The Music Educators National Conference Committee, Publication, Study and Research Activities Program

Abstract

The president of the Music Educators National Conference outlines the national committee program approved by the Board of Directors for the ensuing period. Features of the plan: • A simple and flexible organization which will adapt itself easily to future expansion and change. • A pattern for operation on a national basis, which, if desired by any MENC federated state unit, can be adopted or adapted for the state activities program. • Separation of duties such as convention planning, publications, curriculum studies and research, thus making possible specific and clearly defined committee assignments.

Bringing the Outside In

“…Many within our profession have called for school music to become more socially relevant (Boyle, Hosterman, & Ramsey, 1981; Campbell, 1995; Jaffurs, 2004; Jones, 2007; Kratus, 2007; Regelski, 2013; West & Clauhs, 2015; Williams, 2007). These calls for relevance can be seen as far back as the mid-20th century, when scholars argued that school music education had not evolved with contemporary American society (Stanton, 1966), that music education should reflect society’s musical values (Fisher, 1933), and that contemporary music should be included in school music programs (Kent, 1958). More recently, scholars such as Green (2002) have suggested that school music educators utilize informal learning practices that more closely resemble the ways popular musicians learn.…”