Mark Walker, President
Alabama Higher Ed Division
I want to begin this article by touching briefly on a theme that all of us in music education, regardless of level, are familiar with: recruiting.
Whether we are
involved in higher education or the elementary/secondary level of teaching, we have to constantly recruit students for our programs. We spend time in schools, visit students and their directors, send letters, make phone calls, and so on. This activity is continuous throughout the year.
In
short, in order for us to have students to teach, we have to go out and find them. If we were to sit on our hands and do nothing, eventually our student population would dissi- pate and so would our jobs. With that being said, let me turn our attention to
our colleagues. We recruit our colleagues to join us in var- ious activities that we deem important, from joining us in recitals and performances, to research, to committee work. Now let me pose this question: How many of us actively recruit our colleagues in Higher Education to participate in Higher Ed events in general, and to join MENC in par- ticular? In the interest of full disclosure, I have to admit that I have fallen short. My membership in MENC during the course of my career has been spotty, and, quite frankly, my opinion of MENC has at times been dubious. I think that was largely due to the fact that the question I often asked was “what does MENC do for me?” instead of “what does MENC do for my profession and my stu- dents?” Now that I sit on the AMEA Governing Board, I realize that for years I have been asking the wrong question, and I am coming to find the answers to the right question. MENC does a lot for the individ- ual by providing avenues for research, advocacy, mentoring, etc. By offering these items to the individual, it helps to strength- en the profession.
It seems to me that most of us involved in the Higher Ed Division of AMEA are involved in research, music education methods, and general music edu- cation. I believe that we need to reach out to studio teachers and ensemble directors and demonstrate to them what MENC and
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the Higher Ed Division has to offer. Often, our colleagues who teach studio classes and methods classes are one and the same. In my position at Troy University, I serve as the Associate Director of Bands, I teach applied low brass, I have administrative duties, and I teach various methods courses. In short, I wear a lot of different “hats” each day. I know that all of my colleagues throughout the state do as well. We should use our influence and our example to influ- ence our colleagues to consider joining MENC and take part in what our particular conference has to offer. Now let me turn my attention to the 2008 AMEA
Conference. We have several excellent sessions planned, including a continuation of the superb recital sessions from last year. These recital sessions are still in the planning stages, and I invite anyone to offer suggestions for the for- mat, or would like to offer their expertise in a performance. I hope to see each of you in Tuscaloosa at AMEA.
This conference offers us all a chance to recharge our batter- ies, keep abreast of each other’s creative activities, and enjoy one another’s camaraderie. Please drop me a line and let me know your thoughts as we work for the betterment of our profession.
From Higher Ed...
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