MENC 2000 National Biennial In-Service Conference: A Content Analysis

Abstract

The 413 sessions of the 2000 MENC National Biennial In-Service Conference were classified according to category, which included educational sessions, concerts and sessions that included performances, and general sessions. They were also grouped according to subject areas, including general music, performance, administration, research, technology, industry and exceptionalities. By far the largest proportionate category of sessions was education (65%), followed distantly by sessions including performances (17%). Promotion of industry products dominated, accounting for 29% of all sessions and 40% of the content of educational sessions. Technology sessions represented 25 % of all subjects and 71 % of industry sessions. Performancefocused sessions comprised just over 20 %. A continuation of trends of high industry representation and increasing technology, along with decreasing performances and performance-oriented sessions, was found. A single session on inclusion resulted in the exceptionalities category forming 0.4% of total conference offerings. The content of national conferences may be regarded as one indicator of interests, focus, direction, and concerns of a professional organization. Researchers in other disciplines (e.g., Berryman, 1982, Fetro & Droplet, 1991) have conducted conference content analyses to gain insights regarding their professions, as have Price and Orman (1999) with MENC-The National Association for Music Education.MENC is the largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of music education. It claims that its activities and publications have been largely responsible for the establishment of music education as a profession and for the promotion and guidance Harry E. Price is professor and head of music education in the School

Content Analysis of Four National Music Organizations' Conferences

“…Sessions dealing with multicultural issues occurred at all four conferences, with the largest representation (17%) at the Orff-Schulwerk conferences. As reported in previous conferences' analyses (Price & Orman, 1999, 2001, sessions relating to exceptionalities continue to be less than 1 % of the offerings at the MENC conferences. This was mirrored by the Orff-Schulwerk conferences, and no sessions for exceptionalities were found at the ACDA conventions or the Midwest conferences.…”

“…These exhibitors were primarily commercial entities offering some type of product or service for sale. Since previous research (Price & Orman, 1999, 2001) revealed a rise in industry presence within the sessions at the MENC national biennial conferences, we completed an analysis of the proportion of exhibitors from each of the four organizations' conferences in this study to gain a broader sense of the presence of industry.…”

“…The purpose of the present research was to both extend and expand the previous studies of conference offerings in our profession (Price & Orman, 1999, 2001 by examining the 2002 and 2004 MENC national biennial conference sessions. Additionally, to expand on the previous studies and provide context, analyses and comparisons of offerings of three other national music organizations representing broad divisions of music education (general, choral, and instrumental music) under the larger MENC umbrella were undertaken.…”

Professional Development of Experienced Music Teachers: Special Focus Issue

“…The first article offered an overview of policy statements within NCLB regarding teacher professional development and suggested that "professional development is a foundation of NCLB and is cited quite often within its language" (2005a, 3). We then provided a literature review of all studies found in 2005 devoted to music teacher professional development-which numbered only four (Bowles 2002;Conway 2003; Music Educators National Conference [MENC] 2004; Price and Orman 2001). This article suggested a need for more research on professional development of arts educators and recommended that arts educators "be involved in the discussion regarding research of professional development and the definitions of scientific research" (2005a, 7).…”

The Effect of Kodály Training on Music Teachers’ Sight Singing Skills

“…Interestingly, enhancement of their own musicianship was not listed as a priority. Content analysis of the MENC: The National Association for Music Education national biennial in-service conferences from 1984-2000 revealed that from 1984 to 2000, the number of performance-oriented sessions decreased from 59.6% to 17.1% [4]. These findings are puzzling in light of the fact that "music teachers do not think of musicmaking and music teaching as two separate aspects of being music teachers.…”