Brian Reeve Preident-elec
Euphonium Duets
I am not sure why I thought my 7th-grade choir students would want to hear duets, but for 5 to 10 minutes every now and then our band director Dave Taylor and I would play for the kids. At the time we were the junior high/high school music staff at Odessa R-7. We shared a room in both buildings. When he taught at the high school, I taught at the junior high, and vice versa. There was a small window of time each day when Dave would get to the junior high to start his afternoon bands just as I was finishing up my morning choirs. Those 5 to 10 minutes were golden. We shared ideas. We talked music. We played euphonium duets.
A great many Missouri music educators spend all day every day without crossing paths with another music teacher. Although the non-music educators in our buildings can be helpful, at the end of the day they just don’t speak our language. They cannot truly understand what we do. Let’s face it: As immensely rewarding and fulfilling as teaching music is, it is still a demanding and difficult job even when everything is going right. Our successes and our challenges are unique. Specific problems require specific solutions. Music mentors and music educator colleagues offer wisdom, experience, knowledge,
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friendship, and solidarity. It is true that technology connects us now more than ever, and it provides invaluable resources at our fingertips. We should utilize every teaching forum we can. But as of yet, technology is no substitute for a living, breathing person standing in front of you. Technology is no substitute for a living, breathing music colleague to bounce ideas off of. Even a short conversation with a music colleague who understands what you do can be magical.
What can MMEA do to help?
Well, once a year, music educators from across the state descend on a magical place tucked in the Ozark Mountains. The resort is large but it feels intimate. The hills are old but spending time
there makes us new again. Tan- Tar-A is where you and several thousand of your music educator colleagues will cross paths in high quality professional and personal development. At this place everyone understands what you do. Whether in a session, a meeting, a performance, a jam session, or a casual talk over coffee, your questions will be answered by living, breathing music colleagues. Mentors found. Friendships formed. And yes, for some, sanity restored.
At MMEA we speak your language.
I encourage you to come to the 79th Annual Missouri Music Educators Association Conference, where we will learn, connect, and share in the “Language of Music.”
2017 MMEA Conference App for smartphone and tables. Ge it TODAY
The 2017 MMEA In-Service Workshop Conference is quickly approaching. Get ready by reviewing sessions and saving them to your personal agenda. Make sure you update your attendee profile and share your social media links
too! Download to your mobile device and visit the website
eventmobi.com/mmea2017.
MISSOURI SCHOOL MUSIC | Volume 71, Number 2
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