October 19, 2007

Dear Nevada Music Educators,

What a pleasure it is to serve as your president for the second time. Thank you for your trust and confidence. I hope that this letter finds you well and surviving the first quarter of a new school year.

Things surely have changed since the last time I was president. We have more active members, more involvement from elementary and middle school music educators, and we are evolving as an association. As we evolve, we can’t help but have to deal with “growing pains”. Change is a word most of us are uncomfortable with. I have been involved with NMEA since I was a sophomore in the All-State Choir in high school – 1981! In 26 years, I have seen a lot of change – sometimes I was even outspoken enough to speak out against change. However, I must say that some of the changes I thought would never work are now accepted standard practice.
For the next two years we are trying something new for NMEA (not so new for 69% of the rest of the MEA’s around the United States). We are holding our annual All-State Convention in the same venue – on the campus of UNLV in Las Vegas. Many of our members have questioned this move asking if there are valid reasons that support it. The answer is - yes. The biggest reason is space – we have outgrown the venues in Elko and in Reno. Last year’s All-State in Las Vegas was one of the first in a long time where we had adequate meeting and rehearsal space. There was also enough room in the performance venue to house the audience for the event. With the commitment of the Clark County School District working hand in hand with UNLV to pay for facilities and equipment, NMEA is able to help with 50% of the housing costs for the students coming from other areas in the state. We are excited to do this for the first time. This is normally the money that would pay for facilities and equipment rental in other venues. With the success of last year’s convention, the NMEA Board, Zone Representatives and Chairs are excited about the possibilities awaiting us.

As we evolve and grow as an association, we are not always going to agree but we can agree to disagree. The NMEA Board and zone representatives are listening to all concerns and suggestions. Ultimately, we want to do what is best for kids and best for music education in our state. Please feel free to email your zone representatives or anyone on the board with constructive suggestions and concerns. If we all put our heads together, we should be able to come up with solutions.

I have asked Susan Sonnemaker, one of our NMEA members from the Northern Zone, to start a committee to research how other states, like Nevada, deal with rural issues. This has been a concern for a long time and as I talk with Susan and many of our NMEA members from rural counties, I am beginning to understand your frustrations and concerns with the “powers that be” in your school districts. Once a report comes in from the committee, the board will then develop a plan to help better support our members in our rural areas.

In June, I had the privilege of representing NMEA at the MENC Centennial Congress and National Assembly. The first two days were devoted to the Centennial Congress, which was devised to honor the 100th Anniversary of the founding of MENC in Keokuk, Iowa. During these two days we looked back at the tremendous progress we have made over our first 100 years and began to chart a course for the next 100.

Our keynote speaker was Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas and current candidate for President of the United States. He backed a plan while in officer in Arkansas which ultimately forced every public school in Arkansas to offer music and art education classes taught by trained instructors. Mr. Huckabee said that musical instruments can be “weapons of mass INSTRUCTION” and schools should not be allowed to cut music and art education classes.

As a state president, I was able to participate in discussion groups that talked about the issues facing Music Education and MENC as an organization. The topics included policy development, assessment and teacher education. At the conclusion of the two days, MENC issued an initial report, “Sense of the Congress”. Please make sure you visit menc.org to read the report and view some of the speeches. It was really an eye opening experience for me.

The National Assembly followed the Centennial Congress. The assembly brings together leaders from each state to report on the issues facing music education and MENC. The focus of the assembly was on reviewing and editing a working draft of the new MENC Strategic Plan. The new objectives within the proposed Strategic Plan include: advocacy, teachers in music education, curriculum and assessment in music education, serving the profession, organization and governance, and alliances, partnerships and sponsorships.

I would like to thank you, the members of NMEA, for allowing me to represent you at the National Assembly and Centennial Congress. I feel very fortunate that I was able to share our successes and concerns on the national level. I look forward to working with each of you during the next two years. Together, we can continue to shape the future of music education in our great state.


Sincerely,

Kim

Kim Barclay Drusedum
President, Nevada Music Educators Association