From the President
Greetings Fellow Music Educators:
Welcome to a new school year! It is that exciting time, a time of firsts. The
first class, the first rehearsal, the first football game. In my household it is
the first time I will send one of my children to college. Amidst the firsts
there is the familiar: breaking out the pep band folders, singing through a
familiar warm up, recognizing a familiar tune. At my house the familiar
routine, particularly for my daughter, is the annual school supply and
school clothes shopping spree.
I challenge you to work to enjoy the firsts. Note how excited those students
are in class. Relish the conversation with a senior who is asking for a
recommendation or the kindergartener who is so excited to be in your class.
For many of us our jobs are getting bigger, the days are seeming longer,
and/or some of us (myself included) the hair is becoming more gray.
The work you are doing is very important. You are changing lives. You are
creating lifelong advocates and consumers of music. You may even be
creating lifelong performers. Through this beautiful craft of teaching music
we are also teaching the lifelong skills of communication, collegiality, and
goal setting to name a few.
In each of our schools we can feel like islands, often being the only music
teacher. MMEA can be the mainland for you. Take advantage of this
publication; take a look at our website. We are working hard to keep the
calendars up to date and useful to all.