating in one of these honor orchestras raises the musicianship not only of the individual but the infectious enthusiasm of that experience r ubs off on to the rest of your students I hope to see you and your students at some of our CODA events this year
A Call for Applications: Performance Opportunities at CMEA’s Stand Up 4 Mu sic Advocacy Day 20 16
by Nicholas A Cooper CMEA Advocacy Day Performance Coordinator
Are you a CMEA music director? Do you have ensembles that are ‘pretty darn good’? Maybe you have a gem of a guitar ensemble. Or a madrigal choir that can sing Palestrina better than they can sing Pink. Or a W ind Ensemble that could chew through a Maslanka Symphony. Maybe you even have an awesome Peruvian nose flute band you’ve been hiding (I know someone in California does ) Perhaps you have a sweet brass ensemble that would rival those of Chicago and Philadelphia Perhaps just perhaps you’d like to see that brass ensemble blow the doors off the California State capitol If so, send us an application; we’ll give it a listen.
On May 21, 2015, music students had the opportunity to perform for some of California’s legislators and staff. Numerous members of the public and other performing ensembles also turned out to celebrate music education in California schools The events culminated in a noon press conference where students performed our national anthem and other patriotic selections The event was hailed as a great success Our legislators responded positively to the experience and the activities drew crowds who were interested in the beautiful sounds and excited by the event. A special thank you to Scott Smith for his successful organization of the performing ensembles and sincere congratulations to all those who performed:
Davis All-City String Orchestra, Kim Cole, director; Central Unified Flamenco/Classical Guitar Ensemble; Brian Garcia, director; Harvest Park Middle School Band, Paul Perazzo, director; Col-
lege Heights Elementary School Mariachi, Nick Olmos, director Clovis West High School W ind Symphony, John Lack, director; and Sheldon High School Vocal Ensemble, Stafford Herbert, director.
On the heels of last year’s success, we are expanding the availability of performance slots and the diversity of ensembles. Two performance locations are being arranged: outside on the North Steps and inside at the Capitol rotunda (a beautiful venue suited to a cappella choir) Both locations have tremendous audience potential and loads of foot traffic from visitors, staff, and our legislators
We are seeking a diverse selection of ensembles (elementary, middle, high, and collegiate levels) from across the state of California. This is an opportunity to highlight the musical variety in California schools and to underscore the level of talent of our California students and music educators More importantly, it gives a face and a sound to our sometimes underrepresented, underappreciated, and always underfunded population
Applications can be found on the CMEA website (www calmusiced com) Please submit applications with a recording of your ensemble to include two selections (one from this current school year and one from the previous year). If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Nick Cooper at mrcoopermusic@gmail.com. For more information on California music education advocacy please visit www standup4music org
College Heights Element ary School Mariachi, with Nick Olmos, director, performed at Advocacy Day this year
Advocacy Day photos by Audrey Boyle
Every Ch ild in Ev ery School
by Scott Hedgecock CMEA President-Elect
CMEA will continue to lead the St and Up 4 Music Coalition in an Advocacy Day for Music Education at our st ate capitol in S acramento, next year on Thursday, May 19, 2016. This annual event has helped to bring awareness to music education, focus on specific issues in music education, and fulfills a number of our strategic plan priorities for C M EA
Leaders from each of the twelve organizations that make up the S U4M Coalition, along with C M EA’s leadership, music educators, and parents from throughout the st ate, will all gather together on the steps of the capitol for a kickoff rally before spending the morning visiting their legislators to advocate on behalf of music education and share the C M EA vision of a “first-class music education for all students in California.” Meetings will also be held with key committee leaders in the arts and education areas of our st ate government
A noontime press conference on the capitol steps brings everyone together and is covered by much of the local media in the greater S acramento area Recent years have also seen a key interest among many who work inside our capitol as they come out to listen and watch this event C M EA and S U4M leaders are featured speakers along with key supporters from among our elected officials, outst anding music educators, and celebrity guests
While all of this is going on we also highlight the reason we advocate for music education; our students. Performances by music ensembles from schools throughout the st ate are featured all day, so that anyone entering and exiting and working in the capitol can hear and see our t alented young musicians bands, orchestras, choirs, and many emerging musical ensembles will be featured Please also see the article by Nicholas Cooper, the C M EA/S U4M Advocacy Day performance
coordinator, found on the previous page. Groups from all over the st ate are encouraged to apply to participate
Does this sound like an interesting way to help advocate for what you do? Then come and join us Teachers, parents, and even students are welcome to join us in planning visits to your own elected officials and helping all of us to St and Up 4 Music and advocate for music education in California on Thursday, May 19, 2016
You can see videos of our previous S U4M Advocacy Days on both the C M EA and S U4M websites
Watch for more information about this event in future issues of CM EA Magazine and on our social media platforms
One of Your Choirs c an be
Part of History
C M EA is proud to announce that a choral division will be added to our annual C M EA St ate Festival for 2016
The B and and Orchestra St ate Festival has grown tremendously in just three years, and we look forward to the s ame growth in our new Choral St ate Festival.
The event will t ake place in the spring of 2016 Watch our social media for a full announcement of date, time, and location, as well as how you can have one of your choirs performing in the Inaugural C M EA St ate Choral Festival
Anno uncing the Fifth Annual Stand Up 4 Musi c Advocacy Day in Sa cram ento on May 19, 2016
Clovis West High School Wind Symphony, with John Lack, director (above), and Central High School Flamenco/Classical Guit ar Ensemble, Brian Garcia, director (below) performed at C M EA’s St and Up 4
Application for Per formance
California State Capitol, North Steps May 19, 2016
School Name:
Name of Ensemble:
Director’s Name: -
Director’s E-mail Address:
School Mailing Address:
School Telephone:
Number in Ensemble:
Director’s Cell:
Ensemble: L evel:
Band Elementary Jazz Band Junior High / Middle School
Choir (a cappella only)
Orchestra (circle one: Full or String)
Other (please describe):
Prerequisite Qualification:
High School
Collegiate
Please submit a recording of your ensemble which includes two selections (one from this current school year and one from the previous year) Recordings must be submitted along with your paper application by November 13, 2015
I have enclosed the ensemble recording
Performance Time Preference (check one): Morning Afternoon No Preference
The application and recordings are due November 13, 2015. We will confirm your participation no later than December 18, 2015. We ask that programs be limited to no more than 20 minutes excluding setup/warmup. Program length may be changed depending upon number of ensembles selected
Mail recording and application to:
Nicholas Cooper 1240 W illow St Martinez, CA 94553 mrcoopermusic@gmail com
Note: By signing below you agree that you and your students’ participation in this event is solely educational. While advocacy for music education will be taking place, you and your students are not participating in this component. Your ensemble will be highlighted for their performance; their participation is only an opportunity to perform at the state capitol After arriving, we ask that ensembles remain at the capitol in support of other performing ensembles All performing ensembles are expected to be present for the noon press conference All choirs at the noon press conference will sing the national anthem (information to follow). Additionally, the director certifies he/she is a member in good standing of NAf ME/CMEA and/or one of the coalition partner organizations in SU4M.
Director’s Signature:
Administrator/ Principal’s Signature:
Date:
Date:
CMEA Collegia te: Looking to the Future
by John Eros, Ph.D. CMEA Collegiate Representative
Let me begin by extending my hear tfelt congratulations to the music education students who have accepted the responsibilit y, and demonstrated the leadership, for being members of the first-ever CMEA Collegiate Council
The council is named in the S pring 2015 CMEA Magazine, and is being led by Chair person Kelly McCar ley, a music education major from Cal S tate Nor thridge. I must also thank the members of the planning committee, which was comprised of representatives from all nine CMEA sections who worked hard to plan, recr uit, and facilitate the formation of the council
Opening the doors to collegiate members, and making the benefits of membership known to California’s preser vice music teachers, are two of the reasons that CMEA launched its new Collegiate Council at CASMEC 2015 S ince its first meeting, the Collegiate Council has been working hard on developing ways to increase membership and involvement for our CMEA collegiate members (current and as-of-yet undiscovered). We are seeking to both reactivate CMEA collegiate chapters that are no longer active and to create and suppor t the growth of new collegiate chapters of CMEA
Another of the council ’ s main priorities is to oversee the presence of collegiate-focused offerings at CASMEC 2016. The Council is working to arrange for c linics and c linicians who will be able to address the topics that are front-and-center for current music education students My CSUEB collegiate members have enjoyed the sessions that they ’ ve attended over the past couple of years at CASMEC, on topics such as conducting, string pedagog y, and the Orff approach. However, as collegiate members, what other topics would be of interest and, more im-
por tantly, of need? Conversations with experienced mentor-teachers, as they look towards student teaching? Interviewing and the job hunt? Panel discussions with music teachers in the first few years of their careers? We have a golden oppor tunit y to a) present our collegiate members with valuable resources now and b) begin building the habits of seeking out professional development af ter they enter the field.
On the topic of conferences, consider this question: is membership in CMEA valuable enough for college music students to take three days from the midd le of the quar ter or the midd le of the semester in order to attend a conference? The answer this past Febr uar y for eight music education students at Cal S tate East Bay was a resounding “ yes. ” The eight CSUEB students, most attending their first professional music education conference, came away with a much wider view of the profession of music education They lef t the conference inspired, having gained practical knowledge, and having met many future colleagues. As a music teacher educator, this experience is significant to me for two reasons The first reason is that it is powerful to see a new generation of music teachers enter into professional growth and dialogue The second is that, and I believe that this is a common refrain in music education, they were receiving an experience that I did not take advantage of as an undergraduate music education student: membership in a professional organization
The demands on preser vice music teachers are myriad, and it is difficult to imagine emerging from a preparation program with ever ything that a new teacher will need in terms of skills, exper tise, and experience. As I reflect upon on my undergraduate music education program one par ticular gap catches my attention: the lack
of membership in, and even awareness of, professional organizations in music education. L et ’ s be c lear. Membership in CMEA is decided ly not “ just one more thing ” for collegiate music education students We are not talking about yet one more item on the long list of requirements needed to complete undergraduate degrees and credentials. We are talking about shaping futures as professional music educators, building knowledge of the resources available, and developing the habits that will sustain professional development throughout careers as music educators
I’d like to c lose by sharing an image with California’s music teacher educators and CMEA collegiate chapter advisors. S ome months ago I was meeting with a new music education student for an advising meeting I had several professional journals out on the table in my office (Teaching Music, Music Educators Journal, Kodál y Envoy, etc ) and, as I went to check on program information, I handed him a journal to look through. I turned back around to find him completely absorbed. He lef t our meeting with two journals, and has since joined our student chapter of CMEA, as well as the national organization
The expression “opening doors” is used frequently, as in actively making others aware of new oppor tunities and subsequently guiding them to take advantage of those oppor tunities. In the advising appointment above, however, I didn’t really need to open a door I simply had to point out its presence Keep that in mind as we enter a new academic year A significant and potentially career-long resource awaits our preser vice music teachers They might be only one experience, or one journal, away from adding it to the many other resources that they will need to succeed as music educators
Gre etings and Welcome to Another School Year in Jazz
by Mike Galisatus CMEA CAJ Representative
As we begin our new season, I would like to take a moment to welcome all of you who are embarking on your journey into music education You are in for an incredible experience, as you will have the oppor tunit y to make a real difference in the lives of many bright and talented young minds that will become our future leaders and innovators You will meet some incredible individuals along the way that have blaz ed new paths through music education and are eager and willing to share their secrets and experiences in order to advance our profession
Professional organizations such as the California Music Educators Association (CMEA), California Band Directors Association (CBDA), California Orchestra Directors Association (CODA), the California Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) exist to offer a platform for music educators to interact and exchange ideas into successful teaching and performance. One such organization that focuses on jazz education is the California Alliance for Jazz (CAJ)
The California Alliance for Jazz was established in 2008 to promote and facilitate the growth of jazz through education and performance of jazz music. The pur pose of the organization is to advance jazz education by fostering
and promoting the appreciation of jazz, and to provide assistance and guidance to vocal and instr umental jazz educators in the areas of curriculum development and pedagog y
The CAJ board is comprised of elementar y, secondar y and collegiate jazz educators who have had many decades of c lassroom teaching experience, and are proven leaders in the field of jazz education Each and ever y member of the CAJ board is committed to the advancement of jazz education and all are eager to provide assistance to jazz educators throughout California.
The activities of the California Alliance for Jazz inc lude the administration and organization of the All-S tate Junior High and High School Jazz Bands and the All-S tate High School Vocal Jazz Ensemble. CAJ also provides jazz workshops and c linics at the annual California All-S tate Music Education Conference (CASMEC), and sponsors the annual CAJ Jazz Championships each spring. In addition, CAJ honors the contributions of retired jazz educators who have made a difference in our profession at the annual CAJ Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
The CAJ Jazz Championships is a “ vir tual” festival where your groups have the oppor tunit y to receive feedback from some of the top educators and performers in the field today One advantage of this festival is that the ad-
judicator can more succinctly, and in more detail address the needs of your ensemble In one such instance during this past festival, tr umpet ar tist and adjudicator Wayne Bergeron was able to not only offer suggestions to a young tr umpeter on correct usage of a plunger mute, but was able to pause the recording and demonstrate with his tr umpet and plunger mute exactly what he was conveying to the student
S peaking of the CAJ Jazz Championships, congratulations to the following groups for achieving first place honors for the S pring 2015 festival: Folsom High Jazz Choir and Jazz Band (Cur tis Gaesser), Admiral Akers Midd le School (Michael Por ter), Hanford West High School ‘B’ (Lisa Butts), Ir vine High School (Bob Avzaradal), L ong Beach Poly High School Jazz Band and Combo (Chris S tevens), Walnut Creek Intermediate School (Rita Zigas-Brown), and the College of the Canyons (KC Manji)
For more information on how you can be best ser ved, please visit the CAJ (cajazz.org) and CMEA websites: www calmusiced com
Welcome back to another fantastic school year, and do not hesitate to seek advice and guidance from colleagues and our professional organizations to help navigate your voyage through music education
Te ac hing that Fos ters Indiv iduality an d Creativ
e Thinking
by Willow Manspeaker CMEA Central Coast Section President
“ When music teachers speak about democracy and education, there is always a bit of fear present in the conversation ” - Randall Everett Allsup
Democratic engagement in the music c lassroom has been shown to have many benefits for both student and teacher. However, the paradigm for music education in the United S tates has remained largely undemocratic since its inception This is one of the great paradoxes of music education: while rationales and standards have evolved to encourage the inc lusion of democratic methods of student-teacher reciprocation, the teaching practices of ten do not reflect this call. A primar y strand of the new National Core Music S tandards (National Association for Music Education, 2014) focuses on the teaching of creativit y, presumably through democratic and informal methods For many of us, this will require a shif t in our thinking In order to authentically address the idea of student creativit y we will need to transition from our current teacher-centered model, to a more student-centered, democratic approach.
A democratic approach to education, one that fosters individualit y and creative thinking, places emphasis on an environment in which the students are able to take a more active role in their learning experience In such a space, students are given a str ucture within which to work, but allowed the freedom to explore their
individual creativit y – a hybridiz ed space, of sor ts To cultivate such a space, music educators are encouraged to: (a) tr uly listen to and incorporate into the curriculum students’ interest and desires; (b) shif t from the role of director to that of facilitator ; and (c) place less emphasis on outcome-based learning activities, such as concer ts and festivals
The challenges, however, are great As student assessment, teacher accountabilit y, and performance-driven curriculum have become the focus of much educational rhetoric, teachers may be increasingly drawn away from democratic principals, and instead hold steadfast to the comfor t of the formal, teacher-centered c lassroom paradigm with which they are most familiar. Additionally, music educators may be hesitant to incor porate student-centered and democratic ideals, such as creativit y through improvisation or songwriting, into the c lassroom because these methods are most c lear ly transferred through informal means We, as teachers are most at ease when presenting subject matter that lies c losest to our own ideals and values about music education. Because many teachers’ educational ideals and values were shaped by their own formal training, they are likely to encounter str uggle as they attempt to shif t from a teacher-directed model to a democratic model that more appropriately facilitates authentic student creativit y W ith this str uggle in mind, researchers sug-
gest that, “formal /informal should not be regarded as a dichotomy, but rather as the two poles of a continuum; in most learning situations, both these aspects of learning are in various degrees present and interacting ” (Folkestad, 2006, p 136) Teachers are encouraged to develop a flexible pedagogical curriculum that would allow for interactions between students and teachers to flow in a more responsive rather than directive manner. This allows the teacher to transition to the role of facilitator, providing students “freedom and direction while remaining compassionate and resourceful leaders” (Rodriguez, 2012, p 125) There are models, outside of the United S tates, employing such hybridiz ed approaches (see Musical Futures UK, www musicalfutures org), yet our practices here at home, for many reasons, are slow to shif t.
Unfor tunately, I cannot offer a catch-all solution (yet see below) I can however, encourage that we critically reflect upon our current practices and how they have come to be Reflection is the first step towards transformation If we take the time to assess the increasingly individualiz ed musical needs of our students, and assess how these needs do or do not align with our teaching practices, perhaps this will
lead us towards a more democratic approach to music education that facilitates the student creativit y addressed in the new national standards.
Note from the author: I am cur rently developing a study, as my doctoral research project, that addresses the notion of teacher t ransformation toward democratic practices I f this article ignites an interest in you, inspires you towards a critical re flection of your belie fs and practices, please contact me. You may be able help facilitate change.
References
Folkestad, G. (2006). Formal and informal learning situations of practices vs formal and informal ways of learning
British Journal of Music Education, 23(2), 135–145 doi: 10 1017/S0265051706006887
National Association for Music Education (NAf ME) (2014) National core music education standards, www.nafme.org/my-c lassroom/standards/ (accessed June 30, 2015)
Rodriguez, C. (2012). Informal learning in music: Emerging roles of teachers and students In S Kar lsen, & L Vakeva
(Eds ), Future Prospects for Music Education: Corroborating Informal L earning Pedagog y (pp. 117–127). Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
• W illow Manspeaker is the director of music at the S tevenson School in Pebble Beach S he directs three choirs, and teaches AP music theor y, songwriting/music production, and group guitar S he also manages a large-scale private lessons program at S tevenson, and is the vocal director for the annual musical production. W illow holds bachelor of music and master of ar ts in music degrees from UC S anta Cr uz, and is currently a doctoral student at Boston Universit y where she is studying music education, and researching informal learning practices for her disser tation S he has been a member of the CMEA Central Coast S ection Board of Directors for sixteen years, and has ser ved as the CCS president as well as CMEA secretar y. W illow also maintains a private vocal studio, and of ten acts as musical director for productions in the local communit y S he lives on the S tevenson campus with her daughter, Wyatt, and husband, Jon, who is also an educator
Senate Bill 725 Becomes Urgency Bill to Solve CAHSEE Crisis
by Michael D Stone CMEA President
Senate Bill 725 (Hancock) was amended in August 2015 to deal with an urgent crisis regarding the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE). This decision was made by the legislative leadership and is something that regular ly occurs during the last weeks of a legislative session
Although the amendments to SB 725 mean that the bill no longer deals with V isual and Performing Ar ts ( VAPA) S tandards, the issue of Content S tandards remains alive in the legislature and CMEA and the original bill ’ s author, S enator L oni Hancock, are committed to continuing the battle to update VAPA standards.
We know our standards are outdated and that our students deser ve better. We will continue our effor ts in the legislature to ensure new VAPA standards are passed as soon as possible
The leadership of CMEA wishes to thank the membership and our coalition par tners for all of your work on SB 725
CMEA and the S tand Up 4 Music Coalition have taken positions on several bills for 2015 (see below) CMEA and the Coalition are also monitoring several items that may affect music education in California. Here’s a brief synopsis of some of CMEA’s work since the area of Advocac y since Januar y.
2015 SU4M Legislative Priorities
S uppor t AB 55, Nazarian – Ar ts Council Funding. Continuous Appropriation Equal to Revenue Generated by PolancoBates License P lates for the Ar ts and Private Donations. Full bill as of May 7, 2015: http://leginfo legislature ca gov/faces/billNavClient xhtml? bill id=201520160AB55
Watch AB 189, Bloom – Ar ts Council: Cultural Ar ts Districts Full bill as of May 7, 2015: http://leginfo legislature ca gov/faces/billNavClient xhtml?bill id=201520160AB189
Watch AB 740, Weber – Academic Content S tandards: Schedule for Update of Adopted S tandards. Full bill as of May 7, 2015: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill id=201520160AB740.
Watch SB 320, Lara – Pupil Fees: Complaint of Noncompliance: Regulations Full bill as of May 7, 2015: http://leginfo legislature ca gov/faces/billNavClient xhtml?bill id=201520160SB320
2015 SU4M Policy Priorities
Priorit y 1: Advocating for S tate adoption of the new ar ts • standards, informed by the National Core Ar ts S tandards for music, is the top priorit y for the Coalition in 2015 CMEA and the SU4M Coalition are working to introduce a bill that will require the S tate Board of Education to direct S tate S uperintendent Tom Tor lakson to have the California Depar tment of Education enact new V isual and Performing Ar ts
S tandard by 2017 California’s current standards were adopted in 2001, four teen years ago California must lead in ar ts education, and new standards will provide better-alignment with teacher training at universities and colleges, and new curriculum development, thus positively impacting teaching and learning
Priorit y 2: Ensuring access to music education for all Califor- • nia students through compliance with the Education Code is the Coalition’s second priorit y in 2015 Each local governing board is responsible for complianc y with the Education Code that addresses ar ts education (i e , S ection 51210, music and the ar ts instr uction is mandator y in Grades K– 6; S ection 51220, music and ar ts courses must be offered in Grades 7–12). CMEA and SU4M will look at launching a campaign to educate the public about the fact that music education is required in California’s public schools
Priorit y 3: Working to address the effects of AB 1575 is the
• third priorit y of the Coalition in 2015 Governor Brown signed a bill in 2012 that strictly regulates the collection of student fees in the public schools W hile the bill ensures a “free and appropriate education” for all California students in accordance with California’s Constitution, many music programs have experienced difficult y in finding ways to fully fund music education activities and objectives as a result. CMEA and SU4M will work to suppor t music educators with the implementation of AB 1575
Priorit y 4: Working to inc lude music education in the new
• Academic Performance Index (API) is the four th priorit y of CMEA and the SU4M Coalition in 2015 SB 1458, passed into law in 2012, requires that 40 percent of a high school ’ s API will need to consist of items outside of standardiz ed testing by 2016. CMEA and SU4M will continue to advocate for inc luding whether or not a school has a music education program as par t of the new formula so as to hold schools accountable with Education Code compliance.
In addition to these policy priorities, the SU4M Coalition will monitor the following items:
Monitor: L ocal Control Funding Formula Implementation -
• L ocal Control Funding Formula (LCFF) provides new state funding to school districts in alignment of eight state priorities. There is potential for K–12 students to benefit from these funds by increasing music education in schools. CMEA and SU4M will monitor the effects of the LCFF through anecdotal review of L ocal Control Accountabilit y P lans (LCAP ’s) CMEA, in collaboration with other professional ar ts organizations, will contribute to the creation of an LCAP Template for credentialed ar ts educators in 2015
Monitor: Impending Music Teacher S hor tage - CMEA and • SU4M will work with the California Depar tment of Educa-
tion and other members of the Education Coalition to address the teacher shor tage in California Public Schools. The California Teachers Association projects the need for 100,000 new teachers in California over the next five years California will need to recr uit out-of-state teachers in the field of music education, as well as provide c lear, concise information necessar y to facilitate ease of access to the requirements necessar y for completing the S ingle S ubject Credential in Music.
Monitor: Keep the Eight Priorities for the • LCAP - The eight state priorities of the L ocal Control Funding Formula, or LCFF, give focus to specific ways in which ar ts education may be funded These are: student achievement, other student outcomes, course access, common core state standards, core ser vices, student engagement, parent involvement, and school c limate. There is a move to eliminate these priorit y areas, and such a decision would potentially narrow the focus of the LCFF, making it more difficult for music education to be funded via the eight state priorities CMEA and SU4M will advocate for keeping the current str ucture in place for the LCAP
Monitor: Oppose a Teaching Ar tist Cer-
• tification - The recommendation to create a Teaching Ar tist Cer tification is inc luded in the recently-released CREATE Blueprint (http://createca net/?page id=15) CMEA and S tand Up 4 Music oppose an alternative cer tification program for noncredentialed ar tists The S ingle S ubject Teaching Credential in Music ensures that California students receive qualit y music instr uction from a highly skilled music educator. In order to retain a qualit y level of instr uction without creating redundanc y by developing a new credential, CMEA and SU4M believe that all who pursue a career in music education must attain a S ingle S ubject Teaching Credential in Music
Monitor: S uppor t use of T itle I funds for • Music Education - Under current Federal Guidelines, T itle I monies may be used to fund supplemental music and ar ts instr uction suppor ting Elementar y and S econdar y Education Act, or ESEA, goals CMEA and SU4M will continue to suppor t all school stakeholders, inc luding students, music teachers, administrators, and parents, with gaining access to federal funds for music education to achieve their school ’ s S ingle P lan for S tudent Achievement (SPSA) goals.
Monitor: Oppose a VAPA Umbrella Cre-
• dential - CMEA and SU4M will continue to work to ensure that the CA S ingle S ubject Credential in Music remains intact and the idea of a “ VAPA” umbrella credential does not get implemented In 2014, CMEA and SU4M put to rest the idea of a VAPA Credential when it opposed the idea with staff from the California Depar tment of Education and the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
Monitor: Advocate for adequate funding • for California Communit y CollegesFunding for music education at the California Communit y Colleges is limited New requirements make it difficult for students to access music education c lasses due to course repeatabilit y issues and ramifications of the Associate Degree for Transfer, or ADT. CMEA and SU4M will work with the Music Association of the California Communit y Colleges to advocate for more funding for music programs at this level, improving the issues with course access being experienced by students
CM EA’s Me mbe rs hip Campaign
by Regina Pryor CMEA Membership Chairperson
Ihope ever yone has had a smooth beginning to their year. It ’ s that time to star t thinking about recr uiting some new members to CMEA I am so proud of ever yone who helped increase our membership by ten percent in the last two years Now it ’ s time to really get serious and increase it this year by another ten percent If you are reading this ar tic le, then I already know you are currently a member of CMEA Keep up the good work
Now I have a job for all of you members – go out and find that colleague that is not a member and encourage them to become one They will ask you the tough question – W hy?
Well, here are some of my favorite reasons:
• CMEA works to ensure that all California students have equal access to a first-c lass education in music
By joining CMEA you get memberships in three organizations: CMEA section, CMEA state and NAf ME
• Get music advocac y resources from CMEA, S tand Up 4 Music, and NAf ME
• Attend California’s collaborative state conference for all music educators: CASMEC 2016
• CMEA has a music education lobbyist in S acramento that represents all levels of music.
• As professional music educators, it is our responsibilit y to suppor t CMEA.
• O ur 2015 membership campaign began in August Each section’s membership chair has identified ever y music teacher at ever y school in California The next step is to contact ever y music teacher who is not a member of CMEA This will take many volunteers to help out If you would like to be a par t of this exciting campaign, please e-mail me at reginapr yor78@gmail com and I will send your name and e-mail address to your section membership chair
Together we can continue our upward swing and make CMEA the largest organization in NAf ME. There is power in numbers and I know if we all work together we can make it happen.
S ee you on the membership campaign trail
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Tri-M 2015–2016 Academic Calendar
Start your Chapter: August– September 2015
Select Student Officers: September 2015
*Optional Tri-M Inductions: September– October 2015
Create a Tri-M Chapter Website: September– October 2015
Giving Tuesday: Tuesday, December 1, 2015
National Tri-M Service Day: Monday, January 18, 2016
Music In Our Schools Month Service Project: March 1– 31, 2016
Order Tri-M Graduation Regalia: April 2016
Recognition of Excellence: Friday, April 15, 2016
*Optional Tri-M Inductions: May 2015
Chapter of the Year: Deadline Friday, May 6th, 2016
Local Con trol Ac cou ntability Plan and Mu sic Edu cation
by Steve Venz
CMEA Advocacy Representative
Public education in California has gone through major changes within the past year, especially with the significant increase in state funding compared to the previous years We went through a substantial budget crisis with many school boards making cuts so deep, ever y school, c lassroom, student and teacher was touched. And having weathered the storm, we are currently digging ourselves out of this disarray, which inc ludes rebuilding music programs in school districts across the state
W ith the L ocal Control Funding Formula (LCFF), many school districts are seeing monies flow from the state to help fund local educational priorities, par ticular ly addressing the needs of those students who face challenges due to low socio-economic status, English learner status, foster care, etc This is the most significant shif t in funding for California schools in for t y years And with this shif t, school districts are to arrange meetings with the various par ticipants in the school district (parents, teachers, administrators, and the latest addition this year, students) in order to develop or update their plan targeting those key areas designated by the state Each district ’ s school board approved this plan, the L ocal Control Accountabilit y P lan (LCAP), by the end of June 2014 and 2015. The 2015–16 LCAP for your school district is either an updated plan for the first LCAP (2014–15) or a completely new LCAP
In November 2014, CMEA President Michael D S tone sent an e-mail to the CMEA member-
ship inquiring about possible increase in funding at schools for music education across the state due to the new L ocal Control Funding Formula Mike requested that all e-mails be sent to me, the CMEA advocac y representative, to organiz e the information and then repor t about these findings W ithin four weeks, I’d received many e-mails from colleagues and reviewed LCAP information from almost fif t y school districts. As e-mails arrived, I downloaded and analyz ed each district ’ s LCAP for evidence of an increase in music education with examples of a school district funding new elementar y music teacher positions or schools receiving more funds to purchase instr uments, sheet music or other items to suppor t instr uction. Many teachers who contacted me were also involved with the development of their district ’ s LCAP
Survey Findings from 2014–15 School District LCAPs
A total of for t y-nine school districts across the entire state of California were analyz ed based upon the responses from CMEA members Of for t y-nine California school districts as demonstrated by the graph:
Nine (18percent) school districts documented an • increase of music and ar ts education in their 2014–15 LCAP and designated a specific dollar amount towards this effor t
Twent y-five (51percent) school districts docu- • mented an increase of music and ar ts education in their 2014–15 LCAP but did not designate an amount of funding.
F if teen (31percent) school districts did • not address music and ar ts education in their 2014–15 LCAP
U ltimately, a total of thir t y-four school districts (69percent) proposed to increase music and ar ts education in their 2014–15 L ocal Control Accountabilit y P lans.
Those districts spending their 2014–15 funds to increase music education for their
Total of 49 School Districts in Survey
(Remember, there hasn’t been a major educational funding change like this in California for 40 to 50 years, so this new LCAP process will continue to be finetuned in order to bring ever yone up to the same standard. This has occurred during these past several months as school districts went through the process of updating their 2015–16 LCAP )
Next Steps
Music/Arts in District LCAP & Designated
students spent this past year ’ s monies on increasing the number of music teachers, purchasing new instr uments, supplies, and bussing transpor tation For example, Twin River USD in S acramento, Pajaro USD in Watsonville, and Poway USD in S an Diego used this past year ’ s funding to increase the number of music teachers within their districts, and S an Luis Coastal USD along with a few other districts used the funding for transpor tation, new instr uments and other supplies to suppor t their music programs
Other school districts that did identify music and ar ts in their LCAP designated a direct funding increase during the next two school years (2015–16 and 2016–17) Regarding this point, there are two factors to consider:
1. The LCAP is a three-year plan, and some districts analyz ed the current status of their music and ar ts programs in the district and developed a “district strategic ar ts education plan” to effectively align new funding to have the most impact on student access to learning
2. Because the LCFF/LCAP budgeting process is new, many school districts had a challenging time developing and submitting their LCAP by June 2014
S o what does this all mean? If you haven’t downloaded and reviewed your district ’ s current 2015–16 LCAP, then do so by t yping the name of your school district along with “LCAP ” in a web search engine such as Chrome, F irefox, etc. Your district ’ s LCAP should come up in the results Typically, the LCAP is located on your school district ’ s website Also make sure that it ’ s the current 2015–2016 LCAP, now that we are in the second year of this process.
Here are additional recommendations regarding your school district ’ s current LCAP status:
1. If your district has increased funding for music education, communicate to your parents, administrators, school board members, and superintendent about the positive impact this increase in funding is making on your music students, and the positive impact the music program is making on the entire school communit y The more specific you can be with your explanation, the more your audience will appreciate this information.
increase access to sequential, standardsbased music education throughout your district Also, par ticipate with any LCAP stakeholder meetings that may occur during the fall or winter in order to update the 2016–17 LCAP.
3. If your district did not inc lude any music and ar ts in their LCAP, meet with many stakeholders to build a coalition among those parents, teachers, administrators, and board members who are passionate about music education. If you ’ re teaching high school, you may consider inc luding members of your student leadership to par ticipate, considering that district LCAP meetings require student input The goal is to inform district leadership about the benefits of music education to students and how it helps the district to achieve LCAP objectives This will develop the will to inc lude music education into your district ’ s LCAP update for 2016–17 Those music educators who have done this work and had success with their district star ted this process ear ly, because it takes time.
Now that there is more funding going towards education, it ’ s impor tant to ensure students in California have access to a qualit y, well-rounded education that will prepare them for college and career. Music and ar ts education uniquely develop a student ’ s abilit y to think critically and creatively while collaborating with fellow students, and ever y student in California should have access to this If education is a 21st centur y civil rights issue, access to music and ar ts education is a school district ’ s litmus test. No Music/Arts in District LCAP
S o, when comparing LCAP ’ s, there are extreme variations and inconsistencies from one plan to the next, demonstrating the challenges schools districts faced during that first year of developing a LCAP
2. If your district has inc luded music and ar ts into the LCAP but not the designated funding amounts, you may consider meeting with school district leaders, inc luding board members, who are responsible for implementing your district ’ s LCAP Inquire about the funding status of LCAP goals and the current status of your district ’ s strategic ar ts education plan If your district does not have an ar ts plan, encourage your district leaders to develop one. U ltimately, the district LCAP is a guide that designates objectives and funding amounts to increase ar ts education but does not provide the specifics about doing this work A school district ’ s strategic ar ts education plan provides those thoughtful details that guide the increase of ar ts education. This will ensure the district ’ s investment will guarantee that schools
It ’ s impor tant to star t this effor t now, so that the music and ar ts coalition will be able to plan to attend this year ’ s district LCAP meetings and have time to develop recommendations to be provided at the meetings. W hen tr ying to develop solutions download other school district LCAP ’ s, par ticular ly those districts previously mentioned in this ar tic le, and incorporate some of the language into your recommendations As they say, there’s no need to recreate the wheel. Again it ’ s impor tant to remember, that providing solutions to problems and concerns within the schools of your district will help district leaders make decisions about the budget to best suppor t the needs of your students and to always provide those solutions in a positive manner.
Higher Education Happenings
A Sampling of the Many Music Education Activities Taking Place on our State’s College and University Campuses by Dr Lawrence F Stoffel
CMEA Higher Education Representative
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
The Cal Poly S an Luis O bispo Performing Ar ts Center was awarded the top spot for Most Amazing Campus Ar ts Centers by College Degree S earch (CDS), a website designed to assist potential and current college students The PAC was recogniz ed for its “ breathtaking S idney Harman Hall” and the Forbes Pipe Organ The music depar tment has presented many concer ts in the PAC since it opened its doors in 1996. It ’ s also home to many communit y groups. Last year, the PAC hosted more than 170 public performances, attended by more than 87,000 patrons www calpoly edu/~mu/newsletter/
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
In Apr il 2015, Cal Pol y Pomona bec ame an Al l-S teinway School, by acquiring 29 new S teinway pianos. S teinway & S ons is dedic ated to the ideal of making the finest pianos in the wor ld, pianos with such super ior sound and responsive touch that the y enc hant the most demanding pianists Cal Pol y Pomona is renowned for its tradition of excellence in hands-on education Music is a vital par t of our curriculum for students wanting to pursue careers in the ar ts and the music industr y as well as those majoring in other disciplines, such as science, engineering, and business
By being an All-S teinway School, Cal Poly Pomona takes its place in an elite c ategor y to which fe wer than 170 conser vatories, universities, and schools of music worldwide belong. Being an All-Steinway School means that students are taught exc lusively on S teinways, the gold standard for pianos. As an All-S teinway School having 29 S teinway pianos, Cal Pol y Pomona enhances its abilit y to: foster talent, build a legac y of excellence, attract elite musicians and educators, inspire future gener ations, and enr ic h the cultur al environment of our region.
www.cpp.edu/~c lass/giving/what-to-support/music/
CSU Northridge
Four CSUN music facult y are musicians in the Hollywood studio orchestra recording the soundtrack to S tar Wars VII: The Force Awakens They are Heather Clark, principal flute; Jon L ewis, principal tr umpet; P hil Keene, trombone; and Allison Allpor t, har p.
Af ter six previous film soundtracks being recorded in the UK with the L ondon S ymphony Orchestra, The Force Awakens marks the first S tar Wars soundtrack to be recorded on American shores utilizing musicians from AFM L ocal 47
Composer John W illiams says he feels ver y privileged to be working with the freelance orchestra in L os Angeles, an ensemble he knows well. “ This group is made up of a pool of freelancers in S outhern California I’ve worked with them for decades now on a variet y of films, and I am friends with most of them ”
Tr umpet player (and CSUN facult y) Jon L ewis is a member of the freelance orchestra. “ The first trailer was the first time any of this music was recorded in LA,” says L ewis. “ We had the pleasure of r unning the original S tar Wars main titles for a ‘ warm-up, ’ as John ( W illiams) called it W hat a thrill that was, and it was such an amazing sound to hear coming out of the S ony scoring stage that day ”
For flutist Heather Clark (also a member of the CSUN music facult y) the experience of working with W illiams has an added element of pressure. “ The amazing flutist L ouise DiTullio has played principal flute for John W illiams the past 40 years, and it ’ s an honor and a great responsibilit y to fill such big shoes on a huge movie playing for a legendar y composer who continues to raise the bar on film music It will be the experience of a lifetime.”
www internationalmusician org/john-williams/
Cogswell Polytechnical College
The “U ltimate Electronic Music Production” c lass is a combination of research, practical learning, and great fun “ The main focus of the c lass is to teach the ideolog y and culture behind electronic music, and not focus on any par ticular st yle. I wanted to create an over view of compositional and musical sound design approaches and processes, go beyond just sharing tips and tricks, and let students develop their own, original methods that they can apply to any electronic music project Another major consideration was to give students some experience with using the tools of a working electronic music studio via various hands-on assignments,” said Julius Dobos, distinguished lecturer at Cogswell.
The c lass did spend time listening to musique concrete works, Jarre and Kraf twerk albums, followed by one of their assignments where students had to create a Kraf twerk sound-alike piece not recreate a par ticular song, but apply the unique st yle to a brand new composition. Kraf twerk was a German quar tet that laid the groundwork for most electronic- and synth-based ar tists that followed them in the 1970s and 1980s and even today S tudents star ted with a blank canvas, designed their own sounds, and used them to compose the music as a group
The primar y takeaway Dobos hopes students receive from this course is “the discover y of an unexpected diversit y in this segment of musical ar t which we call electronic music. It ’ s not a st yle, but an ever-evolving combination of compositional, musical sound design, and intellectual elements
Understanding and recreating the approaches from historic to modern, learning about the evolution of music technolog y, and the pioneers of electronic music, inc luding those lesser known in the United S tates, would greatly expand the creative horiz on of any composer not to mention Cogswell ’ s talented students with a par ticular interest in electronic music ”
www cogswell edu/news/news080613 php
College of Marin
Music from Marin S ummer Festival 2015 returned to the College of Marin F ine Ar ts Galler y on the Kentfield Campus ( June 20–28) and four other venues throughout Marin Count y presenting wor ld-c lass performances of rarely heard chamber music and chamber operas in two separate programs celebrating great music of V ienna, past and present.
San José State University
S an José S tate Universit y ’ s School of Music and Dance ser ved as one of two host sites for the 2015 Wor ld Association for S ymphonic Bands and Ensembles Conference on July 12–18, a gathering of the international wind band communit y for a week-long celebration of music and education The Wor ld Association for S ymphonic Bands and Ensembles ( WASBE) is the only international organization of wind band conductors, composers, performers, publishers, teachers, instr ument makers, and friends of wind music. It is the only organization completely dedicated to enhancing the qualit y of the wind band throughout the wor ld and exposing its members to new wor lds of reper toire, musical culture, people, and places WASBE is a non-profit international association open to all individuals, institutions, and industries interested in symphonic wind bands and wind ensembles as serious and distinctive mediums of musical expression and cultural heritage. WASBE has a membership of more than 1,000 individuals and organizations in more than 50 countries from throughout the wor ld
The WASBE Youth W ind Orchestra ( WY WO) is an integral par t of ever y WASBE Conference The ensemble was comprised of some of the finest young musicians from all around the globe who came together in S an José to rehearse for the week and c lose the conference with a performance at the beautiful California Theatre S even collegiate students from California par ticipated in the WY WO
www wasbe2015 com
Music from Marin Chamber P layers – Paul S mith, piano, Andrei Gorchov, flute, S usannah Bar ley, violin, and Anne L erner-Wright, violoncello – performed orchestral works in chamber arrangements by Mozar t ’ s teacher and Beethoven’s friend, Johann Nepomuk Hummel Contemporar y Opera Marin continued the theme with English language stagings of little known works of Beethoven and Gr uber.
www.marin.edu/performingar ts/music/
If you have an item for a future “Higher Education Happenings” column, please e-mail your item (in 200 words or less) to Larr y S toffel at stoffel@csun.edu. S ubmissions will be inc luded on a firstcome/space-available basis This column contains items received by submission as well as from culling the Internet
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