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Dr. Ed Cleino: A Model Educator Then and Now Edward Henry Cleino was born on


January 29, 1917 in Rolla, a small town in central Missouri. Ed, as he came to be called, was the fourth of four children and the only boy. His father, Henry Cleino, was an attorney and his mother, Lula Phariss Cleino, was a homemaker who also played piano. Cleino was born into a family who


valued education and the arts. Both of his parents attended college, an unusual circumstance for his time. His father was an attorney, and his mother completed a number of college level math courses. To supplement their children’s public school education, Cleino’s parents saw to it that Cleino and his three sisters participated in music classes in the morning and art classes in the afternoon on Saturdays. Additionally, Cleino and his sisters benefitted from living in the suburbs of St. Louis, where arts opportunities of this kind existed at that time. They also benefitted from a family income that was available for such extra instruction in the arts and a self- sacrificing mother, who willingly transported four children to and from full days of classes on those Saturdays. This value of education and the arts


was evidenced in Cleino’s life by his participation in music in high school and attending college to earn music degrees, including two graduate degrees. He chose the arts as a career and spent the majority of his life as a performer, a teacher, and an arts advocate.


Not surprisingly, Cleino’s association with education resulted in meeting and falling


in love with Bettie Anne, who was attending college at the time with aspirations to become a nurse. Bettie Anne ultimately earned a Ph.D. in higher education and also became an educator. Dr. Cleino and his wife passed this value of education along to their five children. All of them graduated from the University of Alabama. The Cleinos now have several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Clearly, this legacy of valuing education continues to be integral to the Cleino family. In addition to Cleino’s value of


education and the arts, Cleino’s caring, compassionate, humble nature also proved to be a major factor in his success as a music educator. Cleino’s wife said that he was the most caring person she had ever known, a characteristic that was obvious to his students. Those students often argued, however, that Cleino possessed not only the characteristics of humility, kindness, and compassion; he also embodied the attributes of consistency and perseverance.


Finally, Cleino demonstrated vision


and acted on that vision. He came to the University of Alabama, saw a way to increase the enrollment, offer better training to music educators, and build a graduate program. Such efforts in establishing the first graduate degrees in music education laid a foundation for expansion of the program that recently added a Ph.D. degree to its catalog of programs.


He also articulated a vision that educational television could be a useful tool to enhance the music education in the state of


by Dr. Beth A. Davis


Alabama. He acted on that vision to plan, compose a teacher’s guide, and teach the weekly program. He also realized that feedback from the consumers of the program should be gathered, studied, and used to improve the program. These efforts with Music Time served as a beacon, leading the way in utilizing the new technology of television to educate the children in the state of Alabama and beyond. Dr. Cleino’s tenure at the University After


of Alabama spanned thirty years.


retiring from full time teaching in 1979, Cleino did not go home to enjoy a well-deserved rest from a most successful career. Instead, he worked tirelessly for nineteen years in several capacities in the state. In this regard, Ed Cleino demonstrated a penchant for service that was evident throughout his life. “It’s just the way I am. I want to help,” Cleino said. Cleino’s professional service reached


Dr. Cleino on the set of Music Time, a weekly program on public television that ran from 1957 - 1972. 18


beyond the borders of Alabama, particularly in the expanding Music Educators National Conference. First, he served as Southern Division President for three years from 1969 to 1972. As recognition of his pioneering efforts in public television, mostly due to work in the field with Music Time, Cleino was appointed Chair of the Audio-Visual Committee and the Media Committee of the Music Educators National Conference (MENC). He served in each role for two years. Cleino also shared his expertise on the subject of educational television by presenting sessions at regional and national conventions. His work in this area came to be well known and respected throughout the country as he willingly shared his knowledge and experience about his passion: the use of media in music education as he served in these various roles. Cleino served as a member of the MENC National Nominating Committee on two occasions. As he neared the end of his career, Cleino had become well-known and respected throughout the nation. His knowledge and experience in working with music educators across the United States made him an ideal choice to recommend others to serve in various similar capacities. As such, his appointment to the MENC Nominating Committee served as a fitting finale to a career that included numerous contributions to the music education profession. In that respect, Cleino demonstrated such a philosophy, “I didn’t have anything but an eagerness to help.” Just as he had helped his family, his


teachers, his country, his students, and his May/June 2015


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