PRESIDENT’S COLUMN...
Preparing the Future, Creatively! Gary W. Brandes, MMEA President
Thanks to everyone that assisted in the planning and organization of our 76th In-Service Workshop. Thanks to all of the presenters, sincere gratitude to the vice-presidents in each area for providing quality clinic offerings. Bravo, to all of the outstanding ensembles! Ensemble directors and students: each year you continue to raise the bar of artistic and musical achievement, thanks for the inspiration!
Special thanks goes to MMEA President Rob Nichols for his selfless and tireless efforts in planning and coordinating a truly terrific in- service for us all. A huge thank you Rob as you helped me understand and realize the many and varied responsibilities that make up the office of MMEA President. Rob’s leadership is a model that will define the office of MMEA president for many years to come. During Rob’s leadership term there have been many changes that have made our association stronger and have resulted in positive benefits for membership and music education. Missouri Music Educators Association has been blessed to have such a dedicated and gifted leader. Thank you Rob.
I am honored and humbled to serve the membership of MMEA as president for the next two years. I have the deepest respect and admiration for those that have preceded me in this position. I sincerely hope that I will be able to serve with the same integrity and effectiveness that has come to
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define the office of MMEA president since our inception.
In holding true to the 76th in- service theme “Preserving the Past, Preparing the Future” I am intrigued with the charge of “Preparing the Future.” This is an exciting and a challenging time for education and music education.
As I begin this term I would like to share with everyone some goals and areas of focus for MMEA as we continue to “Prepare the Future.” I share these ideas in no specific order of importance because they all are a priority!
I find myself concerned by the vulnerable and fragile position in which music educators find themselves today. We are all impacted by the increased emphasis placed on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) subjects. We are searching for solutions to the new teacher evaluation procedures and we all find ourselves with an ever- increasing need for daily advocacy efforts.
I am excited about the initiative that MMEA has undertaken to offer some support and assistance to membership with the Missouri Model Music Educator, An Inclusive Evaluation Model. This is a project that will be ongoing over the next six months as schools begin to implement evaluation procedures. The intention is to offer ideas and examples that can be adapted to
your school’s system. I encourage you to visit the MMEA web site to explore the position statements, worksheets and sample SLOs (Student Learning Objectives). These new evaluation procedures are a bit scary but they also provide an opportunity for music teachers to document student growth in a way that has the potential to place music on the same level as other subjects.
Our first “Music Advocacy Day” will be held March 25, 2014 at the State Capitol. I hope that many of you will join us as we visit with policy makers and share the many benefits of a high quality music education delivered by certified teachers. Visit the MMEA web site for updates, itinerary, materials and procedures for the day. We will strive to develop additional opportunities for advocacy efforts throughout the year at the local and national level.
Our next curriculum challenge is alignment with Common Core Standards. I was excited and grateful for the various sessions at this year’s in-service addressing this issue. We started the process of referencing Common Core Standards with some of our in-service sessions/clinics in our conference program book. We will expand on this next year. MMEA will continue to offer support and
MISSOURI SCHOOL MUSIC| Volume 68, Number 3
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