The Alabama Carl Hancock - AMEA President-Elect “Knowledge is power.” - Francis Bacon


In 2012-2013, 856 music teachers taught 337,531 Alabama students. We should proudly proclaim this achievement because despite a teacher student ratio of 1:394, school music programs


supported


thousands of concerts, performances, and community events. In addition, the many concerts performed at the Alabama Music Educators


Association Inservice


Conference, All-State Concerts, Honor Choirs, Honor Bands, District-Wide Concerts and concerts held on the campuses of our colleges and universities contributed to the cultural capital of communities and artistic education of students across Alabama.


While many Alabama students studied music last year, over 340,000 did not. Recent economic conditions spawned cutbacks in arts and music programs and thereby exacerbated a state-wide decline in arts participation. The Alabama Music Educators Association conducted a census of Alabama music teachers to showcase their accomplishments and commitment to teaching children, while pointing out easily addressable concerns held by the profession.


We asked music teachers to assess the breadth of their responsibilities, their education


and experience, their


involvement in music teacher education, their participation in peer mentoring and training, their present levels of financial support and, most importantly, their responses to shifts in educational policy and a changing school culture. The results of the census identified key areas for growth and change. If we want to bring music instruction to all Alabama students and improve the instruction we provide, then we need to address these concerns by proclaiming our strengths and needs.


describe our profession, and I hope each of us recognizes the importance of this and how it impacts all divisions of our association. Some of the results are surprising, and I think you will find them interesting


and thought-provoking.


Hopefully, having this information will galvanize our organization. Below you will find my commentary followed by excerpts from the report itself.


The importance of the data we received is illustrated in this paragraph. Notice how we can speak with more authority about our profession.


During the 2012-2013 academic year, more than 856 music teachers provided instruction to 337,531 Alabama K-12 students.


Despite the many


accomplishments of music programs and an average teacher student ratio of 1:394, over 398,074 children received no music instruction last year.


In addition, with the data you provided, we can make measured comparisons to state and national figures in illustrative ways.


The mission of the Alabama Music Educators Association is to promote the advancement of music education through professional development, curricular support, and advocacy. Fulfilling this mission requires the support of multiple constituencies including our local, state, and federal governments. The Alabama Music Teacher Census helps our association fulfill its mission by informing long-range planning, policymaking, and advocacy efforts in ways we couldn’t do a year ago. If knowledge is power, as the philosopher Francis Bacon proclaimed, then we should feel empowered.


The Alabama Music Teacher Census Report describes what we look like to administrators, politicians, and the ALDOE. It describes our credentials, our workloads, our needs, and the support we receive. It also describes the changing state of music education over the past five years. For what may be the first time in the history of our organization, we can collectively


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Alabama K-12 music teachers are a unique group of highly trained and experienced specialists. Over 64% of us have a masters degree, which is higher than the percentage of masters degree holders for all music teachers in the US (43%) and more than all teachers in Alabama (53%). Furthermore, over 9% hold specialist or doctoral degrees, which is higher than


October/November 2013


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