Candidates for SDMENC President-Elect Interview with James Perry
1. Can you tell us what teaching and leadership experiences you have that you feel would support you as Southern Division President? I taught band for 16 years at all levels – beginning band, middle school and high school. My teaching also included considerable private teaching, as well as in the classroom, and music supervision for a school district. For the last eleven years, I’ve been in leadership positions with the Florida School Music Association and the Florida Music Educators’ Association and have built a coalition of state partners for advocacy on issues relating to music and arts education. Serving in that role, I’ve also attending the meetings of the SDMENC leadership for the last 9 years and watched the evolution and issues related to MENC and the NEB. My day job as the executive director of FMEA, FSMA and consultant to the Florida Art Education Association and Florida Network of Arts Administrators requires a broad knowledge of association procedures and management skills and an ability to cut through the layers of bureaucracy to the heart of an issue. Many of the elements discussed below are primary issues of concern every day for our associations. 2.What things, in particular, would you like to accomplish if you were Southern Division President?
a. Building a more cohesive communication system between the southern division states – especially among the leadership. b. Assisting MENC to focus more clearly on the goal of advocacy and to eliminate the duplication of services that states already provide.
c. Seeking ways that MENC can increase revenue apart from continually raising member dues. 3.How do you see the role of Southern Division President-Elect and Immediate Past President? What could be accomplished if you were in those positions?
It is essential to have the president-elect and immediate past president integrally involved in all issues. As the SDMENC is served on the NEB by two positions (president and immediate past- president), it is important for the president-elect to be conversant with all issues being addressed. A regularly involved “executive committee” model is one that has been most effective for my “day job” associations. 4. What do you feel is the vital role that MEC plays in music education today? While many state organizations are very effective with their own legislatures, the chief goal for any national association is usually a national perception and federal legislation. My desire is for MENC to become more effective at building relationships with members of Congress and their staffs so that federal legislation can be adapted, where possible, to create mechanisms at the state level more friendly to music education. I also believe it is possible for MENC to be more creative in its approach to seeking ways to enhance music and arts education via a variety of federal bills (not just the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (NCLB) – although that is of primary importance). 5. What do you feel is the vital role that the
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Southern Division plays in music education in the states of the Southern Division? The Southern Division is only as effective as the communication and relationships between the state associations.
As educational policy tends to
proliferate and migrate between state legislatures, it will be helpful for the states to know what is moving in other states. It is always helpful for the associations to be able to compare practices in a variety of like functions – such as all-state ensembles/auditions, performance assessments (ensemble and individual), and adjudicator training and looking creatively at involving more students of the general population in music.
As related to
MENC, it’s also helpful for the division to speak with a united voice as much as possible. 6. What new and different directions do you feel MEC should take?
While MENC has adopted a primary focus related to advocacy, my hope is that will become a reality based on obtaining professional government representation and developing organizational structures to support that goal. As mentioned above, it is essential that the organization not be so dependent on member dues for revenue. In terms of policy, education is changing rapidly and MENC needs to be more visible and effective in representing the need for the music in the curriculum for all students. 7. What new and different directions do you feel the Southern Division should take? As the state associations become more technology conversant, the division may be able to reach out to more members and plan cross-state initiatives that allow for seminars/workshops to be conducted long- distance. Associations bring a knowledge base – and the primary mission should be to utilize that more effectively.
Between the states, there are
outstanding conductors and master teachers in a variety of levels and musical disciplines that could be shared given new technologies. 8. What level of importance do you place on communication with the membership of the Southern Division and how would you accomplish that communication? This is the essential item! MENC has provided assistance in setting up “webinars” and as more regular communication occurs, greater ease with the technology and the ability to adapt will occur. State associations may also find ways that adapt easily to reach out between the leadership and members to be more effective. The main idea, however, is that communication with members and that the needs of the membership at the classroom level remain paramount. 9. What level of importance do you place on communication with the state presidents in the Southern Division and how would you accomplish that communication?
As indicated above, communication at all levels is essential. This is the only way there can be adequate exchanges between the division to the states and the division to the NEB. It is always an issue to connect eleven or more busy people together – but usually persistence is the answer. This is a “time” issue –
both for the division president and the state presidents and it’s necessary for both to allot sufficient time to represent issues of importance in both directions. 10. What issues or items do you feel the ational Executive Board should deal with without the membership being involved?
James Perry
The best practice for associations is that the NEB can deal with operational issues (executive director and personnel policies, contracts, financial policies, etc.). Usually individual members are focused on their own campus, local, and state issues and have little interest in the detail of these issues if there is sufficient trust between the membership and the NEB. 11. What issues or items do you feel the EB should deal with that membership input would be essential?
Most members depend on their state association leaders to respond to MENC policy issues. The NEB needs to be certain that state leaders are informed of policy items in advance – so that opinions can be solicited. (This has been a recent innovation – and my hope is it will be continued.) For most associations – state and national – the membership generally has direct involvement with elections and, sometimes, major policy initiatives. Given that the state associations have the most direct link to members, the best way to involve members is through state leaders (and the state associations). In this manner, members can be (and should be) tapped for committee service and/or input for MENC policy discussions.
Better policy discussion should take place at the MENC National Assembly, so state leaders have more direct input about policies that directly affect members. 12. Other than what you have mentioned above, what personal skills do you have that you feel will be especially valuable to MEC?
Colleagues who work regularly with me notice three elements: 1) that I am very goal oriented; 2) I work collaboratively; and, 3) that I am relentless about reaching the goal. Music education is my focus for issues related to legislation and I bring an intimate knowledge of how legislation is applied to school districts from both the state and federal levels. Although I’ve been out of the classroom for some years, my network of music supervisors and teachers helps keep me focused on classroom needs for the music educator.
In order to stimulate both interest and voting participation, Michael Combs, Editor of the Tennessee Musician sent these questions to the two candidates who have been nominated for President-Elect of the
Southern Division. Their responses have been reprinted here with permission.
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