From the Editor
Abby Butler
Greetings! As we begin the new school year, I hope you were able to find time over the summer to reflect, recharge, and reinvigorate yourselves in anticipation of the coming academic year. If you are like me, you probably set high expectations for the summer months, yet come Labor Day find summer to be a fleeting memory. Nonetheless, I always make time to reflect on the previous year, a task that provides both closure and anticipation, which in turn helps me to set the stage for the coming year.
It has been three years since I’ve served as editor for the Michigan Music Educator (MME). I used some of my summer time to think about the journal in terms of its successes and challenges in furthering the mission of its sponsoring organiza- tion, the MMEA. What follows is a brief summa- ry of the journal, recent accomplishments, and future directions.
About the Journal
Te Michigan Music Educator is the flagship pub- lication of the Michigan Music Educators Associ- ation. Te journal, which is accessible online to all Michigan teachers, regardless of MMEA member- ship, provides information about music teaching and learning, and as such, serves as an important resource for professional development. Te jour- nal is published three times per year. Each issue includes regular as well as rotating columns in order to address the needs of all music educators. Regularly featured columns include articles of interest to general music, choral and instrumental specialists, as well as members of our research and collegiate communities. Each issue also includes articles addressing policy and advocacy, media reviews of print and online resources, a message from the current MMEA president, and an editor’s column. Rotating columns, which are typically published once per year, include articles related to composition, early childhood, inclusive and lifelong music learning, jazz education, music technology, and higher education.
Tere are several aspects of our publication that I am especially proud. It’s important to recognize the fact that while the MMEA supports the jour- nal financially it is the contributions of MMEA members that sustain the lifeblood of the journal. Contributing authors and members of the edi- torial board volunteer time and energy to share their expertise, insuring timely publication of meaningful and relevant information. I am proud of the fact that most articles are written by music educators from Michigan. Tese authors bring a
situated perspective to the journal that reflects a deep understanding of local issues and a realistic approach to teaching music at a grass roots level.
Te Michigan Music Educator’s editorial board comprises music educators from across the state with expertise in a wide variety of areas. Teir primary role as column editors is to solicit and review articles for publication while working with the journal editor to ensure timely publication of relevant articles. Additionally, members of the board provide advice and assistance to the editor and MMEA leadership, helping to guide publication and ensure that the journal meets the needs of our readership. Again, these individuals volunteer time and expertise without which the journal’s effectiveness would be compromised.
Accomplishments
We continue to publish three journal issues per year featuring quality articles representing a wide variety of topics. We have also worked to im- prove communication among column editors, the journal editor, and MMEA leadership. To this end we have established annual face-to-face meetings of the editorial board during the Michigan Music Conference. Te goal of these meetings is to review current and ongoing initiatives, evaluate the effectiveness of policies and procedures, iden- tify challenges and propose solutions. Since the meetings are annual, we are better able to monitor progress towards specific goals. As a result we have clarified expectations and revised our sub- mission timeline for column editors (regular and rotating columns) with positive results.
Current Initiatives
Tere are two important areas of concern to the editorial board. Te first has to do with readership and the second with article submissions. With regard to readership the million dollar question is how many teachers actually read the journal’s articles? Te answer is critical. If the mission of the journal is to provide readers with information that addresses music teaching and learning within a local context, we need to know if that goal is being met. If current readership represents only a small percentage of the music teachers in the state, then we need to find out why and restruc- ture the journal to better meet members’ needs. Te logical next step would be to survey potential readers and hope for a high response rate. How- ever, unless we hear from a majority of potential readers, the data collected will be of limited use. Here’s where YOU come in! Keep your eyes open
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