president’s
message
JEFFREY SANTORO
jsantoro@njmea.org
Website: http://www.njmea. org
NJMEA Mission Statement:
improve the quality and accessibility of music instruction statewide. Welcome to the 2017-2018 school
T
year! I hope this message finds you with your feet on the ground after the ex- citement of a new school year. Before I go any further in my first message as NJMEA President, I want to thank Bill McDevitt for his service as President. Bill has led our organization with dis- tinction over the past two years, and in his previous term as President. He has also been a great mentor to me and I look forward to his guidance during these next two years. I’d also like to thank and recognize Joe Jacobs, who just completed his time as Past Presi- dent. Joe dedicated the past six years to NJMEA and we’re in a better position as an organization because of his leader- ship.
In July, the NJMEA Board of
Directors had its first meeting. As I wel- comed the board, I asked them to con- sider themselves active participants in the leadership of NJMEA. And now I encourage every member who is read- ing this to view themselves in the same light. We all own this organization and we all have a part in making it great. With that being said, let me briefly lay two areas of focus for NJMEA.
he mission of the New Jer- sey Music Educators Asso- ciation is to advance and
Inclusiveness, Diversity, Equity & Access
As many of you know, NAfME has
made Inclusiveness, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA) a main focus of the national organization. This has sparked a renewal of conversations among state leaders all over the country. NJMEA’s leaders have seen this as we’ve partici- pated in Eastern Division and National Assembly meetings over the past few years. The NJMEA mission statement (printed at the beginning of this article) aligns with this focus on IDEA, and our Board is looking to turn these conversa- tions into actions.
The topic of IDEA is multifaceted and not easily defined. It can mean dif- ferent things to different people. It can refer to how we make our music pro- grams welcoming to all students, or if we are offering opportunities that are rele- vant to our students. IDEA can speak to ensuring the experience of our students is meaningful regardless of their race, religion, cultural background, gender orientation, etc., or it can refer to the experiences of students in a rural district compared to students in an urban dis- trict. It speaks to the opportunities af- forded to those who have financial sta- bility and to those who struggle to get by. As each of you read this, I encourage you to think about how inclusiveness, diversity, equity and access impact your school, your district, and your students. To that end, NJMEA has created a IDEA Committee and we’re looking for members to contribute. If you’re inter-
TEMPO 2
ested in being part of this, please email me at
jsantoro@njmea.org.
Member Services When I was a candidate for Presi-
dent Elect of NJMEA I was asked how NJMEA should respond to the major challenges in music education. In my response I wrote about relying on the expertise of all the members in order to make NJMEA the best it can be. In or- der for this to happen there needs to be a dialogue between the NJMEA leader- ship and the membership. For our part, you will start to see some changes that I hope will make NJMEA more transpar- ent and accessible. I also want to make available more opportunities for your voices to be heard. By the time you read this, some of this work may have already begun, so I encourage you to visit our website, or check social media and your email for information on how you can be involved and make your voice heard. Additionally, you can always feel free to reach any member of the Board by using the contact information listed at
www.njmea.org.
I am humbled and honored to spend the next two years working for the music educators of New Jersey. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have ideas or questions.
OCTOBER 2017
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76
