“We Who Have the Destiny of Musical America in Our Hands”

Abstract

To mark the centennial of Music Educators Journal (MEJ), this article explores the relationship of music education and the making of musical America across the century. Several interwoven themes are developed to show changing narratives of American music and music education, using voices from the pages of MEJ. The themes rise and recede at different times, appearing in different guises according to the political, social, and cultural ideologies and values of the time. The author reflects on music education then and now and ends with reflections based on the first century of the journal's history.

Mindfulness Access Points in General Music: Singing, Breathing, and Self-Awareness

“…Thus, began the community singing movement of the 1990s. The project was a response to the perceived decline in community singing and the general belief that music educators should be concerned “with the declining role of singing in society and the musical life of the entire nation” (McCarthy, 2014, p. 35). While perhaps heavy in nationalist rhetoric, the initiative did attempt to focus on the importance of celebrating the joy and power of music as an uplifting force that fosters well-being and community.…”

A Cover Story: Music Educators Journal and Historical-Political Narrativity

“…At that time, music education in the United States was becoming formalized as an official curricular subject in multiple states, and MENC was beginning to support what would become a strong presence in educational research [19,21]. The reflection of patriotic and nationalistic themes was both a nod to the prevailing tenor of the populace and a strategic tactic to further the political goals of MENC and its membership [14,16,21].…”

“…There has been no other detailed content analysis of the external covers, though there have been two reviews of MEJ's basic cover design changes [6] and many analyses of the internal articles [5,[7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. The June 2014 centennial issue of MEJ included several of these reviews, focusing on advocacy [14], philosophy [15], and the definition of American musical culture [16].…”

Introduction to the Senior Researcher Award Acceptance Address

“…Her other publications have documented the histories of NAfME/MENC (McCarthy, 2007b, 2014, 2020b), the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (McCarthy et al, 2020), the Community Music Commission of ISME (McCarthy, 2007a), and the Journal of Historical Research in Music Education (McCarthy, 2012). They have also revealed the relationship between extraordinary historical events and music education.…”