As music teachers, we consult the GMEA Handbook to review procedures and rules about All-State, LGPE, and Solo & Ensemble. Near the front of the Handbook, just past the Table of Contents, there is A Brief History of the Georgia Music Educators Association. Many of us likely skip past this section to get to the information we need. If we take a minute to peruse the Brief History, we notice the very first sentence is set one hundred years ago: “In 1922, the Department of Public School Music was organized by the Georgia Education Association.”
To be clear: 2022 is not the 100th anniversary of our Association. Reading further, we see that the Georgia Music Educators Association did not formally exist until 1938, with the creation of our constitution and affiliation with the Music Educators National Conference (now the National Association for Music Education). It is also important to remember that GMEA did not include all Georgia music educators until the racial integration of membership and events, which took place in the 1950s and 1960s according to the Brief History
Even though 2022 is not the 100th anniversary of GMEA, it is still timely to consider the circumstances that led to the early organization of music education in Georgia in 1922. Why the formal organization of pub lic school music teachers at that particular time? As it turns out, it might not have had much to do with music education at all.
In 1922, the Georgia Education Association (GEA) was “far behind other states in its enrollment of teachers as members” (Macon Telegraph, February 26, 1922). For example, Alabama had 7,000 members while Georgia had only 1,200. As a result, GEA leadership planned an enormous membership drive and expanded its annual conference to increase participation of teachers across Georgia.
Many departments were announced in advance of the 1922 annual GEA meeting, presumably as part of the expansion efforts to attract new members. These included the Department of Public School Art, Depart ment of Physical Education, Department of Attendance
Officers, and the Department of Public School Music. Kate Lee Harralson, supervisor of music for Atlanta schools, was listed as the chair for the Department of Public School Mu sic. Eight music sessions were included in the 1922 GEA conference, according to The Macon News (April 9, 1922).
1. Value of School Music to the Child
2. Co-Operation of Parent and Teacher in Developing Appreciation for Good Music in the Child
3. Making Music a Required Study in the Curriculum of the Schools in Georgia
4. Professional Course in Music in Normal Schools and Teachers’ Colleges
5. Music in the Public Schools
6. The Development of Music Appreciation in the School Curriculum
7. The Child’s Voice
8. Musical Training for Grade Teachers
One hundred years later, our modern GMEA Conference has far more than eight sessions. Peruse the conference schedule for our 2023 conference. We have something for everyone, with 120+ educational sessions, 100+ exhibitor booths, and 35+ concerts. During this busy season, take time to make your plans to recharge your batteries with your music education friends and colleagues in Athens. We hope to see you there!
As we look from past to the future, I want to express ap preciation to our outstanding GMEA staff for their work and dedication over the past several months as we navigated our first executive director transition since 1996. On behalf of all GMEA members, thank you to Alan, Aleta, Brandie, Ryan, Cindy, and Bernadette for all you do for GMEA, its members, and their students!
I also want to thank all GMEA members who participat ed in the Fall District Meetings. The Executive Committee enjoyed attending your meetings, chatting with old and new friends, and sharing updates on behalf of GMEA. Mu sic teachers are busy people, and we appreciate everyone who took time to participate. Please reach out at any time if there is anything I can do to support you or your district. You can contact me at president@gmea.org. Best wishes for a fulfilling Fall!
The meeting was called to order by President Matt Koperniak at 10:00 AM.
The procedure for voting was reviewed.
The roll was called by Executive Director Cecil Wilder. The following members were present. Matt Koperniak President, Carl Rieke, Immediate Past President, Sarah Ball, Vice President for All State Events, Dion Muldrow, Vice President for Performance Evaluations, Frank Folds Past Presidents’ Council Representative, Cecil Wilder, Executive Director, Travis Downs, Band Division Chair, Scott Martin, Choral Division Chair, Chester Phillips, College Division Chair, Amie Schaff, Elementary Division Chair, Stephen Lawrence, Orchestra Division Chair, Jason Long, District One Chair, John Scanling, District Two Chair, Kenneth Boykin, District Three Chair, Christine Kraemer, District Four Chair, Matt Everhart for Ira Jenkins, District Five Chair, Kelly Gallman, District Six Chair, Michael Elzey for Joshua Bloodworth, District Seven Chair, DeShaun, District Eight Chair, Raymond Thomas, District Nine Chair, Taylor Norwood for Katie Bennett, District Ten Chair, Jay Davis, District Eleven Chair, William Owens, District Thirteen Chair, Nicholas Golding, District Fourteen Chair, Richard Bell, State Collegiate NAfME Chair, Gregory Denson, Member-at-Large, Sara Womack for Joseph Woodruff, System Fine Arts Coordinators Representative, David Lewis, Georgia School Superintendents Association Representative, Julia Bernath, Georgia School Boards Association Representative, Neil Ruby, President-Elect.
A quorum having been established, the board moved on to pre-submitted action items as follows.
• Proposal to reduce the number of sight-reading exercises during the second-round audition to one exercise instead of two, for both middle and high school auditions. The one sightreading exercise would be composed containing both lyrical and technical components.
• Handbook currently reads under section “All-State Band Final Auditions”, page 14: “In addition to sight-reading a lyrical and technical exercise, wind and percussion students must play both a lyrical and technical etude, available on the GMEA website.
Proposed text: “In addition to sight-reading one exercise containing both lyrical and technical components, wind and percussion students must play both a lyrical and technical etude, available on the GMEA website
Frank Folds asked if, since there would only be one sight reading excerpt and since that excerpt was to cover both lyrical and technical components, would the excerpts be longer
than before and, if so, would the study period be extended. Travis Downs responded that the excerpts might be slightly longer, but, in light of the fact that the purpose of this change was to shorten the length of each audition, the study period would remain the same. Frank also asked if the sightreading score would still be 40% of the final score and Travis said that it would. The motion passed as submitted by a vote of 24-0.
• Proposal to increase the minimum number of saxophones participating in the All-State Band to more accurately reflect the size of the other sections in the ensemble
• Handbook currently reads under section “All-State Band Instrumentation”, page 16:
The minimum instrumentation for Concert and Symphonic All-State Bands:
• Alto Saxophone- 4
• Tenor Saxophone-2
• Baritone Saxophone-1
The minimum instrumentation for Middle School All-State Band, page 17:
• Alto Saxophone-4
• Tenor Saxophone-1
• Baritone Saxohone-1
• Proposed text (for all bands)
• Alto Saxophone-8
• Tenor Saxophone-4
• Baritone Saxophone-2
There was no discussion and the motion passed as submitted by a vote of 25-0.
• Proposal for the All-State Jazz Ensemble 2nd Round auditions to be recorded at district sites selected by the district organizers
• Proposed additional text to Handbook:
Final round All-State Jazz Ensemble auditions are held within each district as specified on the GMEA statewide calendar.
Students who are promoted to the final round will perform their audition at the designated district site where GMEA members will record and proctor the audition process. Audition recordings will be submitted to the All-State Jazz Ensemble Organizer.
Nick Golding expressed concerns over the consistency of judging at the final auditions having to do with the printed instructions they were given, over the fact that, when technology issues occurred some students got a second chance to perform the sightreading, and over variations in the quality of the recordings provided to the final audition due to differences in the equipment used. He still supported the spirit of the proposed changes. Frank Folds inquired as to who would judge the final audition recordings and how they would
be selected. Travis Downs responded that the current all state jazz ensemble organizer, at this time Michael Nestor, would select the judges just as would be done for live auditions.
The proposal passed as submitted by a vote of 23-3.
• Proposal to add separate minimum requirements to LGPE Choral Division Head Adjudicators.
• Create a separate section on Page 39 for Choral Division Head Adjudicators that reads as follows: The minimum requirements for consideration for Choral Head Adjudicator status are as follows:
•The person must be invited by the Choral Division Chair (See above)
•The person must already be on the approved adjudicator list and trained for their division, and have completed a minimum of 7 successful adjudication LGPE events during their tenure as an adjudicator.
• The person must be approved by consensus of existing head adjudicators.
• Recommendation letters from at least two of the existing head adjudicators dealing with the candidate’s qualification for this position.
• Candidates must be active or retired Georgia directors.
During discussion concern was expressed over the requirement that the candidate must be approved by a consensus of existing head adjudicators might give the appearance of
what was described as a “good old boys club”. Given those concerns and the fact that there is a need for consistency among division in how these decisions are made, there was a motion to table by Dion Muldrow that the motion be studied during the next year by the councils of the three divisions involved and the Vice President for Performance Evaluations and that a revised proposal be brought to the board at the May 2023 meeting. That motion was approved by a voice vote with no dissent.
• Amendment to the following section in the Handbook regarding scales for the Choral First Auditions. (Page 21 in the Handbook)
• 7th through 10th grade students will sing a Major, Natural Minor, and Chromatic scale (a cappella) using the appropriate starting pitch as listed on the All-State Chorus Information page of the GMEA website.
• 11th and 12th grade students will sing a Major, Harmonic Minor, and Chromatic scale (a cappella) using the appropriate starting pitch as listed on the All-State Chorus Information Page of the GMEA website.
• Judges adjudicating scales and solo will assess each scale for accuracy, ascending and descending. This component will comprise a potential 6 points of the overall audition. The rubric for assessing scales can be seen on the All-State Chorus Information page of the GMEA website.
There being no discussion the motion was passed unanimously.
• Proposal regarding assignment of Tubas, Percussion, and Bass Clarinets.
Remove:
“Assignment of Tubists and Percussionists” section on page 17 of the handbook.
Conductors for bands affected, and the orchestras, will be hired with the following understanding:
• Tubists who are selected to participate in the 9th/10th and 11th/12th grade full orchestras will also participate in an appropriate band. These students will not be first chair players, but will be selected from the top portion of the section.
• A timpanist and one percussionist will be assigned to the 9/10 and the 11/12 orchestra. Other percussionists will be added as needed and will be selected from the band’s alternate percussionists list. The Orchestra Division Chair will inform the band division of the number of percussionists needed prior to the second All-State audition.
• Tubists and percussionists will rehearse with the orchestras during the Friday night rehearsal and the Saturday morning rehearsal. Music will have been mailed to these students by the Orchestra Organizer for early practice.
• This arrangement will give the orchestra conductors the opportunity to select compositions from all periods of music history without concern for the inactivity of a few students.
• Band and orchestra conductors must consult and plan with each other, prior to their first rehearsals, in order to utilize these students to their full potential.
Add: Assignment of Tubas, Bass Clarinets, and Percussionists: Conductors will be hired with the following understanding:
• The Orchestra Division Chair will inform the band division of the number of percussionists, tuba players, and bass clarinet player needed prior to the second All- State audition.
• Each group will have their own tuba player and potentially bass clarinet depending on the repertoire selected.
• Percussion and bass clarinet (if not individually assigned) will be shared between the 9/10 and 11/12 full orchestra groups. Similar to harp, students will be assigned based on ability not grade-level.
• The full orchestra conductors will consult and plan with each other prior to the first rehearsal to make a plan to share these instrumentalists.
After discussion emphasizing the extent of this problem and the negative effect it can have on students are put in these situations the motion was passed unanimously.
There was discussion about the early registration deadline for fall solo ensemble (September 13) in that it did not allow enough time for teachers to meet that deadline. The question was asked whether the deadline could be moved to early October and still allow enough time for the office
to process the forms and the organizers to do their work prior to the event. There being seven Saturdays available for these events with the first date being September 24, the question was raised as to whether the earlier dates were used and Dion Muldrow said that those dates were almost never used. After discussion of a number of variables and concerns an amendment to the calendar was proposed whereby the registration deadline would be moved back to September 27 with four consecutive weekends available for the events beginning on October 15, with the possibility for special requests to the Vice President for Performance Evaluations to hold an event outside the window. The motion to amend passed unanimously.
A motion to further amend the calendar was brought by Chester Phillips, College Division Chair to strike the October 25 deadline for All College Chorus applications since the College Division does not plan to hold that event this year and to replace it with an intensive conducting symposium to be held during the January conference in lieu of that event. Chester requested an October 15 deadline for that event. It was pointed out that the new event would be budget neutral. It was further noted that interest in All College Chorus had declined in recent years to the point where it did not make at all. The motion to amend passed unanimously.
The motion to approve the statewide calendar as amended was approved unanimously.
The following items were presented for discussion only.
• Current registration pricing structure
• LGPE hotel and site (e.g., custodial, security) costs
The floor was turned over to Cecil Wilder for elaboration on the nature of the problems concerning costs of hotel rooms and site costs for LGPE events. A big part of the problem is that there is a wide disparity in hotel and site costs from district to district, some of which is caused by price differences from city to city for hotel rooms. It was also noted that some adjudicators are prone to select expensive hotels for a variety of reasons and some districts select event sites that are expensive while other districts hold their events in schools where there is no cost involved. The same holds true for the cost of security and custodial services in that GMEA is at the mercy of local schools and facilities in what they charge for these services, again depending on the cost-of-living variations from town to town. It is difficult to contain these costs given our current policies. It was suggested by Mr. Wilder that the board might consider a different approach that would calculate a reasonable cost for administering these events with regard to expense reimbursements in which districts would be given a per judging hour budget based on these costs that they could spend at their discretion and if they exceeded that amount the district would be responsible for that difference. This is similar to the way our federal government awards block grants to states. There would0 be variables that would have to be accounted for that would require algorithms to
adjust for different localities and circumstances. The bottom line is that the only alternative to reigning in costs is to raise fees.
The question was raised as to what amount of surplus needs to be raised with our three program areas (performance evaluations, all state events, and conference). The answer give was a 25% surplus is needed in order to maintain the central office at the current level of staffing and services provided.
The DEIA Committee brought recommendations to help achieve the stated goal of being more inclusive particularly where participation from Historically Black Colleges and Universities in presentation of performances and clinics at our In Service Conference and to encourage more diversity of All State clinicians and generally creating more performance opportunities by these groups.
• Interest Area/Division
• Partnership with TI:ME
There has been discussion of changing the status of Music Technology from an interest area to a division. The concern is and has been that there are probably not enough teachers whose primary teaching assignment is in the area of music technology to be able to recruit leadership people that are called for by divisions. That is monitored by GMEA leadership on an ongoing basis in order to provide the appropriate level of participation.
The Band Division has a proposal under consideration to include an experience for high school all state percussionists to help make the experience more productive and meaningful for students who do not always get the same depth of experience as do wind players. The plan at this time is to provide a percussion ensemble experience on the front end of the all state event that will hopefully create more ongoing interest in the all state process among these students. The plan under consideration is being designed in such a way to be almost revenue neutral without charging the students an additional fee.
• Financial report by Cecil Wilder, Executive Director
Mr. Wilder presented an in-depth report on the current financial status of the association and the level of participation in student events broken down by district and event.
• A presentation was made at this time in recognition of the long-time assistance of Julia Bernath and she was presented with an appropriate gift. After the presentation to Ms. Bernath, she presented a letter of appreciation to Cecil Wilder on behalf of the Georgia School Boards Association.
• A presentation was made by Frank Folds to Cecil Wilder thanking Cecil for his years of service to GMEA.
• Reports, either written or spoken, were presented by those wishing to do so.
Special recognitions were given, including certificate and lapel pins were presented to all departing board members and a piece of Frabel glass was presented to Cecil Wilder in appreciation of his service to GMEA.
Following these presentations the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully presented,
Cecil Wilder, Executive Director
Fall is always an exciting time for new beginnings!
Welcoming new students and families to our programs, setting new goals for our students and ourselves, new music, new job, whatever it may be, the beginning of the school year always brings anticipation for great things to come. I hope your year is off to a great start with your students.
IencourageyoutomakeplanstoattendourGMEAInServiceConference,January26-28,2023inAthens,GA. Wehaveanoutstandingprogramofconcerts,clinicsand exhibitors lined up! Work with your administration now to secure leave for our annual, statewide professional learning event. It is a wonderful time to reconnect with colleagues from around the state, meet new teachers, share and learn new ideas and recharge for the spring semester. We are also honored to have Ms. Michele Fernández as our guest clinician for the All-State Jazz band!
Make sure your member information is up to date on OPUSandkeepyourGMEAmembershipcurrent.Avoid waiting until the last minute to complete All-State and Large Group Performance Evaluation registrations. Reach out to new band directors and make sure they are receiving GMEA emails and registering before deadlines. Remember to review the updated GMEA handbookforpoliciesandoperatingprocedures.
Our All-State event March 2-4 is going to be another greatexperienceforourstudents!Theguestconductors are:
ErinColeSteele
Dr
WilfridLaurierUniversity,Canada
And for the first time, GMEA will be piloting an All-State Percussion Ensemble with the percussionists from both All-State Symphonic Bands and the 11/12 Full Orchestra. The guest conductor is She-e Wu from Northwestern University. For scheduling purposes, selected students will rehearse Thursday, March 2, from 1:30pm to 5:30pm at the Classic Center before attending their first scheduled band rehearsals after dinner. At the conclusion of the All-State Band rehearsals, all are invited to attend the first ever GMEA All-State Percussion Ensemble concert that evening. More details will be sent out to directors closer to the event.
As we proceed with our daily lessons, rehearsals, and busy after-school activities this fall, I encourage you to remember to take care of yourself first and foremost. If you are not physically and mentally healthy, your students will not receive your best. Finding a work balance is very important. The job can seem overwhelming at times and your “to do” list can pile up quickly. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help! Seek out a mentor, and for our veteran teachers, consider being a mentor to a new teacher. Our profession and our students thrive through our continued support of eachother.
Lastly, our organization does not run without the great volunteer work from our members and wonderful office staff. If you are interested and willing to get involved with district or statewide events, reach out to your district chair. I look forward toservingmyfinalyearand continuing to support you and your students in any way possible. Have a wonderful year doing what you dobest-servingyour students and community through music. Best wishes forapositiverewardingsemester!
Georgia Choral Teachers, welcome back to another school year! It appears that everyone is in full swing and the music making has commenced!
These past couple of years have seen the number of participants in my own choral program decrease significantly, and this has been mirrored in programs everywhere. It was hard to have class in our “alternative” settings, and it’s only natural that some students decided to step away. This year, we have bounced back strongly and increased our numbers by a third, so I am optimistic this is happening elsewhere. Interestingly, last year was one of my all-time favorite years in my teaching career, partly because of the low number of students. It was easier to focus on the individuals and build good relationships with them, and every student in the classroom was there to make great music with their friends. Student comradery was at an all-time high and that unity was felt in the music making.
How do we make sure all our students in the program feel valued as individual members of the choir? We talk about recruitment so much that I sometimes wonder if we are only worried about numbers. I do understand that some get pressure from administration to increase numbers, and we need to have enough to fill out our schedules, but I think the solution is to not think about numbers, but people. Do we see our students as people or just a voice part? We all know the right answer, but we should intentionally follow through with that effort. In my opinion, the size of the program is less important than the heart of the program. Relationships matter (not a new concept...we’ve heard it countless times). Teacher/student relationships are important, and student/student relationships are important. We, as music teachers, are in a unique position to teach most of our students for multiple years, and I am grateful for the opportunity to cultivate those relationships. In the past, I’ve made mistakes, particularly in the early days of my career, focusing only on the end-product (concert performance). Sure, some good things happened along the way, but I can only imagine the countless number of students that did not feel valued or frankly did not enjoy the process. I’ve been fortunate to have great principals over my career, and the very best principals were the ones that valued me as a professional teacher and as a person. I learned that I wanted to work harder for those principals because I knew I was respected for my abilities and trusted to do my job. The same concept can be applied to our classrooms. We are the principals of our classroom, and students will follow our leadership if they are loved, respected, and know that we are the hardest working people in the room.
I am finally getting on-board with Instagram (with student help!!!) and have an account for our choir. I was amazed at how many schools have various social
media pages, and I can spend hours scrolling through to see what is happening around the state. To see such great things in our choral programs has been inspiring to me, and I admit that I have taken several of the things I’ve seen from other directors and implemented them in my classroom just this past week! I encourage everyone to check out what is happening in other schools, and if you are a veteran teacher like me, don’t miss the opportunity to learn from some of our younger teachers. They continue to impress and contribute greatly to our profession. Conversely, our veteran teachers are a wealth of knowledge, so find those amazing folks who have been doing this for a while and observe the qualities that make them great. In my early days, there was a trio of veteran teachers in my district that impressed me so, and I longed to be like them.
In closing, on behalf of the Choral Division, I’d like to officially welcome Alan Fowler as GMEA Executive Director. He and I have already been working together and I am grateful for his efforts in helping the Choral Division and GMEA as-a-whole moving forward. We are all in great hands with Alan! And, of course, I would like to thank Cecil Wilder for his years of service to GMEA. I am in my 25th year teaching and, until now, Cecil was the only GMEA Executive Director I’d known. Cecil, your love and advocacy for the teachers of GMEA has been strongly felt throughout the state, and I hope you understand the impact you have made on us all.
Year after year I continue to be inspired by the amaz ing things our Georgia Music teachers are accomplishing! I am uplifted by the dedi cation to our profession for the benefit of our students, not just as musicians, but as future leaders. As always, I continue to see your love of music education helping our students flourish around the state.
Join in the fun at GMEA In-Service conference Jan uary 26th-28th, at the Classic Center in Athens, GA. We are excited to explore the connections of music and Social Emotional Learning, Drumming, Improvisa tion, Techniques in Orff Schulwerk, Diversity , Ukulele, Children's Literature, Music Technology and more!! Be ready to fill your days with singing, dancing, playing and join in the fun at our evening Jam Session and Con tra Dance Fun!
February 10-11 we will return to the Classic Center Theater for our Statewide Elementary Honor Chorus. Here, we are happy to welcome back TWO Choirs of our top 4th and 5th grade students as they shine under the direction of our fantastic clinicians, David Langley and Amanda Dodd.
I look forward to welcoming you all at our In-Service Conference and at our Statewide Elementary Honor Chorus!
As you may already know, we have some exciting updates to our all-state audition process for the 2022-2023 school year. This year all statewide events will be in-person. This past Spring the Orchestra Division voted to reinstate sight-reading at the District Round Audition and to remove the Call-Back Audition. For more information regarding this year’s audition process, please contact your district all-state organizer.
The conductors for the 2023 All-State Orchestra are: Middle School: Angela Ammerman & Adrian Gordon
9/10 String Orchestra: Brian Griffin
11/12 String Orchestra: Peter Askim
9/10 Full Orchestra: Alexander Jimenez
11/12 Full Orchestra: Steven D. Davis
I would like to take a moment and publicly thank Evelyn Champion who over the last 9 years has dedicated much of her time and expertise to maintaining the integrity of the GMEA All-State Orchestra. Because of your dedication to our state and division, the All-State Orchestra has doubled in size and is one of the most organized All-State Orchestras in the nation. We thank you!
As we look towards next semester I hope to see you all at the 2023 GMEA In-Service Conference. It is sure to be an exciting time and full of valuable educational tools. Starting with the 2023 GMEA In-Service conference, the Orchestra Division will conduct an annual Performance Clinic during the conference. The performing group will be selected from the ISC performance applications submitted previously in May. The selected group will present a 25-minute performance followed by a live 25-minute clinic from a highly-qualified clinician. I am so happy to announce that this year’s performance group will be the Woodward Academy String Machine, with clinician Georgia Ekonomou! You don’t want to miss it! This clinic has been added to the GMEA In-Service schedule to help increase the number of conference performances for the Orchestra Division. If you feel that your group would be perfect for this clinic, I encourage you to submit a Performing Group Application in the Spring.
As always, I am so honored to be able to serve as your GMEA Division chair. If at any time I can be of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you for your dedication and commitment to your students, schools and communities and remember You Make a Difference!
Guitar Caryn Volk
This school year has started with such exuberance that it feels like we are riding the rapids in a wooden barrel! How do we ever hope to harness this enthusiasm and energy?
Much of the information
we receive on social media reports that students are worse than they have ever been, school staff are more disenfranchised than they have ever seen, and we should toss out the whole thing and start over.
Should we really? Have we become so inept that we are completely unable to control our classrooms and our lives? I strongly question that assumption.
Is your room still the safe space for music creation that it was in prior years? I would suppose that is true. And you keep it functioning and improving with clear consistent expectations, applied to all in equal measure.
For our new teacher training, we discussed what kind of classrooms they would like to have, and how to develop a plan on creating that environment. What helped YOU as a student to focus and learn? How can you enforce those same standards in your classroom? What expectations do you have of your students as individuals, as sections or small groups, and the group as a whole? How do you train and support the behaviours you wish to see?
So many students understand they have choices in their musical expression, and traditional ensembles are frequently supplemented with non-traditional/nonperforming options. Let’s give each student musician the support they need to focus on their music, no matter what the means or medium! Vibrant classrooms are environments that maintain a high level of control, coupled with a high level of excitement—make yours the kind of class students want!
If you are new to teaching guitar please don’t hesitate to reach out for assistance and support. Here’s to an exuberant year for each of us!
I hope that everyone has had a fantastic start to the school year! I will admit that I came into the school year with a contrary mix of excitement, trepidation, anticipation, and uncertainty. Yet, more than anything else, I entered the school year with determination to stay focused on my students and to make my classroom a place where music-making and creation could serve an important role in helping all of us recover from the last (almost) 3 years. So far, so good!!
Technology is everchanging and developing and the music technology world of GMEA is no different. I am very excited to share some news from our corner of GMEA and around the state.
The GMEA Music Technology Showcase is back for what will be our fourth annual event. There two big changes that I am very happy to announce. First, we are adding an Elementary Division to the showcase for the first time. There are a significant number of elementary music teachers in our state who have been doing some amazing things with technology and music making in their classrooms for a while now. Adding this division will give these teachers and their students an opportunity to show off some of the amazing things that are happening in our elementary schools. The second change with this year’s showcase is the addition of the Audio Production category for student submissions. This category will allow students to showcase the specialized skill and artistry of audio recording and mixing.
I am also happy to announce that Tweed Recording & Audio Production School in downtown Athens will once again be our hosts for the event. The deadline to submit student work for the 2023 Showcase is Friday, November 4. Details can be found at https://www. gmea.org/music-tech-student-showcase.
Gwinnett County Public Schools, North Gwinnett Middle (David Dover) and McConnell Middle (Heath Jones), were selected to partner with the Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology through a grant sponsored by the National Science Foundation to create and develop a music technology unit based on the EarSketch coding platform. The unit will teach students how to use computer programming and code to create music. One goal of the multi-year project is to provide a model unit that will be shared across the state and nation to promote and encourage students to enter the fields of computer science and music in the digital age.
I am excited to begin a partnership between GMEA and TI:ME (Technology in Music Education) in 2023. TI:ME is one of the oldest, and perhaps original, organizations dedicated to supporting music education and technology. They provide professional development resources for music teachers to learn everything from the basics of integrating technology into their instruction to the latest trends and developments in audio production. Their network of music technology professionals and industry leaders will provide additional support and resources to enrich our inservice sessions and support for music educators.
It is fall again and we are gearing up for the GMEA conference in January. As I noted in my spring column, we have instituted a major change for research presentation applications for the 2023 GMEA conference: Both poster and spoken presentation applications were due September 15. Planning and predicting outcomes of research projects takes time. A later submission deadline allows projects to be conceived and results collected prior to the submission deadline. For graduate students, this change meant projects conceived over the summer could be submitted. This change also allows flexibility of format. As is currently common for many research conferences, the presenter could now select “either” research poster or spoken presentation instead of preselecting one format. This will also allow the selection committee that anonymously evaluates proposals to recommend the best proposals for talks. As of this writing (September 6), GMEA have already received a high number of proposals compared to previous years.
As in previous columns, I like to highlight work by researchers around the state. Here I am excited to
share a preview of research currently in progress at the University of Georgia. PhD student, Daniel Bermel, is exploring "Student Perceptions of Student-Centered Learning in Music." His study compared student responses from two different orchestra classes that participated in approximately two weeks of StudentCentered Lessons and two weeks of a TeacherCentered Lessons. In the Student-Centered Lessons, students learned a fiddle tune and created their own arrangement with no help from the teacher. In the Teacher-Centered Lessons students learned a similar tune and arrangement directly from the teacher. Student responses indicated that students enjoyed the autonomy to create their own arrangement in the Student-Centered Lessons but did not like it when they experienced a lack of organization. Students enjoyed the structure of Teacher-Centered Lessons. Because students notedly had past experiences in StudentCentered environments, the Teacher-Centered Lessons ended up being a mix between Student-Centered and Teacher-Centered methods. During both experiences, students rated their engagement very high. They expressed in both experiences that they enjoyed having the autonomy to be creative, which was especially prevalent in the Student-Centered Lessons. Through this column and through the research presentations at the annual conference, I hope to continue to expand the dialogue between practitioners and the research community. See you in Athens!
link can be shared with your students.
a new virtual tutorial series! “Level Up” your students’ playing with these
ASO Musicians
minute videos. Topics for all strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion. Now available on ASO Education YouTube channel and aso.org.
The Dickerson Middle School Percussion Ensemble from Cobb County has been announced as a winner of the Percussive Arts Society International Percussion Ensemble Competition. A huge honor for the school, Dickerson is the only middle school ensemble invited to present a fifty-minute showcase concert at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) in Indianapolis this November. Three university and three high school ensembles also received invitations to perform.
The largest percussion convention in the world, PASIC brings the top names in drumming and percussion from around the world together for concerts, clinics, master classes and presentations showcasing all areas of percussion. The convention also includes the International Drum and Percussion Expo and the nationally recognized PASIC Marching Percussion Festival.
I had the opportunity to speak with Scott Brown, director, about the upcoming performance:
What was the selection process like and what made you want to apply?
We recorded three sections this past spring and filled out the application to send in April. I was looking for opportunities for my students to perform and wanted to give them more exposure to the world of percussion. The recordings were evaluated by a selection committee appointed by PAS.
What is the preparation like for this major performance?
We were notified in June we were accepted. We already planned to program some selections we had begun learning the previous semester, along with some new literature being
passed out in the fall. We also have a commission piece by a composer from Finland written to feature guest soloist She-e Wu from Northwestern University with the ensemble. We have forty-eight members in the ensemble, comprised of seventh and eighth graders. We plan to perform six selections for our fifty-minute time slot.
What are some advantages of having a percussion ensemble in your band program?
Overall, the students become better musicians and stronger members within the percussion section in the concert band.
What challenges do you face getting your students ready for such a performance?
Getting the students to understand what it is that they are preparing for is the biggest one. They truly don’t understand until they get there and experience it first-hand. Seeing the performance hall, the exhibits, and all the convention attendees is eye opening for them.
What other opportunities will the students have while on the trip to Indy?
The students will have the opportunity to visit the Percussive Arts Society Museum, Rhythm Discovery Center, and attend the Bands of America Grand National Championship Finals at Lucas Oil Stadium.
This will be Dickerson’s third time performing at PASIC under Mr. Brown’s direction. The group first appeared in 2006 for a featured clinic and then in 2019 for a showcase concert. Other major invitations include the National Middle School Association Conference, GMEA In-Service Conference, the National Band Association Southern Division Conference, The Midwest Clinic, the Sandy Feldstein National Percussion Festival and the National Association for Music Education Conference.
Congratulations again to the members of the Dickerson Percussion ensemble! For more information on the Percussive Arts society, please visit pas.org.
Jay Wucher with Jim Willoughby
Jay Wucher: By far the best part of being the Retired Members Chair for GMEA is having the opportunity to rec ognize the great music educators that have and still make a difference in the lives of countless students and col leagues. When I was a young teacher there was never a shortage of teachers to look up to, admire and learn from. One of those was Jim Willoughby. Jim was a great director in every sense whether it was in concert, marching or jazz band. Please take a few minutes to read what Jim wrote when I asked him to talk about his career.
I graduated from Baldwin High School, Milledgeville, in 1959. I knew I wanted to be a band director by my junior year. I played saxophone and was drum major of the band. I also took piano lessons throughout high school. I think piano is the most functional instrument out there. If you plan to major in music, I recommend you get started on piano as early you can.
I played in a five-piece band and learned a lot of American Standards from memory. Upon graduating in 1959, the band played five nights a week, for six weeks, at the Old Jekyll Island Hotel, on millionaire row. We got room, board, laundry, and the princely salary of $37.50 per week. More importantly, I learned more standards. When I went to UGA, I immediately got into the gig scene. We didn’t play cover songs in those days- we just said, “Moonlight in Vermont, three flats,” counted to four, and played the song. So, I worked my way through school this way.
I entered UGA the fall of ’59 and became a resident of Reed Hall. I remember Dad hugging me as he left and telling me to “keep it in the road.” I knew that had nothing to do with a car because I didn’t have one.. One of my fondest memories during my freshman year was a trip the Redcoats took to Washington to play a halftime show at a Redskins game...We caught the train at the train station in Athens and had jam sessions all the way up and back.
While in Washington, some of us learned that the
Miles Davis Quintet as playing at the Howard theater in Harlem. Miles, trumpet, John Coltrane, tenor sax, Philly Joe Jones, drums, Paul Chambers, bass, and, Red Garland, piano- the hottest band on the planet for $1.50. Red Fox was Master of Ceremonies. WOW!
Another memory was beating Auburn. Francis Tarkington, at the last minute, threw a touchdown pass to tie the game, the extra point gave us a win. We went to the Orange Bowl, marched in the parade, played at halftime, and won the game. “How sweet it was.”
While studying at Georgia, I participated in the following: Phi Mu Alpha Music Fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha Jazz Band, Redcoat Derbies Pep Band, Drum Major- Army ROTC Band, 1st Chair SaxophoneRedcoat Band, and Drum Major- Redcoat Marching Band, 1961-64.
I have special memories of each of these organizations. The Jazz scene at Georgia in those days, was considered one step above the family dog. The Phi Mu Alpha Jazz Band practiced on Sunday afternoons with no faculty supervision and no academic credit.
Another memory that stands out was the morning I auditioned for Drum Major and was selected. I called home and told Mother and Dad. They were as proud as I was. At 81, I’m the oldest living Drum Major of the Redcoat Band. I am blessed. At that
time, the Redcoat Band only marched 96. SEC marching bands were beginning to get bigger and bigger. Kentucky brought a 200-piece marching band into Athens in the late 60’s and blew us away…the Redcoats began to increase in numbers after that.
I did my student teaching at Forest Park Junior and Senior High School with Guerry Youmans and Lloyd Tarpley. I learned a lot about organization and teaching from them. I received the Bachelor of Music Education, Concentration in Saxophone in 1963 and my Masters in 1964. I received a sound education at the University of Georgia. Later, when I went to the University of Illinois for further study, I placed in the 93rd percentile on my music entrance exam.
My first two years of teaching were in Dublin Georgia, with my mentor, John Hambrick, who was for many years a strong contributor to GMEA. I became the high school director for the next three years. My bands there earned consistent superior ratings and the marching band was one of the first bands to perform at a Falcons game. Corps style marching was just coming into vogue…Our marching was based on the styles of Bill Moffit and A.R. Casavant. For a small school, your 120-piece marching band was well received.
I was All-State Junior High Band Chairman my first two years. At that time, the All-State band met in Dublin and was housed by the Dublin band parents. I was also district chairman. I was glad I could commit to and work with my professional organizations early on, a practice I continued until retirement.
During the late 60s, I went to school at the University of Illinois in the summers and received the Advanced Certificate in Music Education at the University of Illinois in 1968. I studied with Charles Leonard, the author of Foundation and Principals of Music Education. I studied band methods and materials with Everett Dean Kissinger, director of the UI marching band and flute pedagogy with Virginia Nanzetta. I spent many happy hours in the John Phillip Sousa Museum, a wonderful reminder of our band history and heritage. I also saw my first computer, named Plato. It was the size of a small room.
Another distinct memory I have from Illinois was the residency of composer John Cage. Like many
music schools, UI hosted concerts every week. At one of these, a Cage composition was performed and ended with chairs and music stands being thrown.
I joined the faculty of Georgia College in 1969 as Director of Concert Band, Jazz Band, and smaller ensembles. These bands performed at numerous high schools throughout Georgia.
Guest Artists with the Jazz Band included Thomas Ferguson, Rich Matteson, Jim Snidero, Larry Skinner, Duffy Jackson. We performed at The Georgia Music Educators Conference, the New Orleans Music and Heritage Festival, and were the warmup band for the Buddy Rich Band Concert held in Russell Auditorium.
I was a faculty member at Georgia College from 1969-1997. I served as Department of Music chair from 1985-1997 and as Music, Music Therapy, Theatre, Dance Minor chair from 1991-1997. In addition to Concert and Jazz Band I taught Woodwind Choir, Applied Woodwinds, Conducting, Classroom Music for Elementary Teachers, Instrumental Methods, Music Appreciation, and Jazz History.
Georgia College Contributions:
• Saxophone Soloist, clinician, and adjudicator of Woodwinds, Jazz, and Concert Bands throughout the state.
• Designed and implemented GC State Jazz Workshops
• Founding Member and Faculty Advisor of Georgia College Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Music Fraternity.
• Inducted as a Patron of the Arts, by Sigma Alpha Iota
• Designed and implemented the Spring JazzFests, which continue after more than 32 years.
• Helped Design And implement GC Summer Band Camps
• As Chair, Implemented the Dance Minor
• Recipient of Georgia College Excellence in Teaching Award
• Recipient of two Service Awards
• Retired 1997, Professor Emeritus, 28 years of service
Professional Affiliations:
• District Chair, Georgia Music Educators Association
• All State Junior High Band Chair, Georgia Music Educators Association
• Chair of the Band Division of Georgia Music All State Junior High Band
• Chairman of the Instrumental Division of GMEA
• President of Georgia Unit of the National Association of Jazz Educators Association
• Member of Music Educators National Conference
• President of the Georgia Unit the of International Association of Jazz Educators (then, National Association)
• Founding Member of the Georgia Jazz Association Directors Jazz Band
• Member National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors
• National Association of College Band Directors
• Phi Beta Mu Band Fraternity
After retirement, my wife Kay and I traveled a lot. Norway, Sweden, Germany, Greece, Italy, etc.
We also attended music festivals, chamber music series in Athens. Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC, Chamber Music Festival in Highlands, NC, The Savannah Music Festival, Folkmoot in Waynesville, NC, and others.
I did a lot of research in Genealogy and wrote the family history. My progenitor, one William Willoughby, was in the Revolutionary War. He was captured in Savannah and released in Augusta. He was given land in Green and Clark Counties. I went to the courthouse in Athens and found records written in pencil, dated 1805. I was told that Oconee County got the first typewriters when it was created from land in Clark. Maybe my love of Athens is in my DNA.
I’m an amateur photographer, an avid reader of southern literature and mysteries. Robert Penn Warren, Eudora Welty, Flannery O’Conner, Lee Smith, and William Faulkner are favorites. Elizabeth George and Brad Parks are two of my favorite mystery writers.
uring Jamie’s third year of teaching middle school chorus, they had the extraordinary privilege of hosting their first foreign exchange student – a boy from India. The school guidance counselor prepared all of Ansh’s teachers for the potential language barrier and shared Ansh’s love of music with them. During his time in India, Ansh was immersed in music as his father played guitar for a local band in their home state. Ansh enjoyed attending his father’s shows and began playing the guitar by emulating his father. He had dreams of becoming a famous musician in India. Unfortunately, the family relocated to the United States after Ansh’s father lost his job. Ansh and his family arrived from Bihar, India, just weeks before his enrollment in Jamie’s seventh-grade intermediate chorus class. Ansh arrived at school nervous and afraid but ended the year completely changed. Jamie believes that Ansh’s experiences in the choral classroom contributed much to his personal and academic success that year.
By cultivating a student-led learning atmosphere and incorporating a variety of quality, culturally relevant repertoire, Jamie was readily available to help Ansh feel welcomed into the choral classroom. Through informal and non-traditional practices, students in the choral classroom can feel a sense of importance and value in their music making. This is especially true in a school with a diverse student population.
In a world of globalization where cultures are becoming intermingled, educators are highly encouraged to understand and instruct their students by utilizing the students’ culture.
Using students’ culture as a reference point for education helps students access curriculum in both familiar and meaningful ways. This teaching style is
often referred to as CRP, or culturally responsive pedagogy, but Geneva Gay reframed it as culturally responsive teaching (Gay, 2002, 2013). Informal learning practices offer a non-sequenced approach toward achieving cultural responsiveness in a choral classroom.
Geneva Gay defines cultural responsiveness as “using the cultural characteristics, experiences, and perspectives of ethnically diverse students as conduits for teaching them more effectively” (2002, p. 106). Gay’s definition focuses on what educators can do to implement cultural responsiveness in a heterogeneous classroom so all students can experience success. Some music educators view cultural responsiveness as being so broad that it can seem impractical, but Gay further explains that it should “emphasiz(e) localism and contextual specificity” (2013, p. 63). This means instructional practices should be tailored around the cultural makeup and settings where learning is taking place while satisfying the specific needs of the population of the students. Gay (2002) provides guidelines for educators as they build toward becoming culturally responsive. Educators should strive to (a) acquire a knowledge base about ethnic and cultural diversity, (b) learn how to convert culturally responsive materials into curriculum and instructional strategies, (c) create a classroom climate that is conducive to learning for ethnically diverse students, (d) have effective crosscultural communication between various cultures, and (e) embed cultural materials deeply into their curriculum from the beginning of the year.
Ansh entered chorus class during the world music unit. Upon hearing of his arrival, Jamie shifted the curriculum timeline so that lessons on music from India aligned with Ansh’s arrival to the school. However, the search for authentic
quality music from India proved challenging for Jamie. Through recommendations from other music teachers and online recordings, Jamie provided an authentic music learning experience for the class. Jamie recalls the spark in Ansh’s eyes as he was able to identify with many of the musical sounds in class that day. As the unit progressed, it was clear that Ansh was becoming more comfortable in the music classroom and began to find balance in his two colliding worlds. Jamie realized the task of teaching choral repertoire that is altogether representative of student cultures while providing enrichment of musical and performance skills can be both daunting and rewarding.
Repertoire selection is a vital component in the choral classroom. Directors have the task of selecting relevant repertoire through which students learn performance skills, musical concepts, music history, and cultural awareness (Forbes, 2001). A significant challenge directors face while attempting to incorporate quality music from a range of styles and periods is balancing appropriate literature that satisfies students’ in-school and out-of-school musical experiences. This may require choral directors to keep an open mind when it comes to selecting repertoire outside of their comfort zones. Forbes (2001) analyzed the repertoire selection process of high school choral music educators and reported the criteria by which they deemed repertoire to be of sufficiently good quality. Some directors indicated that they believe the skills and concepts that are taught through classical music can also be taught through popular music. One director from the study stated:
I know people look at popular music and do not believe it is very involved. They do not believe it is teaching you all the fundamentals. Popular music is just as involved as any other music. If you are teaching a pop song, you are still going to teach the same thing. You are going to teach phrasing, breathing, diction . . . all those things you would teach through other music. I do not criticize groups who do a lot of popular
music if they are getting a child to appreciate music. It may be that singing pop music is the only way the child will be interested and, if that is something they can relate to, then that is the best way to go. (p. 117)
Others argued that popular music is not a pedagogically sound vehicle for the development of quality musicianship or proper vocal technique. Another director in the Forbes (2001) study stated:
I would have to agree. Pop music is not kind to young voices. There are a lot of leaps and a lot of pressed and belting kinds of traditions there that I consider damaging to young voices. And if that is all they are singing they are not building any vocal technique that is going to take them through and put them out in a position where they can sing that kind of music, if that is what they want later in life. (p. 116)
Music educators on all levels may find challenges deepening connections with their students without an established philosophy for enriching student’s musicianship, cultural awareness, and personal development. This is true regardless of a director's established music philosophy towards music from the Western canon or the popular realm. Informal music learning practices emphasize the importance in the approach to music learning and not necessarily in the music itself. Utilizing Gay’s principles for enacting cultural responsiveness is an excellent way to break down these barriers and explore various authentic sounds and repertoire for your ensembles.
By introducing informal choral practices and diversifying repertoire outside of the Western canon, choral directors will utilize at least one of Gay’s principles of culturally responsive teaching. Specifically, they will address Gay’s principle of incorporating culturally responsive materials into curriculum and instructional strategies. Cultural responsiveness requires choral directors to re-define the choral sound by having a variety of techniques and instructional strategies for
teaching popular and multicultural repertoire authentically. These non-traditional practices and methods could help increase interest and retention for choral students, especially in schools with a diverse student population.
Lucy Green (2006) deemed informal learning paramount for skill acquisition when studying popular music processes. She described five principal areas for informal music learning practices: (a) learners choose the music themselves, (b) copying recordings by ear, (c) learning in groups, (d) a haphazard learning approach, and (e) integrating creativity through listening, performing, improvising, and composing. These processes can be used to influence music learning of all genres while nurturing a culturally responsive learning environment.
Jamie’s students experienced informal music learning practices during their exploration of world music for their final projects. Students were divided into groups and tasked to research music from a specific area, find a recording of a song from their chosen region or culture,
and learn and perform the song in groups. It was at this moment that Ansh came alive! He brought in his father’s guitar for the project and taught his group a popular folk song from his culture. The other students were enamored by his passion and guitar skills. His group worked diligently to perform the song with precision, accurately learning the language, unique rhythms, and overall style of the piece. The choir enjoyed the song so much, they decided to perform this piece for their spring concert. Ansh became celebrated in their music classroom and established his role as a member of their choral community.
Choral directors can bring a stronger sense of community to their rehearsal spaces through informal learning practices and implementing culturally responsive teaching techniques. More students like Ansh can have an instant sense of belonging when coming to our schools if we break our traditional ways of teaching, and retention rates for ensembles could increase. Go ahead! Break down those conventional barriers and try something new.
Forbes, G. W. (2001). The repertoire selection practices of high school choral directors. Journal of Research in Music Education, 49(2), 102-121. https://doi.org/10.2307/3345863
Gay, G. (2002). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(2), 106-116. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487102053002003
Gay, G. (2013). Teaching to and through cultural diversity. Curriculum Inquiry, 43(1), 48-70. https://doi.org/10.111/curi.12002
Green, L. (2006). Popular music education in and for itself, and for “other” music: Current research in the classroom. International Journal of Music Education, 24(2), 101-118. https://doi.org/10.1177/0255761406065471
Christopher Massie is an Orff certified music teacher and chorus director at Esther Jackson Elementary school in Fulton County. He is also the director of music at The Church at Ponce & Highland in Atlanta. Christopher received both his BMU and MMU from Georgia State University in music education where he focused his research on culturally responsive pedagogy and the national standards. Other professional accomplishments include completion of John Feierabend’s First Steps in Music and Conversational Solfege certifications.
TJ Primer earned a BM in Music Education from Georgia State University in 2019. His vocal performance experience includes over 15 years of church choir singing, two of which he served as a pianist and worship leader at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Mt. Airy, GA. He was paid choral scholar at Druid Hills Presbyterian Church in Atlanta. TJ currently serves as the chorus teacher at Floyd Middle School in Mableton, GA. He relishes every opportunity to teach new students of all ages, seeking to instill a passion for music and vocal performance.
RESTON, VA (July 14, 2022) — The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) honored the Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA) with the 2022 Excellence in Advocacy Award in recognition of their efforts advocating for music education. NAfME President and Board Chair Scott R. Sheehan presented the award during “Building Belonging Beyond the Pandemic: A National Celebration of Advocacy for Music Education” during the NAfME National Assembly, conducted virtually in June.
“The Georgia Music Educators Association has expanded its state’s reach in education policy for music education in a strategic way, inviting in more music educators to amplify their voices for the cause,” said Scott R. Sheehan, NAfME President and Board Chair. “Their tireless work will provide more opportunities for students for years to come. We at NAfME celebrate our educators who ardently advocate for music education. Congratulations to our 2022 Excellence in Advocacy Award winner.”
Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA) started its first advocacy committee and expanded advocacy training/participation to any interested member through the creation of the Georgia Music Advocacy Corp (GMAC). Thirty-four members participate in GMAC representing each GMEA district.
The GMAC kickoff event included of NAfME Advocacy and Policy staff and Casey Hall, Fine Arts Specialist for Georgia Department of Education presenting advocacy sessions and music education advocacy opportunities. Through funds provided by the CMA Foundation, the GMEA Advocacy Committee was able to collaborate with a local theater to provide advocacy sessions that help conference attendees craft their advocacy storytelling abilities.
In March 2022, Dr. Sara Womack, GMEA Advocacy Chair and NAfME Advocacy Leadership Force Representative, worked with state contacts to organize GMEA Hill Day, culminating in the Georgia Senate passing a Music In Our Schools Month® (MIOSM®) resolution.
The Excellence in Advocacy award, presented annually at the NAfME National Leadership Assembly, recognizes a state music education association (MEA) for outstanding accomplishments in music education advocacy. State MEAs around the country are advocating by meeting with State Boards of Education, advocating to state legislatures, and engaging stakeholders. The 2021 Excellence in Advocacy Award recipients were Louisiana, Ohio, and Vermont Music Educators Associations; the 2020 Excellence in Advocacy Award recipient was the Wisconsin Music Educators Association; the 2019 Excellence in Advocacy Award recipient was the Florida Music Education Association; and the 2018 Excellence in Advocacy Award recipient was the Michigan Music Educators Association.
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NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR MUSIC EDUCATION, among the world’s largest arts education organizations, is the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. NAfME advocates at the local, state, and national levels; provides resources for teachers, parents, and administrators; hosts professional development events; and offers a variety of opportunities for students and teachers. The Association has supported music educators at all teaching levels for more than a century. With more than 50,000 members teaching millions of students nationwide, the organization is the national voice of music education in the United States.
Follow NAfME on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For additional information, contact Catherina Hurlburt at catherinah@nafme.org or 703-860-4000
Research shows that female educators tend to utilize specific leadership styles that result in innovation, analysis, and community building (Eagly, 2007; Wolfe, 2021). Research also suggests that women are effective leaders in times of crisis due to their abilities to empathize, regulate social well-being amongst others, and employ transformative leadership (Vongas & Hajj, 2015). These qualities make women excellent candidates for building band programs that emphasize community building through positive classroom environments.
Women can experience and engender this success by providing relational leadership within an organization, whether in their band programs or in their larger professional communities. We have noted that the perception of women’s professional and personal success is often tied to efforts to nurture and create relationships with others. Though a positive trait for educators, an allencompassing, passionate commitment can hamper the ability to maintain a work-life balance.
This article discusses how historical expectations of women are present in the role of the female band director and how we have adapted to a profession in which we are the minority. Our literature review and professional discussions demonstrate the need for a community of women that strategically uses leadership qualities to nurture their currently few female colleagues and to foster the growth of aspiring women band directors. We present
common strengths of female leaders and suggest how they may be maximized in the classroom while maintaining a balanced life beyond the band room. This brief article is not intended to address all nuances of the female band director’s experience. Still, we hope it serves to start the conversation for a much-needed community.
A key to success in the classroom is identifying your own leadership style and playing to its strengths. Research indicates that two frequent strengths of female leaders are analysis and innovation (Zenger & Folkman, 2020). These strengths are highly beneficial when applied to two aspects of classroom management: classroom configuration and rehearsal pacing.
Once instrumentation is finalized, one of the first tasks is to design the ensemble setup. However, ensemble setup can be both a proactive and reactive classroom management measure. Traditionally, an ensemble setup is designed with sound and presentation in mind. A suggestion would be to design the ensemble setup to combat anticipated behavior issues, especially with students who are younger or more restless. Research shows that females’ tendency to innovate leads them to be more likely to use and experiment with nontraditional setups (Roseth, 2020). Directors might adjust seating accordingly while getting to know their students and beginning to predict their behaviors. A nontraditional setup that has aisles between sections or sections facing different ways allows for the teacher to change their proximity as well as their immediacy to the students. Used in this way, innovation and analysis allow ensemble setup to become a response to student behavior and pedagogical needs.
Our experience, and that of some of our colleagues, tells us that a classroom with predictable systems allows for a smoother, well-paced rehearsal. When leading a large class, preparation for anticipated needs should also involve innovation and analysis. Imagine being in the middle of an F Remington warmup exercise and having your second to last chair clarinet player suddenly appear to tell you their only reed just broke. Do you have a clear, student-accessible procedure for reed replacement in your classroom? Does your warmup pacing anticipate minor issues such as these? Are your students trained to adjust to the pace of your problem-solving? You are not alone if you have not thought of these minor scenarios. Though these are not challenges specific to the female director, your ability to analyze frequent issues and innovate simple solutions can save the start of your rehearsal. Organization in your classroom reflects your leadership style and having clearly defined protocols is critical to the pacing of your rehearsal. Once organization and pacing systems are in place you will have even more confidence in your ability to lead your students effectively.
Though there are fantastic male educators who have enriched our music education and inspired us to pursue conducting, it is not always effective to have only their management styles as models. As you imagine and create the culture of your band room, keep in mind the specific leadership strengths that you are comfortable executing. It is important to pursue mentors that understand the nuanced issues you experience and that have classroom environments you want to emulate. We want you to design your classroom and rehearsal in ways that reflect your own leadership persona. An authentic-toyou classroom management strategy may remove many previously challenging moments from your workday. You may then find it a bit easier to execute a balance between your personal and professional lives.
Most band directors could attest that work-life balance is difficult to achieve, especially for those newer to the profession. Band directors often work far beyond their scheduled hours to sustain traditional, high-achieving band programs. The average schedule of a high school or collegiate band director typically includes well over forty weekly hours in the band room. This full schedule leaves little time for fulfilling roles outside of our school lives. Band
directors who are also parents are especially affected by this extreme work schedule. For mothers, especially those who work full-time jobs, the added societal expectations are considerable. To reduce hours away from the home, some women have sought part-time positions. However, the job demands of band directors still require these women to continue to work more than forty hours each week. This presents the dilemma of less pay for similar hours, which is not a viable solution.
Women without children may face similar challenges in their personal lives when they are expected to nurture family members and loved ones. Society suggests that female social-emotional behaviors exist partly because they are effective tools toward the maintenance of relationships and internal organization. When not lessened, the total demands on time and attention can become huge burdens. The typical working hours of band directors can make maintaining personal relationships difficult and choosing between committing time to your ensemble or your loved ones is difficult. All these pressures can contribute to burnout. Choosing “both” may be necessary, with moderation being key to the balance. Research implies that poor maintenance of personal relationships can impede a woman’s professional success (Vongas & Hajj, 2015). Some successful women band directors report that they finally had to adjust their work schedules to allow time to attend to significant others and extended family. Why? Because no matter how successful they became at their jobs, they could not benefit from or enjoy that success due to the disorganization of their personal lives (Fitzpatrick, 2013).
The historic stereotype of a “woman’s role in society” is problematic when it implies that women can sufficiently dedicate themselves fully to all roles, both personal and professional. Some college-aged women’s realization that this is not actually possible may be driving them away from the profession. Though most music education degree holders are women, band remains a male-dominated division of music education. Women who wish to become music teachers commonly choose general music over band. Women in one study reported that the largest deciding factors were the perceived amount of time commitment in band directing and fear that they would not be able to balance both career and family responsibilities (Matthews & Connor, 2017). How can we alleviate this perception and assure women that reasonable band directing hours are achievable?
Balance may be difficult to achieve, but it is possible when boundaries are in place to assist in defining personal and work life. One recommended boundary is to set aside non-negotiable personal time. This quality time can occur early in the morning, which will give you a sense of peace before the day begins, or in the evening to decompress. During this time, there may be pressure to respond to work or family, but it is important to regard this time as sacred. While attempting to balance career and personal life, it may be favorable to obtain advice from other female colleagues. A professional community of female band directors would provide a way to access
like-minded mentors and build relationships. Through mentorship, women can offer support to each other which can make it more attainable to be successful directors. This might be possible with the other women band directors in your GMEA district, music teachers in your county, or even women teachers of all subject areas in your school building. These gender roles and challenges are not applicable to all, but women can benefit from considering these factors when seeking employment and navigating their futures.
Though many issues in the band room are not particular to female directors, some difficulties may seem more
overwhelming when you feel that few others experience them. As we work to create a community that can provide the necessary support, increased female representation might aid in the retention of female band directors. As the number of female band directors increases, there should be a culture of sharing and empowering amongst women that is fueled by identifying our strengths and using them well. Exposure to successful women in our field has the potential to motivate young female directors to consider creative strategies that better complement their leadership styles. In our experience, reaching out to other women for guidance has instilled a higher sense of self-confidence. We hope to encourage more women to be transparent about the dilemmas and solutions that we face in and out of the classroom.
Bartleet, B. L. (2008). Women conductors on the orchestral podium: pedagogical and professional implications. College Music Symposium, 48, 31–51. Eagly, A. H. (2009). Female leadership advantage and disadvantage: Resolving the contradictions. In J. Billsberry (Ed.), Discovering Leadership (pp. 277–296). Palgrave Macmillan.
Fitzpatrick, K. R. (2013). Motherhood and the high school band director: A case study. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 196: 7–23. Matthews, W. K., & Koner, K. (2017). A survey of elementary and secondary music educators’ professional background, teaching responsibilities and job satisfaction in the United States. Research & Issues in Music Education, 13(1): Article 2. https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/rime/vol13/iss1/2
Lawrence, R. M. O. (2020). Reflections of female band directors: The perceived effect of sex, gender, and race on career experiences and professional practices (unpublished master's thesis). James Madison University. Roseth, N. E. (2020). A survey of secondary instrumental teachers’ immediacy, ensemble setup, and use of classroom space in Colorado and Indiana. Journal of Research in Music Education, 68(3), 305–327. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022429420944227
Vongas, J. G., & Hajj, R. A. (2015). The evolution of empathy and women’s precarious leadership appointments. Frontiers in Psychology, 6: 1751. https:// doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01751
Zenger, J. & Folkman, J (2019, June 25). Research: Women score higher than men in most leadership skills. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr. org/2019/06/research-women-score-higher-than-men-in-most-leadership-skills
Ansley Cook is a graduate student in music education at Georgia State University. Ansley has six years of experience teaching middle school band between Gwinnett and Dekalb Counties, and she has been a woodwind clinician in the Atlanta area since 2012. She has also worked with local youth organizations teaching private lessons, musical theater, and coaching soccer. At GSU, her research focus is on the community reconciliation capabilities of school performance ensembles, specifically in communities with high racial tension. Ansley’s upbringing in the Atlanta area combined with a passion for youth activity informs her studies in music education and community building.
Asia Lloyd is the current band and general music teacher at Columbia Middle School (Dekalb County). She was born and raised in Atlanta, Ga, and began her musical journey as a student in Dekalb County. Ms. Lloyd is a graduate of Florida A&M University, where she served as both principal flutist in the FAMU Wind Symphony and piccolo co-section leader in the Incomparable Marching 100 before obtaining her B.S in Music Education. She is currently pursuing an MM degree in Music Education from Georgia State
It is Thursday night, 6:30 PM. The concert my band has prepared for over eight weeks starts in 30 minutes. Where is my first-chair clarinet player? She is playing a solo in the overture. It is now 6:55 PM. Where is my clarinet player? 7:00 PM, time to start the concert……I guess I’ll start without her. Apparently, she had volleyball practice. Volleyball is not a class. Volleyball practice is not graded. I’m very upset as she let the band down. My clarinet player has missed only two days of school from illness and has a 97% average for her grade, but I think she deserves a “F” for her band grade this nine-week period (director enters “F” into gradebook) for missing the concert. Parent complains about grade, so I am going to give an alternate assignment. My clarinet player must research Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart and type a ten-page report (single spaced) comparing their careers. Hopefully this will teach her, and she will learn not to miss anymore concerts.
The above scenario is all too common for anyone that has taught a performance-based class like band, orchestra, or chorus. Unfortunately, the director in this hypothetical scenario made some choices that could have some negative results for their program, including legal liabilities. This article will define and describe assessment in music education (including authentic assessments), give real-life examples of alternate assignments, summarize litigation involving assessments in schools and how this applies to music teachers, give rationale as to why you should be using authentic assessments, and guidelines on how to implement authentic assessments into your teaching.
Let’s start with some definition of critical terms. “Assessment is defined as the gathering of information about a student’s status relevant to one’s academic and musical expectations” (Brophy, Assessing the developing musician: A guide for general music teachers, 2000). The assessment of arts learning should be inclusive, occurring formally and informally in different contexts (Brophy, et al., 2021). Assessments in music classrooms vary greatly, including playing (performance) tests, written quizzes, compositions, journal entries, listening logs, and practice journals. Music teachers also commonly use attendance, punctuality, participation, having all
materials (instrument, music, pencil, etc.), attitude, and student conduct as metrics for assessment. If we examine Brophy’s definition of assessment a little closer, we see the latter metrics are less desirable ways of assessing and are not relevant to their musical and academic expectations. In performance-based classes, we should strive to use authentic assessments. Authentic assessment, as defined by Payne, Burrack, Parkes, and Wesolowski (2019), is “an assessment task that reflects the way a student thinks and interacts in an environment connecting with the belief and experiences within each individual student.” Popham (2014) defines authentic assessment as “a performance assessment in which the student’s tasks resemble real-life tasks” (p.185). Additionally, Brophy et al. state that assessment of music learning should be authentic and appropriate for the context in which it is administered (2021).
The rationale for implementing authentic assessments in performance-based classes is simple. Conventional assessment practices place too much emphasis on “passing a test” rather than learning transferable skills that will still have relevance after formal
She missed the concert.
schooling ends (Tanner, 2001). Wiggins (2015) states that learning experiences should take place in the context of whole, real music experienced in musically authentic ways. “Assessment of learning is embedded in and emerges from learning experience” (p.55). This rationale serves as the primary guideline for implementing authentic assessments: the assessment should reflect what the student has been currently studying, learning, or practicing. If a student has been rehearsing every day in class for nine weeks preparing for a concert, a plausible assessment could be an in-class playing test of their music or performing on the concert itself. A logical, authentic makeup assessment would be an assessment where they perform their concert music for the director. An alternate assignment such as writing a research paper, copying music by-hand, or any type of extra work would not be an appropriate choice.
The following are real-life examples pulled from music teacher groups on social media. The original poster (OP) names are kept anonymous.
“For those of you that give daily/weekly points for class participation, how do you handle your point system when it comes to absences? In one particular case, I have a student absent about 50% of the time. I don’t necessarily want to deal with giving a makeup assignment to a student every time someone is absent, but also don’t feel right just giving them their 5 points a day when they were not in band/school. My participation points are based on behavior/attitude, effort, and having all required materials for the day”.
“Another grading question: do you take away participation points when a student is ABSENT? Say I give my students 5 points a day for participation and they normally lose points for poor choices/poor attitudes/poor behaviors. Would you take off 2 points for a student being absent, even with a valid excuse? I say 2 points because I take 1 point for being tardy, and it doesn’t make sense to have missing 5 minutes = missing the whole period. The students have plenty of options for making up the grade with extra credit. Edit: Already checked with administration and they are fully supportive” (Band Directors Group, 2022).
“Alternative assignments for a DAYTIME concert. I searched the group and could only really find this question in reference to evening concerts. I most certainly would not punish a student for not having a ride to an evening concert, however our concert is during the school day tomorrow. The only way a student would miss is if they are absent from school. I know for a fact I have a group of 5th grade boys who intend on “being sick” tomorrow. For those with DAYTIME concerts who give an alternative assignment, what do you assign to those who miss the concert, do you have criteria for what a “valid” excuse is, or does everyone who misses do the alternative assignment regardless of reason? I know some have very strong opinions on this. If you think there should be no alternative assignment, please be kind in your explanation. I am not trying to punish - just keep students accountable. My admin/coworkers agree with me on this decision” (Elementary Music Teachers Group, 2022)
Probably one of the most important writings relating to music teaching that I have read in recent days comes from Joshua A. Russell in The Oxford Handbook of Assessment Policy and Practice in Music Education, Volume 2 (2019) titled, “Legislation and Common Law Impacting Assessment Practices in Music Education.” In this work, Russell discusses common legal defintions and practices that involve educational law, legislation, real-life case law court cases and
outcomes. He also gives recommendations on good assessment practices and how to avoid possible future legal issues.
Some important highlights stemming from real court case outcomes of the Russell chapter that pertain to music educators are summarized below. I encourage you to read the original Russell writing as it goes in much more detail and gives the specific court cases. Note that different state statutes apply and may be different than Georgia’s current statutes.
1. Using attendance for grading – Court ruled attendance was not a subject that was included on the state list of all subjects to be studied or could be assessed, and therefore could not be used in grading.
2. Using conduct or attitude for grading – Court ruled academic assessments should be treated as academic issues and not conduct or disciplinary issues.
3. Using nonachievement (participation, having pencil, conduct) criteria for grading – Court ruled assessments should represent academic achievement and performance, not non-academic criteria.
These real-life social media and court case examples highlight the second guideline for implementing authentic assessments: everything we teach should relate to a music standard. Standards-based teaching has been somewhat of a buzzword in education in recent years. According to The Glossary of Education Reform, standardsbased education includes, “systems of instruction, assessment, grading, and academic reporting that are based on students demonstrating understanding or mastery of the knowledge and skills they are expected to learn as they progress through their education” (Standards-based, 2011). Under this system, a standard is defined as, “a written description of what students are expected to know or be able to do by a certain time in their educational career” (“The pros and cons of standards-based education”, 2019). In Georgia, we use the Georgia Standards of Excellence for Music (GSE). Everything we teach should have a GSE standard to which we can refer an administrator, parent, or student. “Given the importance that public education places on assessment results, music educators should consider aligning instruction and assessment with well-defined standards of learning” (Payne, Burrack, Parkes, & Wesolowski, 2019, p. 2). While there is not a specific GSE music standard that directly addresses criteria such as attendance, attitude, participation, having instrument, etc., a couple of existing standards could justify the use of grading on these criteria. An example from the current GSE standards would be, “HSBB.RE.2 Respond to music and music performances of themselves and others. a. Determine the criteria for a successful performance (e.g., compositions, arrangements, improvisations)”. One could make the case that in order to have a successful performance, a musician must attend the event, have all materials, etc. The same standard also includes, “e. Describe and demonstrate appropriate ensemble and audience etiquette for a performance” (Georgia Standards of Excellence for Music, 2018). Per that guideline, a student musician would need to attend concerts, be prepared, participate, etc. But while those interpretations are plausible, I personally do not want to be in the business of manipulating the standards that could be considered a borderline interpretation. Russell states that “such actions could be interpretated by a court to be disciplinary and not academic in nature” (2019, p. 16).
Because of the nature of teaching a performance-based class, many directors allow participation, attendance, attitude, etc., to comprise much of the student’s grade; sometimes these are the only factors in the grade while performance standard make up a fraction of all standards for any given course. Teachers should strive to
construct a more well-rounded assessment system, however. Hoffer (2017) states, “Sometimes teachers emphasize one aspect of music so much that other aspects are largely ignored” (p. 16). In the GSE, we have four modes of artistic processes: 1. Performing, 2. Creating, 3. Responding, and 4. Connecting. The reason that we have four modes of artistic processes is because teaching and assessing should reflect a balance of all of them, even in a performance-based course. Too many times music teachers focus on the “performance mode” because of the nature of being a performance-based class, but Brophy (2000) suggests that to best assess our music students, we should use multiple assessments in different modes of artistic processes. This leads us to guideline number three for implementing authentic assessments: have balance and assess your students in the four modes of artistic processes of performing, creating, responding, and connecting.
What does a balanced assessment using the four modes of artistic processes look like in a performance-based class? Let’s say that you have programmed The Great Locomotive Chase by Robert W. Smith for your next band concert. We can get the obvious one out of the way: for performance mode, the student performs on the concert or completes a playing test in class for a grade. For creating mode, students can study the sound effects written within the piece. They can have a discussion on how to properly produce the sound effect for performance. The different sections of the band can explore, create, and perform additional sound effects on their instruments that would be appropriate for this piece (though students will only perform sound effects written by the composer for the concert). For responding mode, students can watch a video of their performance of this piece on the concert, be given a LGPE Adjudication Sheet, and evaluate their performance. For connecting mode, students can research the historical story behind this programmatic work and write a paper summarizing the event, referencing sections in the music where they “hear” the events. The assessments for each mode in this example would be considered “authentic” because they directly relate to what students were studying or practicing. If a student is absent on the day the responding mode assignment is completed in class, a logical makeup assignment would be for them to be given the video and complete the assignment at home. If a student misses the concert and the performance mode assessment, a logical makeup assignment would be for the student to perform all their concert music for the director.
In our current educational culture, where our curriculum is constantly being put under the microscope, student grades often being contested, and in some cases being left in the hands of the courts, music teachers leading performance-based classes such as band, orchestra, or choir should strive to implement authentic assessments. Remember the following guidelines for implementing authentic assessments: 1. Assessments should reflect what the student has been currently studying, learning, or practicing. 2. Everything we teach should relate to a music standard. 3. Have balance and assess your students in the four modes of artistic processes of performing, creating, responding, and connecting. The guidelines offered here will help reduce the chance of conflict with students and parents over grades by communicating expectations, ensuring fairness, and verifying that students’ assessments resemble real-life tasks.
Band Directors Group. (2022, January 21). Retrieved from Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/banddirectors
Brophy, T. (2000). Assessing the developing musician: A guide for general music teachers. Chicago, IL: GIA Publications.
Brophy, T., Krieger, C., Leite, M. C., McCaffery, M., Wolf, D. P., & Poulin, J. M. (2021). Guiding principles for the assessment of arts learning. World Alliance for Arts Education Virtual World Summit. Gainesville, FL: World Alliance for Arts Education. doi:https://doi.org/10.51163/CREATIVE-GEN006
Elementary Music Teachers Group. (2022, January 21). Retrieved from Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/elmusteach
Georgia Standards of Excellence for Music. (2018, May 3). Retrieved January 25, 2022, from Georgia Department of Education: https://www.georgiastandards.org/Georgia-Standards/ Documents/K-12-Music-Georgia-Standards.pdf
Hoffer, C. (2017). Introduction to music education (4th ed.). Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc.
Mark, M. L., & Madura, P. (2014). Contemporary music education (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Schirmer Cengage Learning.
Payne, P. D., Burrack, F., Parkes, K. A., & Wesolowski, B. (2019). An emerging process of assessment in music education. Music Educators Journal, 105(3), 36-44.
Popham, W. J. (2014). Classroom assessment what teachers need to know (7th ed.). Edinburgh: Peasrson Education Limited.
Russell, J. A. (2019). Legislation and common law impacting assessment practices in music education. In T. S. Brophy (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of assessment policy and practice in music education (Vol. 2, pp. 7-26). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Standards-based. (2011, November 9). Retrieved January 25, 2022, from The glossary of education reform: https://www.edglossary.org/standards-based/
Tanner, D. E. (2001). Authentic Assessment: A solution, or part of the problem? High School Journal, 85(1), 24.
The pros and cons of standards-based education. (2019, July). Retrieved January 25, 2022, from The University of Wisconsin- Superior: https://online.uwsuper.edu/articles/pros-consstandards-based-education.aspx
Dustin Burgess is currently Associate Professor of Music Education and Director of the Music Education program at Shorter University, where he also teaches applied trumpet. He previously served as Assistant Professor of Music Education, Music Education Coordinator, and Applied Trumpet at Bethune-Cookman University, in Daytona Beach, Florida. He also teaches as an adjunct professor in the University of Florida’s Master of Music Education program.
Dr. Burgess’ research interests include comprehensive musicianship, assessment in music education, trumpet pedagogy, and quality band literature. He presented research at various state and national conferences including the South Carolina State Music Educators Conference, the Georgia Music Educators Association Conference, the Pennsylvania Music Educators As sociation Conference, the Florida College Music Educators Association Conference, and the National Association for Music Education History of Music Education Symposium. He has articles published in the International Trumpet Guild Journal, the Florida Music Director, the Georgia Music News, and the National Band Association Journal
Previous teaching and conducting positions for Dr. Burgess include elementary, middle, and high school choral and band programs in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Florida. He served as a mentor for the Erie Youth Symphony Orchestra and was the Artistic and Musical Director for the Youth Brass Band of Central Florida.
Dr. Burgess is a member of the National Association for Music Education, Georgia Music Educators’ Association, and the North American Brass Band Association.
For the majority of my 24 years of teaching, I was have been the sole director of my band programs. Any issues with curriculum, program organization, communication, scheduling became my problem to solve. After ten years of teaching, I moved to a high school band program with a feeder program with its own band director. Having an actual band director feeding into and impacting my program was a new experience. I knew I had to be present at my middle school feeder. Still, at the same time, I also knew that I was going to have to make adjustments and compromises so that I could help them be as successful as possible while at the same time ensuring my program grew and was successful, as well.
Humphries (2012) suggests that band teachers should welcome ideas and suggestions from their colleagues. He further states that too many of us hide from our colleagues, neglecting the rich abundance of collaboration that is available. “Collaboration can happen through email discussions, professional development days, observation visits, and professional learning communities, to mention only a few” (Humphries, 2012, p.67). Singberg (2013) echoes this sentiment by saying, “Moving towards a culture of collaboration includes efforts to connect and build supportive relationships.” (p. 396). Collaboration is the key to the success of any band program if the directors are willing to take that step into the unknown and work together for their students’ education.
I was very fortunate to have an outstanding middle school director that shared the same vision of success through collaboration. Presently, I am fortunate to have an excellent “dream team” to work with my scholars and myself. My junior high band director is a retired band director with over 40 years of experience, and he has been the most influential colleague and friend I have ever had the pleasure to work beside. It is like having a band “google” sitting across my desk. My junior high director is patient, supportive, and wants the entire band program to grow and be successful. This new and successful partnership led to finding a second retired band director to work with our percussion section twice a week. Having these professionals working with my students has allowed them to benefit from their many years of experience while at the same time allowing me to learn as well.
Though I have experienced and witnessed numerous positive collaborations, I have also seen negative collaboration situations. In these instances, the directors only wanted to focus on their programs, did not see the middle and high school bands as one program, and did not want to work for the betterment of the whole program. The purpose of the middle school feeder program is to send students to the high school band program. Gibson (2016) stated, "The constant among high school bands, and subsequently, marching bands is the requirement for new students every year to replace those who graduate”(p. 17). Research shows most students drop out of the band program in the transition between eighth and ninth grade (Gibson, 2016). How can relationships among band directors be built to improve the education and transition of band students from middle school to high school? Criss (2010) believes a, “collaborative effort and the presence of a sense of community will develop the ability in students to be committed to a task or a group” (p.32). My collaborative experiences, both positive and negative, have inspired me to search for ways to help band directors learn to collaborate for the benefit of the students, programs, the school community, and the directors.
One way to define collaboration is the action of working with someone to produce or create something (Sindberg, 2014). Every day, music educators ask students to work together to make music; are we as educators living by what we teach? Do our students see us setting an example for them to follow? Many individuals, including students, administration, and music educators, think of middle school and high school band programs as two separate entities. Each program appears to stand alone when it comes to the programs producing work, and each program seems to be judged on its own. The programs, and their directors, have a direct effect on one another, even if they do not realize or recognize it.
The band director is the single most influential factor contributing to the success of the band program. Among the characteristics of the band director that contribute to a successful band program are educational background, social skills, attitude, dedication, family background, enthusiasm, experience, and age. All of these come together to form the characteristics of the band director that contribute to the success of the band” (Justus, 2001, p.21).
During the Covid 19 pandemic, I enjoyed some of the most successful and rewarding teaching experiences of my career! The difference has been the collaboration with my coworkers. Gregory (1995) contributes, “educational collaborations contain several critical shared components (a) communication, (b) shared decision making, (c) faculty involvement, (d) allocation of financial resources, and (e) participants” (p. 48). Battersby (2019) states, “music teacher collaboration is not commonplace in many of our nation’s public schools” (p. 15). For my situation, one contributing factor is like-mindedness. When we interviewed for the junior high band director position, it was a part-time position. Just with the initial interview, I knew we would work well together. This director asked me about the direction of the program, how we started, where we were, and where I wanted to go. And he expressed a lot of the same ideas on how we could move forward and continue to build the program to our shared vision.
Any band program has a plethora of contributors to its success. Collaboration and vertical curriculum alignment between the feeder program at the middle school level and performing ensembles at the high school level are essential for district-wide program success (Justus, 2001). There is a perception that students must see a connection between the middle and high school programs that lends itself to building the success of both programs as a whole.
A bonus contributing factor of collaboration in my situation is a shared office and band room. You learn a lot about a person by simply spending time with them both professionally and personally. We share stories, swap ideas, discuss the direction of the day, week, and year daily. We have learned several ways to improve our collaborative efforts with this time. We are learning how to work together with all our quirks and in turn, help and encourage one another throughout our day, especially if any issues arise. Overall, we are supportive of what the other is doing. Finally, we teach together. He and I teamteach the beginning band together. It is excellent for these young scholars to see us sharing our different ideas and knowledge with them together. They know we are both there to help them grow as musicians and young men and women.
I am learning so much just by simply being in the room and watching seasoned professionals spark the joy of music into their young lives. Sussman’s (2014) statement that, “we try to be disciples of music. Our art form requires many skill sets, particularly constant learners and learning at every venue and horizon. As our superintendent says, “It’s all about getting better at getting better.” (p. 26). And for middle and high school band directors, getting better involves working together. Because we embrace collaboration, he will step in and offer his advice during my classes. Jackson and Burges (2016) state that, “working together towards musical excellence and the joy of performance benefits not only the singers and conductors in the ensemble but all associated with the journey.” Jackson and Burges’s insights are easily transferable to the band world. A band program has so many different parts. The better these parts work together, the better the program will be.
The students, who are the foundation of any program, will benefit from the directors’ collaborations. And once the students see directors working together, they will become a positive influence on the program. Everyone will want success for the entire program. Inevitably, administrators, parents, guardians, and other district members will notice these successes and in turn, will support what is being taught and encouraged. Chartier (2018) echoes this sentiment by saying that, “it is evident that a strong and thriving music program would not be possible without the collaboration of many stakeholders in the school district. From the excellent leadership of the music educators, the support of the superintendent and high school administrators, the supportive parent boosters group, and the leadership, dedication, and hard work of the students in the music program.”
Flexibility is one of the keys to a successful collaborative effort. From the marching field to the classroom, there are times of give and take from both of us. He understands where I have been, where I started with this program, and where we need to take it. I appreciate his experiences and know they can help me grow as a director and teacher, and I need not be too sensitive when I may not understand what he is initially trying to lead us to do. Wheeler (1997) states, “Mutual cooperation might well be regarded as one of the major factors in group integration” (p.17). If one can find commonalities and become collaborative band directors, these ideals can build a plan for the success of the entire band program from sixth to twelfth grade.
Collaboration is beneficial for all invested parties. As band directors learn to work together, students will benefit from their joint effort and knowledge. The program will grow and see the seeds of success planted and harvested year to year. Administrators will support a program that they see growing and successful, and parents/guardians will buy in to be the foundational support the band directors and program need. In this “all about me” world in which we live, there is a need, now more than ever, for educators to foster teamwork and growth. Through the use of collaboration, band directors will forge friendships, and together they can define what success will be for their programs and themselves for the future.
Battersby, S. L. (2019). Reimagining Music Teacher Collaboration: The Culture of Professional Learning Communities as Professional Development within Schools and Districts. General Music Today, 33(1), 15–23. http://spot.lib.auburn.edu/login?url=https:// search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ122 9447&site=eds-live&scope=site
Chartier, K. A. (n.d.). Effective Leadership Collaboration in a Massachusetts High School Music Program: A Case Study of Music Leadership in and Beyond the Classroom [Ed.D., Northeastern University]. Retrieved September 29, 2021, from http://www.proquest.com/docview/2185969775/abstract/ C016053385914904PQ/1
Criss, E. (2010). Teamwork in the Music Room. 7.
Gibson, A. T. (2016). Students’ perceptions of high school band programs, their marching bands, and factors that lead to intended enrollment in these ensembles. Doctoral dissertation, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/mse_ diss/20/
Gregory, M. K. (n.d.). Collaboration for Music Teacher Education between Higher Education Institutions and K-12 Schools. 13. Humphries, W. V., Mus, B., & Ed, B. (n.d.). Factors that Improve Student Retention in School Band Programs. 98.
Jackson, R. Q., & Burgess, D. D. (2016). The Better C: Building Community through Collaboration. The Choral Journal, 56(8), 44–53.
Justus, L. B. (2001). Factors That Contribute to Enrollment in Band Programs. https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/26898 Sussman, E. (2014). Cultivating grit and stoutheartedness: George Junior High School Band Directors lead by example. School Band and Orchestra, 9, 24. http://spot.lib.auburn.edu/login?url=https:// search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsggo&AN=e dsgcl.386746048&site=eds-live&scope=site
Daniel Garland Tyner has been a music educator for 24 years in the state of Georgia. He is the senior high band director and performing arts department chair at the Academy for Classical Education in Macon, Georgia. He helped open the charter school in 2014 and has help grow the band program from the very beginning. He holds a Specialist and Masters in Music Education from the University of Georgia and a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Mercer University. Mr. Tyner is currently working on his Ph.D. at Auburn University.
When we teach our students about music and how to play or sing it, what is the end goal? Besides fostering an appreciation for music, we probably desire for some students to become music educators and for some other students to become music performers. It is reasonable to assume that, after undergraduate studies, music education majors plan to begin a teaching career and performance majors aim to make their living from performing. However, it is no secret that “full-time employment as a performing musician is difficult to achieve” (Miksza & Hime, 2015, pp. 176-177), so many performing musicians supplement their part-time music income with full-time non-music jobs while others abandon performing music altogether. Reid et al. (2019) say,
The reportedly poor employability expectations of arts students relate to community and student perceptions that degrees in the arts do not lead to a ‘real job;’ however, higher education has rarely invested the time needed to understand the personal and environmental characteristics of career, learning and graduate transition for arts graduates. (p. 399)
While the most common alternative to full-time performing is full-time teaching, some musicians who do not perform full-time take on other types of music jobs that
do not involve performing. In what kinds of professional jobs are those musicians working, and what are the financial viabilities of those positions?
There have been some literature reviews (e.g., Bartleet et al., 2019) and survey-based research studies (e.g., Miksza & Hime, 2015) devoted to determining the percentages of graduates that have success as music educators and those who have succeeded as music performers. Some books are dedicated to music career planning (e.g., Beeching, 2010), including one book on music industry professionals such as booking agents (Carr, 2019). However, the field lacks research related to what happens to those musicians who do not teach or perform full-time yet remain in the music field. Some of these musicians develop portfolio careers, meaning they work an array of music jobs, some of which may not require performing. Through the profiles of three portfolio musicians, this article aims to explore the possibilities of alternative music-related, non-performing jobs.
To gain insight on the best jobs, we interviewed three colleagues (Daniel, José, and JF) about their current music portfolio, the monthly income incurred from all music portfolio jobs, and which job or jobs changed the
portfolio for the financial better. Daniel is a bass guitarist originally from Jamaica, and he is a musician at a church in in a large county in the southeastern United States. His initial portfolio income began development in 2002 when he first graduated high school, came to the United States, and started living in New York City. He was a church bassist ($400/month) and a Caribbean artist manager ($600 avg./month). The momentum of his skill set shifted when his artists asked him about how they could collect royalty payments from their original songs when they were being played on the radio. He decided to take an online college course to learn about music publishing so that he could help his artists collect their royalties. In providing this service, he negotiated a fee or royalty percentage for himself. When Daniel moved to Atlanta in 2012, he expanded his artist management firm to include a talent booking agency and an event promotion division. His new music publishing knowledge added to his skill set and enabled him to start a fully online music business consulting firm that conducts consultations via video chat and charges by the hour. His current portfolio includes church musician ($1000), and music business consultant ($1200), the latter of which now includes the service of video production.
Keyboardist José started his post-secondary journey when he began attending college in the fall of 1993 as a piano performance major. Studies were going well until he started having recurring clashes with his applied instructor, the one teacher who could make or break his chances of graduating. The fall of 1997 proved to be the breaking point, and after 4½ years, José withdrew. He was already performing part-time on the gig circuit,
so he made strides to increase his work to full-time status ($2000 avg.) and become a minister of music and choir director (add $1000). Then, in 1998 he began building a studio in the basement of his mother’s house. He initially built the studio to record and produce his own albums, but when his friends and associates needed studio time, he began selling studio time to them and others.
To José’s delight, the studio began generating income that eventually matched the income he was receiving from performing. By reinvesting profits from this part of his newly developed portfolio, he was able to move the studio into his own house and create a separate rental space for rehearsals. His current portfolio includes performance ($2000), worship leading ($2800), studio ($1600), and event promotion (30% of gross ticket sales). And in 2016, almost 20 years after withdrawing the first time, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in commercial music composition.
Jeremy is a trumpeter who graduated from college in the summer of 1994 with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and electrical engineering. When he graduated from college, he used his degree to land a job in corporate America. He worked for two companies over a ten-year period, and he played music on the side with a few bands. While life was good financially, the demands of corporate America and his love for music began to clash. When the company let him go due to his unwillingness to pursue a management-level position, Jeremy had finally decided it was time to leave corporate America for good and start his own business.
Jeremy put together his own corporate/wedding band, a cutting-edge 13-piece band with a horn section and five vocalists. He signed with one of the largest entertainment agencies in the country. Fifteen years later, his portfolio has ballooned to include three fullsize 13-piece bands, a touring and recording horn section, and an optional string quartet. He has 60 employees including sound and lighting technicians, personal assistants, and wardrobe managers; he also rents a 5,000 square-feet warehouse and rehearsal space. Jeremy charges $16,000 for a nonstop three-
hour performance intown. At a rate of 10% net pay per band per week, that translates into a monthly minimum of $19,200. And for high-end corporate clients including NFL and NBA players, the prices of the bands rise considerably.
The portfolio jobs of significance profiled here are corporate/wedding band business owner, recording studio owner, and music business consultant. All three portfolio musicians perform more than one job to generate income, and the total income generated suffices as enough to make a living. Monthly, Daniel generates $2200, José averages $4500, and Jeremy earns around $19,200. The differences between the musicians are in what jobs the portfolios include as well as the percentages of income each job contributes. Daniel’s music consulting revenue accounts for over 50% of his music income, but music only accounts for 45% of his total income. José’s recording studio only contributes 25% to his overall income, yet music makes up 100% of his income. Jeremy’s income is also 100% music-related, but not all jobs he performs in his company are musicrelated, not to mention he employs the most musicians and staff members compared to the other two.
While music educators such as ourselves may have influenced the performance skills of the musicians profiled, it is possible that these career opportunities were not discussed in music class. The research here proves that there are so many “other” music occupations that music educators may not be discussing with their performance students. We suggest that music teachers could use the information here as a starting point for discussing these occupation options with their students. School-aged students might then be aware of music career options beyond performing and teaching.
Music educators are the link between the classroom and the real world. If we are to open students to a world of possibilities, we should remain aware that there are many possibilities for reaching the “end goal” of music education. We might start by looking beyond performing.
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Reid, A., Rowley, J., & Bennett, D. (2019). From expert student to novice professional: Higher education and sense of self in the creative and performing arts. Music Education Research, 21(4), 399–413.
GLEN PERDEW is a graduate of Georgia State University with a Master of Music degree in Music Education. As a Mercer Scholar at GSU, Mr. Perdew fully developed a teaching unit on songwriting which will be published by the Johnny Mercer Foundation. His research focuses on alternative non-performing careers for portfolio musicians. Mr. Perdew is a general music teacher at Tara Elementary School in Clayton County. He has 18 years of public-school teaching experience. Mr. Perdew is also a bandleader, keyboardist, and vocalist.
PHU VU is a native of Saigon, Vietnam. He graduated with his BM from Saigon University in 2018. Vietnam, Vu was a music teacher, collaborative pianist, and professional music producer. He worked at various school levels and in Vietnam’s music entertainment industry. Vu entered the United States in 2019 and earned his MM in music education at Georgia State University in 2022. At GSU, Vu created a piano curriculum focused on teaching piano skills through American Popular Music of the early 1900s. Vu performed with GSU Panther Band in 2022’s Rose Parade 2022. Vu teaches music at St. Peter Claver Regional Catholic School in Decatur.
