In about a month, I will officially become the North Central Division President of the National Association for Music Education which makes me a voting member of the National Executive Board.  If you had told me ten years ago that I would have this opportunity, I would have laughed at you, but I’m beginning to understand that having a driving passion for something can get you into all kinds of places you never dreamed of.

I believe with all my heart that EVERY child should have access to a quality music education taught by qualified music educators.  I and my fellow music educators see on a daily basis what a quality music education can do for kids and how it can literally change their lives. One of the things I’m most excited about in this position is that I feel like I can speak for all of the general music teachers around the country, speaking within the board from a practitioners point of view and making sure we don’t get too lofty in our discussions.

The discussions are very different from my position as a state president where things were much more hands on.  This is more of what I would consider a think tank, working on policies, budgets, advocacy and reading position papers and many other things that only the extremely nerdy would find interesting – like me.  I’m learning SO much and yet figuring out that I do have things to contribute as well, mainly because I do look at things from that K-5 teacher perspective.

So much of what we discuss is what we can do for the membership and how we can get more kids involved in different kinds of music.  Some of this will involve a different way of thinking for those educators who have been doing things the same way, some for many, many years.  It will be necessary for us to not only think in terms of different kinds of ensembles and music making, but how can we move to a more student centered classroom, where we are not at the center of things, but they are, learning how to choose music for themselves, how to practice it and how to perform it, all without us instructing them on every little detail.

For most of us taught in what I would refer to traditional lessons and ensembles, this is going to be a difficult transition, but in the long run will fulfill our mission which is to advance music education by encouraging the study and making of music by all.  Pretty lofty, but it won’t even begin to happen unless we start to rethink how we’re doing things now.  Not every student fits neatly into our big three ensembles, so what can we do to fix this? This is the kind of discussion that gets my brain working.

Speaking of brains, this opportunity allows me to work beside some of the best “brains” in the educational field. This past meeting we had the assistant dean from the Yale School of Music come speak to us.  If I think too much about the position this person holds, it becomes intimidating, but because of the openness of the executive board and their encouragement to speak, speaking up for me isn’t nearly as difficult as it once was.  For an introvert, this is huge and I am grateful.

So why write about this at all?  Yes, I am certainly proud and excited to have this opportunity, but moreover, I want to use it to encourage my colleagues who may not think they have what it takes.  I do not have a terminal degree and most of my music career has included tying shoes, giving hugs, applying bandaids, wiping up lunch tables and attempting to manage child behavior before major holidays.  So the only thing I can figure is that I get to do this because I believe in its importance, and I know many of my fellow music educators do as well.  Follow your heart, speak about the passion you have for what you do for kids, speak up about the issues that you and those students face and don’t be afraid to try innovative ways of teaching so that other students will have the opportunity to express themselves through the music THEY love.  And maybe some day, you’ll be hearing “Hail to the Chief” going through your head.