Maine Motif - December 2024

THE MAINE

DECEMBER 2024 VOLUME 9, NO. 1

The NAfME Equity Resource Center for Music Educators and Music Education Supporters The NAfME Equity Resource Center is a collection of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Access, and Belonging (DEIAB) resources to support our members in their continuing efforts to make DEIAB actionable in the music education profession. Selections for the resource center include webinars, blogs, journal articles, personal stories, and frequently asked questions.

The Center is organized in four sections: • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) • Personal Stories • SAGE/NAfME Journal DEIAB Virtual Collection • NAfME Resource Library Selections that include webinars, articles, and the NAfME position statement Content in the center will be updated as new resources become available.

Special thanks to the members of the NAfME Equity Committee and Equity Leadership Institute for their work bringing the NAfME Equity Resource Center to life.

To learn more about the NAfME Equity Resource Center, visit nafme.org Questions? Call 1-800-336-3678 or email nafme@nafme.org

CONTENTS

9

FROM THE BOARD 4 MMEA Board 2023–2024 5 President’s Desk

The MMEA Summer Tour

By Matthew Waite

COVER PHOTO: HANNA FLEWELLING FROM TOP: BRANDON DURAS;

6 A Search for New Voices

By Andy Forster

7 Resources and Reminders

By Beth Labrie

SPOTLIGHT 8 A Pleasure to Meet You

By Dr. Kyle Nielsen

9 Reflections from the 2024 WASBE Conference

By Brandon Duras

13 Creating an Inclusive Music Classroom

by Chiao-Wei Liu

VOICES

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16 Mentorship

Maine Music Educators Mentoring the Future

By Erin Morrison

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April 2024 | 3

MMEA Board Executive Board President Matt Waite president@mainemea.org President-Elect Ben Cox presidentelect@mainemea.org Past-President Andy Forster pastpresident@mainemea.org Executive Director Beth LaBrie execdirector@mainemea.org

Board Officers Secretary Jen Fletcher Treasurer Cassie Cooper G. Music PK-5 VP Caitlin Geishaker G. Music 6-12 VP Kayla Peard Orchestra VP Andria Bacon Band VP Sarah Dow Choral VP Dr. Christian Giddings Jazz VP George Redman

District Chairs D1 Chair Eric Halpin-Desmarais D2 Chair Linda Vaillancourt D3 Chair Brandon Duras

MMEA Executive Director Office Hours: Beth LaBrie will be providing Office Hours each week when she will be readily available by phone or email: Email: execdirector@mainemea.org Phone: 207-754-5426 Hours: Monday 8:00-10:00 a.m. & Wednesday 11:00-1:00 p.m. Evening appointments during the week are also available.

Every effort will be made to reply to communications within 24 hours of weekly business hours (Mon–Fri).

4 | The Maine Motif

D4 Chair Kris Vigue D5 Chair Danielle Collins D6 Chair Jamie Calandro D7 Chair Jon Simonoff

Specialty Interest Chairs

December 2024 Volume 9, No. 1 The official publication of the

Maine Music Educators Association

DEIA OPEN Music Teacher Education Dr. Philip Edelman Tri-M Honors Society Jen Fortin Advocacy Heidi Corliss Retired Teachers Nora Krainis MMEA Historian Richard Nickerson & Dan Gilbert Teacher Mentor Erin Morrison Collegiate Advisory Council Dr. Rebecca Dewan MIOSM Savannah Wright

Publication Staff Webmaster Adam Metzler Editor Hanna Flewelling Social Media OPEN

Conference & Festival Chairs Conference Bill Buzza Conference Registrar Jon Simonoff Jazz Conference Assistant Aaron Henry BOC All-State Festival Kristen Thomas Jazz All-State Festival Kristen Thomas All-State Auditions David Morris Instrumental Jazz Jason Priest Vocal Jazz Jesse Myers-Wakeman Solo & Ensemble Drew Halpin-Desmarais

State Festival Managers BOC All-State SSAA Chorus Julia Edwards BOC All-State SATB Chorus Ashley Albert BOC All-State Orchestra Ben David Richmond BOC All-State Band Kyle Smith Jazz All-State Honors Jazz Kayla Peard Jazz All-State Jazz Band Craig Ouellette Jazz All-State Combo Jason Priest Jazz All-State SSAA Chorus David Morris Jazz All-State SATB Chorus Ciara Hargrove

280+ members including working music educators, retired teachers, and collegiate students Formally founded in 1917, MMEA is the oldest recognized state music educator association in the USA.

Mission Statement: Mission: To advance, advocate for, and expand access to music education in Maine.

Vision: MMEA is an association where all people are heard, seen and feel connected through their lifelong musical experiences.

All editorial materials should be sent to: Hanna Flewelling, Editor Email: editor@mainemea.org All advertising information and orders should be sent to: Beth LaBrie, Executive Director Email: execdirector@mainemea.org

The MMEA Summer Tour FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK

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BY MATTHEW WAITE, MMEA PRESIDENT

N BEHALF OF MMEA, I would like to welcome you all to another amazing year of music education in Maine! As we closed out the year last June, Andrew Forster, Beth LaBrie, Heidi Corliss, Ben Cox, Sue Barre, and two collegiate representatives: Reagan Neder and Kaitlin Beal, from the University of Maine and I packed our bags to attend the NAfME National Leadership Assembly in Restin, VA and NAfME Hill Day in DC. Working alongside the leadership teams from across the country and Europe, we spent five days in sessions designed around NAfME’s strategic plan and initiatives. Some of these topics include “NAfME’s Keystone of Equity in Music Education”, the “Music Teacher Profession Initiative—A Blueprint for the Future”, “Navigating Divisive Concept Laws”, “Navigating LGBTQ+ Identities”, the “NAfME Small Schools Initiative”, and more.

We were part of more than two hundred music educators who descended on the Capitol to lobby our Representatives and Senators on the need for financial support for Music Education. Our voices were

united with MEAs from across the country in asking for more support for the arts. Although our meetings were mostly with staffers, we felt very positive after every meeting. It was a joy to watch our collegiate representatives engage with the officials from each office and to see the impact they had in those meetings.

During our time in DC, we were able to visit monuments in D.C., spend time with colleagues from around the country and plan for the upcoming year. It was an amazing experience.

At the beginning of August, the MMEA leadership was able to meet at the new Edward Little High School for our summer retreat. Over one and a half days we had a jammed packed agenda, and we were able to get the year started off right. You will be hearing about some new events for this year, including a Solo and Ensemble Festival, as well as a Modern Band Day/ Festival. We were able to update our strategic plan, finalize auditions materials and adjustments, and many other initiatives which you will be informed of in the future. I am thrilled to be in the presence of such a wonderful and inspiring group of music educators

in our state.

In closing, MMEA’s Mission, To advance, advocate for, and expand access to music education in Maine. has never been more important than it is today. I look forward to watching all of the amazing things that you do for your students.

Thank you for being such a positive influence while changing the world, one musician at a time.

Sincerely, Matt April 2024 | 5

A Search for New Voices

BY ANDY FORSTER

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S I BEGIN my final two years on the board as your Past-President, I take on the responsibility of a couple of important items in our association—elections and awards.

Every year, MMEA holds elections for half of its board members. Elected positions on the board are two-year terms with the option for running for a second term. With a two-term limit, we are assured of always having a healthy dose of new voices on the board. This year, the following positions will be open for nominations: District Chairs: I, III, V, VII, 6 | The Maine Motif

General Music 6-12 VP, Orchestra VP, Choral VP, and Secretary.

Nominations for these positions via online form are due by November 30th. MMEA will send out nomination information early this fall. Please consider serving on the board. MMEA needs you!

On a side note, people sometimes ask me what the VP positions do for MMEA. VPs are voting members of the board who oversee and represent the six content areas of music teachers (GM PK-5, GM 6-12, Band, Orchestra, Chorus and Jazz).

Remember all of those amazing workshops that were available at

our spring conference? The VPs are the people who seek out presenters to come to our conference and share meaningful professional development with attendees. If you have interest in bringing great presenters to our connferences, you should consider running for a VP position with MMEA.

District Voting Procedure Districts run their own elections for District Chair, independent of the State MMEA. MMEA district elections shall take place the last week of February every year. All District Chair candidates must be

MMEA members.

The format of the district election varies from district to district, but an electronic or paper ballot must be made easily accessible to all the members within the district.

If a district chair is running for a second term, they should recuse themselves from the election process.

District election results must be formally submitted to MMEA to be reported out to the complete membership.

State Voting Procedure

MMEA state elections shall take place the last week of February every year.

The online ballot portal shall be open on Monday and close the following Monday at 8:00PM. Only ballots of active MMEA members will be counted The Executive Director and the Immediate Past President shall cross reference membership and count the ballots.

Award Nominations

As you may know, MMEA expanded its award program last year and we are very excited to begin a new year of honoring amazing teachers and administrators in our state.

The following awards are open

GETTING INVOLVED

COMMUNICATION

for nominations: Outstanding New Music Educator, Educator of the Year in three grade spans: PK-5, Middle School, and High School, Outstanding School Administrator Award, MMEA Appreciation Award, and MMEA Hall of Fame Award.

All online nominations must be submitted by March 1st. Make sure you get an early start as these awards require letters of support.

MMEA will send out a reminder once the online nomination materials have been updated and posted on our website.

MMEA Five-Year Increment and Retiree Recognitions. Each year, we present certificates at our all-member meeting in May for teachers who have given 5, 10, 15, 20, etc. years of service to music education. We also present certificates to those who are retiring from music education.

I am very much looking forward to working on your behalf this year. Until a friend asked me to consider serving (thanks Sue!), I had never considered serving at the state level. I am thankful that I made the commitment to serve as I have learned so much and have grown as an educator. I wish you all a wonderful fall and thank you for everything that you do for your students! n

Resources and Reminders

Tim Sepe, Innovation Manager at Zildjian, is pictured above with MMEA Past-President, Andy Forster. Andy toured the Zildjian factory in Newport, Maine where the famous Vic Firth drumsticks and mallets are produced.

Vic Firth is just one brand that falls into the ownership of Zildjian- the famous cymbal maker. Tim arranged for the donation of drum sticks and mallets to schools across Maine.

MMEA will be distributing these items through District Chairs and at our state events this year.

A huge thank you to Zildjian!

BY BETH LABRIE

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ELCOME BACK TO school everyone!

If you’re new and we haven’t met, I’m Beth LaBrie, the Executive Director of MMEA. I hope to be a resource for you whether you’re brand new to the profession, new to the state or just not sure how a new procedure works. There are no stupid questions. Please feel free to email me at execdirector@ mainemea.org.

Please sign up for our email list here. You do not need to be a member of MMEA. Please check out our website: www.mainemmea.org. There are a few places in the process of being updated, please be patient.

You should find: Jazz All State Audition pieces BOC All State Audition pieces Any forms that you need pertaining to the auditions or festivals.

Another important thing that you will find is our one page calendar for the year. We recommend putting a copy right next to your desk. It has all of the important deadlines and fees that you will need for MMEA. I am also a resource for NAFME/ MMEA membership. Please reach out and I can help you with more information about becoming a member. Or if you’re ready you can sign up at this link. NAFME/MMEA membership.

I hope that you have a wonderful start to your school year. n April 2024 | 7

NEW FACES

A Pleasure to Meet You

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BY DR. KYLE NIELSEN

REETINGS MAINE MUSIC EDUCATORS!

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growth and learning!

• Let the music-making be the catalyst. No matter how much quality I think I offer with my instruction, I have to constantly remember that teenager inside me who…just wanted to sing songs and get better at it in the process. You are all experts in your field; let your work with their voices and instruments do the talking!

I look forward to meeting as many of you as I can at various events over the school year. Until then, thank you for all you do to make our musical community in Maine the way life should be! n

HANNA FLEWELLING; COURTESY OF KYLE NIELSEN

My name is Dr. Kyle Nielsen, and I am the new Director of the Osher School of Music at the University of Southern Maine, as well as the Head of Choral Activities. I’ve only been in Maine for a little over a month, but it has been an exciting transition as we were able to soak in the waning weeks of summer in Maine as my family and I geared up for the start of school. I’ve had the chance to interact with a few of you during that time, and I want to express what a privilege it is to be amongst you and the great work you are doing for your students and for our state. The quality of music offerings in the public schools was a contributing factor in our decision to relocate to Maine. Thank you for all that you provide to our community!

Between graduate school and my teaching career, I’ve lived in a wide variety of places and cultures ranging from rural Appalachian

Virginia to the center of the vibrant arts scene in Miami. As the myriad students at Osher and I get to know each other and build a common understanding, I’m struck by timeless similarities that are a good reminder at the beginning of our term as I begin to lose myself in the administrative mountain that come with teaching.

• All of us seek an authentic connection with our peers, teachers, and our art form.

• We all want to learn how to be better, self-reliant people and musicians. We don’t always know that, or understand how, affirmation-based growth can make all the difference.

• Normalize mistakes and knowledge gaps! My imposter syndrome tells me that if I show any gap of knowledge or confidence that my students will dismiss all the good I have to offer; the reality is I need to stop taking my excellence for granted, have confidence in who I am as an educator, and show my students that I to am after

INTERNATIONAL

Reflections from A the 2024 WASBE Conference

BY BRANDON DURAS

NNYEONGHASEO MMEA! This summer I was humbled and honored to present at the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE) 2024 biennial conference in Gwangju, South Korea. On my fifteen hour flight home, I was reflecting on a great week and just could not wait to share my experiences. But who would listen? Of course my family and friends are obligated to ask about the trip, but I figured the MMEA membership would benefit more from hearing about what I learned from the conference. It was such a rewarding experience and I hope you’ll enjoy reading about it!

This was my first time attending a WASBE conference and I was incredibly nervous making the 6,500+ mile trip from home alone, but I was relieved to join fellow Mainer (okay, we’re both “from away”) Will Kinne when I arrived.

The conference was very different from other conferences that I’ve attended. Each day there were conference sessions in the morning followed by a series of three or four concerts in the afternoon. This was a great model that never put us in a situation of hearing a great band or seeing a great session.

The concerts were incredibly impressive. And it didn’t hurt sitting near composer Jodie Blackshaw for every concert. Some of the best ensembles from around the world, performing some of the most difficult pieces in the repertoire. With these groups coming from all over the world, it is no surprise that they would want to show off their skills. Some of the most memorable performances for me were the Adelaide Wind Orchestra from Australia, Spanish Brass from Spain, and LandesblasorApril 2024 | 9

The most striking thing about their performance was not the way they played but the way they moved.

chester Baden-Württemberg from Germany. The very first performance we saw was the Gwangju Festival Wind Orchestra with guest conductor Frank Ticheli! We also enjoyed some fine performances from bands from across the USA including the Central Washington University Wind Ensemble directed

by T. Andre Feagin, the BYU Wind Orchestra directed by Sean Smith, the Brooklyn Wind Symphony directed by Jeff Ball, and the United States Navy Band directed by their new commander Seph Coates.

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Moving Experiences

ne of the pieces I enjoyed the most was titled Cavetowns “Cappadocia” by Satoshi Yigsawa performed by the WASBE Youth Wind Orchestra, a group comprised of some of the best young musicians from around the world. The piece is about these huge underground cities that were originally thought 10 | The Maine Motif

to be natural caves. It was estimated 20,000 people lived in this underground city to escape oppression from the Roman Empire to Christians in the 2nd century. It is one of the few pieces I heard that is within the abilities of a high school group. It has that absolutely beautiful Japanese band sound with rich sonorities, catchy melodies, and a section where the ensemble sings!

There was one moment in all of these performances that has stuck with me since I watched it. That’s right, not heard, but watched. The Landesblasorchester Baden-Württemberg is an award winning ensemble from Germany under the direction of Bjorn Bus. They placed second in the 2017 World Music Contest, which makes me wonder who on Earth can play better than these folks?! The most striking thing about their performance was not the way they played (though very impressive), but the way

they moved. Every musician in this roughly 75 person ensemble moved like they were in a chamber ensemble. The connection and communication between musicians was simply incredible. I hope you join me in encouraging our students to move while they play, and feel that connection to each other and the music.

Now, that’s just the music we experienced at the main stage concerts! There were several fringe festivals with great performances by groups from around the world of various ages all the way from elementary school to professional!

I could go on and on about performances, but I want to leave some space to share about the conference

INTERNATIONAL sessions I was able to attend.

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On Being Present

he conference was well represented by some of the best music educators and conductors from the USA. The first session I saw was presented

by Evan Feldman from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he discussed techniques for decomposing and recomposing music to better educate your students and your audience. As conductors we do a lot of score study and explain our findings to the audience and ensemble. But what if we show them the effect these things have on the music by recomposing the music and demonstrating the way it would sound if the composer made a different musical choice that perhaps is correct, but not as interesting or powerful? One example he used was rewriting the Horkstow Grange from Lincolnshire Posy in common time instead of the changing time signatures that Grainger had written. Does it work?

Yes. Does it have the same impact on the listener? Certainly not.

Along the same lines, the next clinic by Jamal Duncan from Arizona State University discussed his efforts at ASU to provide dynamic concert experiences for our audiences. He shared an upcoming concert that goes far beyond the music and creates a unique experience for his audience. This year they will be celebrating the anniversary of their auditorium, the Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium, that was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

However, Wright passed away before the project was finished. They will be celebrating by collaborating with various organizations including respective ASU departments to provide outfits, cocktails, and music from the time of the auditorium’s opening. An organization that works on archiving works and educating people about Wright will also be providing artifacts for the event.

Wright was an avid musician!

My presentation on Friday fell right between two great sessions.

The first was by Andy Pease from Hartwick College and owner of popular band blog windliterature. org. Andy presented on cultivating deeper musicianship through improvisation. He gave a lot of great resources on various techniques to use in rehearsal and some pieces to help your students explore the world of improvisation, playing by ear, free arranged music, and more.

Immediately following my session was Will Kinne from the University of Southern Maine. His session, similar to Andy’s, was about unique works that promote collaboration, imagination, and risk-taking. Will shared some wind band works, many of which are totally attainable by high school and some middle school students, that you can consider that will encourage a new level of music making from your students. I look forward to programming some of these works in the future and would definitely encourage you to reach out to Will to learn more!

Saturday was the last day of the conference and I was able to see a couple of great sessions.

The first was by Malcom Jones from Marist College. His session was the perfect session to attend after a long, rewarding week because we got to get up and move!

Malcolm presented on what we all know and love from our undergraduate conducting days: Laban.

We got to do a lot of conducting, revisiting Laban movement in our gesture. It helps to remind us of our roots of effective conducting.

After Malcom there were two great sessions to attend. Unfortunately, I had to miss former-Mainer (also “from away”), Trae Blanco from Butler University, present his session Look like their SOUND: Two-

step process to incorporating oral articulation into physical gesture, often lost in translation.

The last session of the conference that I attended was one that I didn’t know I needed until I was there. Jason Caslor from Arizona State University presented a session focused on focus. He reflected on the importance of being present in your world achieving a peace in your ensemble and within your own work-life balance using mindfulness exercises. He starts every rehearsal not with a tuning note, but with meditation. I’ll admit, I have often been skeptical of meditation because I feel like I could never do it. I’m realizing now that I was never taught how. We started the session with meditating and for once I was actually taught instead of someone simply saying “close your eyes and meditate.” The session was informative, relaxing, and eye-opening.

I look forward to bring more mindfulness into my classroom to benefit my students and myself and our music-making process. I would encourage you to catch this session at the Midwest Clinic in December.

Overall the week was an overwhelmingly enriching experience filled with culture, music, food, and friendship.

Most of the presenters I mentioned above had one common link: ASU. I appreciate those Sun Devils for their kind comradery and allowing me to tag along with them for five days. I would highly recommend anyone to attend this conference in the future, especially if you like traveling to cool places, and making great musical connections and friendships. I hope many of you join me in 2028 when the conference returns to North America! n April 2024 | 11

FEATURE

Creating an Inclusive Music Classroom

BY CHIAO-WEI LIU

In this column, I shared my experiences of inviting students to bring in their “funds of knowledge” into the classroom. Acknowledging the diverse cultures in the classroom, I am interested in how students’ funds of knowledge can be celebrated, sustained, and potentially transformed into collective knowledge. Specifically, I am curious how different music traditions and styles interact and generate new conversations. Through this experience, I came to realize the importance of addressing the historical burden many minoritized carry and wonder, “Can I be more than the race you see on me?” I share my own experiences to encourage fellow teachers to continue reflecting and attending to the students in front of us. Creating an inclusive classroom requires us to go beyond the present and create space for the changing, the emerging, and the unknown, through which our students may be more than what we know and build a better world.

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HEN MY CHILD started the new school year, I noticed myself attending to different aspects of school life with his “story-of-the-day” shifting from “what I did in class” to “what

happened to me and my friends at school.” This year, the head teacher started the semester with a wonderful activity by inviting each child to bring in a book of their choice to share with the rest of the class. Each child was asked the ra-

tionale behind their choice (meanwhile, the head teacher emphasized that parents don’t get involved in their decision-making process).

While some children chose books that represent their interest, some chose books that showcased their April 2024 | 13

linguistic ability (e.g., because I can read the book on my own!). This act of sharing a part of their world through reading gently breaks down the boundary between home and school as children’s funds of knowledge (Moje et al., 2004) is recognized, further extended, and incorporated by peers in their dramatic play and beyond.

Creating Space

As a parent, I appreciate the space created to honor children’s perspectives, and the opportunity presented to observe similar and different interests. Listening to the fascinating stories my child shares about his friends, I can’t stop but reflecting upon whether the “honoring students’ funds of knowledge” projected into my own classes had reached what I set out to accomplish: a more inclusive classroom. Last year, I had the pleasure to work with some pre-service and in-service music teachers, in addition to students in my immigration and curriculum course. Although each class has its own course objectives, one thing that I wish to cultivate in all classes is the sense of inclusion and 14 | The Maine Motif

I am also interested in how different music traditions and styles interact with each other and generate new conversations. belonging. “How do I create a sense of ‘homeness’ while recognizing the unique and diverse histories of the students?”, and “When, where, and how do I incorporate their funds of knowledge as we work together to reach those course objectives?” were some questions that occupied my mind as I developed the project.

Acknowledging the diverse and rich cultures each of us brings into the classroom, I am interested in how students’ funds of knowledge can be celebrated, sustained, and potentially transformed into collective knowledge. As I flipped through my old notebook, I noticed a question, “Why does the music [that]

students listen to only serve as a bridge to classical music?” This was from a workshop I attended over a decade ago on cultural diversity in the music classroom. I believe that this question remains relevant but now, I would respond to my old self, “No. Students’ music can do more than bridging home and school, especially if we consider the social, political, and cultural aims of music education.”

While representation matters, I am also interested in how different music traditions and styles interact with each other and generate new conversations.

Household Holidays

One theme we explored in the music course program centered on fun holidays in the household. Students were invited to choose a fun holiday that they celebrated passively or actively with their family members. The following questions and statements were posted beforehand as students prepared for their sharing in class: What do you know about this holiday? What were your past experiences of its celebration?

Is music involved in its celebration (It doesn’t have to be!). If yes, how would you characterize the music

FEATURE (e.g., rhythm, instruments, mood, and so on) and its association with the holiday? What are other things associated with this fun holiday? costume? parade? other activities and food? In what context has this holiday been celebrated in the past and at present? Refresh your memory, ask other family members, or conduct a mini-research about this holiday before you share it with the rest of the class. You may want to bring in artifacts, such as photos, music, or other objects to help the class learn more about the holiday!

In the preparation stage of this project, I had considered the possible challenges of selecting a holiday as their decision pertains to identity issues and requires some level of openness about their family life and selves. It may also be important that since the beginning of the semester, we had numerous small group discussions and music making activities to build trust and create a sense of togetherness.

Inspired by Bob Dylan’s song “I contain multitudes,” we contemplated the multifaced and rich cultures we came to interact with and explored the concept of becoming.

We also read and investigated the concept of place-conscious music classroom, which invited them to consider the people, and historical and present context where they work (or intend to work), critically.

[1] Meanwhile, I was also aware that there are many different compositions of home and various relationships with/within home (Bhattacharya, 2018). Although I did not assume one’s close relationship with family members and/ or a particular ethnic heritage, I did hope that the openness of the project would create an opportunity for students to reveal a part of their identity that may otherwise be invisible or hidden.

On the day of the presentation, students were invited to consider the partiality and situated context of these stories and attend to their own thought process as they listened to each other’s pre-

sentation. Questions to consider include: “What aspects did you choose to include and what did you leave out? What did you consider as you make these choices?

How did these stories help you see/ think anew? As a teacher, where would you go next with the collected funds of knowledge?” In the spirits of cross-cultural exchange, the extended activity was to take some of the elements presented and create music conversations based on the selected elements in small groups. As I listened to students’ presentations, I was reminded of Bhattacharya’s (2018) statement: Even with elements of familiarity, ethnic heritage does not reliably produce homogenized experiences with which one can bond and create friendships. I realized that as much as I had tried to avoid casting any assumed tie between culture and ethnicity, I failed to address the historical burden that many minoritized students were called on to perform throughout their life and wonder myself, “Can I be more than the race you see on me?”

go beyond the present and create space for the changing, the emerging, and the unknown, through which our students may be more than what we know and build a better world. n

Embracing Change

Moje E. B., Ciechanowski, K. M., Kramer, K., Ellis, L., Carrillo, R., & Collazo, T (2004). Working toward third space in content area literacy: An examination of everyday funds of knowledge and discourse. Reading Research Quarterly, 39(1), 38-70.

A

s globalization and technological development continue, the relationship between language, ethnicity and cultural heritage also becomes more diverse. As a parent, I would hope that teachers create space for diverse cultures and languages to sustain in the classroom.

And yet as I learned from my own experiences, I also long for open space to explore, to go beyond my ethnic self and learn about other cultures. H. Samy Alim and Django Paris (2017, p.9) address my concern adequately, as they call for educators to “attend to the emerging, intersectional, and dynamic ways in which they are lived and used by young people.” I share my own experiences here to encourage my fellow teachers to continue reflecting and attending to the students in front of us. Creating an inclusive classroom requires us to

This article was originally published in Journal for General Music Education 37, no. 2 (2024): 31–33. Reprinted with permission from the National Association for Music Education (NAfME).

References: Alim, H. S. & Paris, D. (2017). What is culturally sustaining pedagogy? In D. Paris & H.S. Alim (Eds.), Culturally sustaining pedagogies: Teaching and learning for justice in a changing world (pp. 1-21). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Bhattacharya, K. (2018). Coloring memories and imaginations of “Home”: Crafting a de/colonizing autoethnography. Cultural Studies Critical Methodologies, 18(1), 9-15.

About the author: Chiao-Wei Liu is an adjunct assistant professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research focuses on educational, social, and political issues faced by minoritized groups of students. She teaches the course “Immigration and Curriculum” in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching. This year, she is also the guest instructor of the following courses: “Creativity and Problem Solving in Music Education” and “Composing Collaboratively Across Diverse Styles” in the music and music education program at Teachers College.

April 2024 | 15

SLUG

MENTORSHIP

Maine Music Educators Mentoring the Future

ADOBE STOCK

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HEN EDUCATORS BEGIN their careers, there is so much to juggle, such as curriculum, grading, new colleagues, budget, school policies, and more, it can make your head spin. When a music educator starts their career, there is all of that, plus music technology, instrument care, concert planning, renting performance space, you name it, they do it. When I went through being a new teacher, I struggled with this, and when I transitioned from middle school to high school, and was thrown into the world of college auditions, multiple festivals, and all the other beautiful things that come with that age group. With these experiences, I wanted to help new educators with questions they had the way I would have liked help, and the idea for the Mentorship program began. After working out the details, last year was our first year of running, and this year we are back, new and improved!

The MMEA Mentorship program uses the bounty of smart, experienced music educators across 16 | The Maine Motif

BY ERIN MORRISON

the state as mentors and matches them up with other educators who are newer to the field or feel like mentorship could help them.

New this year, we are also adding a section for educators who may have moved age groups, maybe are teaching a new curriculum, or just feel they could benefit from mentorship in specific areas no matter their years in the field. The goal is to make music education in Maine the best it can be, and last year we started that journey. We had a 100% placement rate of mentees with mentors who closely matched what they were teaching or looking for guidance in last year, and so many mentor volunteers who I hope will be back for this year as well to help more music educators in our great state.

To become part of this program, all you need to do is fill out the Google Form for this year, which has options for being a mentor, wanting a mentor as a newer teacher, or wanting a mentor as a more experienced teacher in a specific area. I then comb through the data and create the best

matches for mentors and mentees to help them succeed. The time commitment is about oncea-month check-ins, but if both parties feel comfortable with more that is welcome. The form is new each year to respect the different needs of mentees and mentors over time, so even if you filled out the form last year, please fill it out again if interested, and feel free to fill it out more than once if you need to for multiple categories.

The link was sent out via constant contact but is also available at http://bit.ly/4ea8Vsq. I can match up mentees and mentors throughout the year as needed, so do not hesitate later if you feel you need a mentor.

I thank you all so much for your help with this program. This program benefits music education in our state, and I look forward to seeing the wonderful camaraderie and mentorship in the year ahead. Please feel free to reach out at any time to teachermentor@ mainemea.org with any questions, and I hope your school year is the best one yet! n