THE NEW JERSEY MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION a federated state association of NATIONAL ASSOCIATION for MUSIC EDUCATION
News From Our Board of Directors
Retired Music Educators Kathy Spadfino
kspadeb@aol.com As we come to the end of a very trying year for our profession, the Retired Music Educators want you all to know that we are with you and waiting eagerly for a return to a new “normal” in the fall. Some of us have supervised student teachers, helping them through a teaching experience without actually conducting! Region, AllState and National ensembles have happened remotely. We can’t wait to hear and make music again! One positive note is that NJRMEA will be working with NJMEA in creating a Mentoring program that will begin in the fall. You should have received a TEMPO express with a questionnaire about this. Please fill it out and submit if you are interested in being a mentor, or just contact me at kspadeb@aol.com. Better days are coming!
Technology
Dr. Andrew Lesser
andrew.lesser@yahoo.com www.andrewlessermusic.com YouTube: Professor Lesser
Hello, fellow music educators! It seems like a lifetime ago, but this school year has truly been a historical journey for music educators all over the country. Looking back at how we began last year, none of us could ever foresee the ramifications of what would result from this pandemic. I truly hope all of you have kept yourselves safe and healthy during this incredible ordeal and that we can look forward to a return to, for lack of a better word, normalcy, in September. Speaking of which, many music educators ask me what will be the face of music education in the future. I believe that educators and administrators will try and keep the positive benefits that we have learned (and sometimes forced into) from distance learning and remote instruction while attempting to improve the challenges that have resulted from this situation. The proverbial technology genie has been let out of the bottle, and I’m sure that many of the resources and materials that have been introduced will continue to serve music teachers long after the pandemic has been eradicated. Even though we’re still busy planning for the end of our respective school years, it’s never too early to think about the opportunities that will be available in 2021-22. We will continue to hold both the NJMEA Young Composer’s Competition and the NJMEA Student Tech Expo, hopefully with several on-ground events. There are other exciting proposals heading our way too; keep checking out the Technology page of the NJMEA website for updates and new information. And, as always, if you are looking to assist at any of these events or just want to get involved, please feel free to contact me anytime at andrew.lesser@yahoo.com. Here’s to the end of a truly unique school year, and may the lessons that we have learned serve our students into the future.
TEMPO
8
MAY 2021
