Centennial History - By Decade
1907
MENC began as a small meeting of music supervisors in 1907 after the 1906 National Education Association (NEA) was canceled due to the San Francisco earthquake. As the music supervisor in Keokuk, Iowa, Philip Cady Hayden put out a call to music supervisors to gather together to discuss general problems and present papers, and 104 came out to attend. Three days of discussion and performances were held in the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Keokuk, including a demonstration clinic presented by Hayden himself on the rhythm techniques he had developed.
Many of those who attended were actively involved in the NEA's music department and most likely felt that the annual meeting of the NEA the following year in Cleveland, Ohio, would sufficiently address the concerns of music educators. Although many issues were discussed at the meeting in Cleveland, in 1909 Edward Birge invited those who attended the meeting in Keokuk to meet again at a highly successful Indianapolis conference, further increasing interest in the professional organization that was officially created in 1910 as the Music Supervisors National Conference (MSNC).
MENC Presidents:
Frances E. Clark (1907) – Unofficial
Philip C. Hayden (1907-09)
E. L. Colburn (1909-1910)
US Presidents:
Theodore Roosevelt (1901-09)
William H. Taft (1909-13)
Inventions:
First Domestic Vacuum Cleaner – 1907
Color Photography – 1907
First Synthetic Plastic (Bakelite) – 1907
Cellophane – 1908
Instant Coffee – 1909
1910s
The Music Supervisors National Conference (MSNC) continued to evolve and grow throughout the 1910s. After receiving high praise for the Journal of Proceedings it produced following its annual conferences, MSNC issued the first Music Supervisors Bulletin in September 1914, the name of which was changed to the Music Supervisors’ Journal the following year.
In addition, MSNC members approved a regional organization model and instated the first state chairpersons. By the 10th annual convention in 1916, attendance had increased to over 700 people. The first regional division, the Eastern Division, was created in 1918 and remained a separate but affiliated organization for the next decade. The year 1918 also brought the election of the first Educational Council, the precursor to the present Music Education Research Council, to “study the problems of school music and report each year to the Conference on their findings.
In 1917, the United States entered World War I, and many MSNC members left their positions to participate in the war effort. Those left behind worked with the U.S. War Department to develop the service version of the “Star-Spangled Banner,” not yet our National Anthem, and distributed it to over three million soldiers.
Throughout this time, support for music education in the schools increased overall, with more and more teacher education programs offering instruction in music methods. Following the signing of the armistice in 1918, the phrase “Music for every child, and every child for music,” became MSNC’s mission throughout the next decade.
MENC Presidents:
E. L. Colburn (1909-1910)
Edward Bailey Birge (1910-11)
Charles A. Fullerton (1911-12)
Henrietta G. Baker Low (1912-13)
Elizabeth Casterton (1913-14)
Arthur W. Mason (1914-15)
Will Earhart (1915-16)
Peter W. Dykema (1916-17)
C. H. Miller (1917-18)
Osbourne G. McConathy (1918-19)
Hollis E. Dann (1919-20)
US Presidents:
William H. Taft (1909-13)
Woodrow Wilson (1913-21)
Inventions:
Movies w/sound – 1910
Neon Lamp – 1910
Life Savers – 1912
Modern Zipper – 1913
Pop-up Toaster – 1919
Theremin – 1919
1920s
The membership of the Music Supervisors National Conference (MSNC) continued to grow throughout the 1920s. In addition, spurred on by the formation of the Eastern Division, the organization saw the formation of the Southern, Southwestern, North Central, Northwest, and the California-Western Divisions respectively. To accommodate the new regional organizational strength, MSNC began the practice of holding biennial national conferences in even-numbered years and regional division meetings in odd-numbered years. The first biennial national conference was held in Chicago in 1928 with more than 5,000 in attendance.
The decade also saw the growth in popularity of instrumental music festivals and competitions, with the first official national band competition in 1926 and the first National High School Orchestra Contest in 1929. In addition to competitions, the 1920s brought a rapid increase in the sales of radio receivers, bringing music directly into the homes of Americans and building interest in music as a whole.
MENC Presidents:
Hollis E. Dann (1919-20)
John W. Beattie (1920-21)
Frank A. Beach (1921-22)
Karl W. Gehrkens (1922-23)
W. Otto Miessne (1923-24)
William Breach (1924-25)
Edgar B. Gordon (1925-26)
George Oscar Bowen (1926-28)
Mabelle Glenn (1928-30)
US Presidents:
Woodrow Wilson (1913-21)
Warren Harding (1921-23)
Calvin Coolidge (1923-29)
Herbert Hoover (1929-33)
Inventions:
Band-Aid – 1920
Insulin – 1922
Traffic Signal – 1923
Television – 1923
Spiral Bound Notebook – 1924
Aerosol Can – 1927
PEZ Candy – 1927
Penicillin – 1928
Bubble Gum – 1928
Electric Shaver – 1928
1930s
In the 1930s, the Music Supervisors National Conference (MSNC) continued to grow in membership and strength, displaying a gritty determination to support its mission and morale even in this most difficult of decades, marked by the Great Depression in the United States and building tensions in Europe. More than 7,500 supervisors and educators attended MSNC’s second biennial conference.
The organization’s continued robust growth convinced leadership that professional management was essential for MSNC to continue its growth. In the summer of 1930, MSNC hired Clifford Buttelman as its first Executive Secretary. That fall, MSNC also signed a lease for office space in room 820 of the Lyon & Healy Building at 64 E. Jackson Boulevard in Chicago.
The Great Depression caused the slashing of school music budgets throughout the nation as local tax revenues dropped. The cuts were a primary topic of discussion as the organization celebrated its Silver Anniversary, the 25th anniversary of the Keokuk conference, at the Cleveland biennial conference in 1932. There speakers reminded attendees that the organization was founded during a financial panic in 1907 and urged them to keep their programs strong as a source of encouragement through the dark days.
In 1934, MSNC’s name was officially changed to Music Educators National Conference (MENC) to more accurately reflect the actual makeup of the organization's membership. MENC continued its fight for survival throughout the decade, and by the time it celebrated its 30th anniversary in 1937, the organization’s financial situation had begun to improve.
MENC Presidents:
Mabelle Glenn (1928-30)
Russell V. Morgan (1930-32)
Walter H. Butterfield (1932-34)
Herman F. Smith (1934-36)
Joseph E. Maddy (1936-38)
Louis Woodson Curtis (1938-40)
US Presidents:
Herbert Hoover (1929-33)
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-45)
Inventions:
Scotch Tape – 1930
Electric Guitar – 1931
Parking Meter – 1932
Stereo Records – 1933
Radar – 1935
Hammond Organ – 1935
Photocopier – 1937
Ballpoint Pen – 1938
1940s
The 1940s began with MENC’s first west coast conference in Los Angeles. As part of the conference affairs, attendees approved a new constitution establishing a national board of directors that included the presidents of the six regional divisions, vocal, band, orchestra, exhibitor organizations, and Research Council members. The new constitution also allowed for the creation of a business office responsible for all of MENC’s financial affairs.
America entered World War II in 1941 and MENC members enthusiastically joined the war effort, providing classes to train community song leaders and other activities to promote patriotism and boost American morale through music. MENC also worked with the military to establish the Code for the National Anthem to document the proper way to sing the anthem. The war effort brought female musicians into a more active participation in music education, filling positions traditionally held by men who went to war. They showed that women were just as adept at teaching music as men, as well as being accomplished musicians.
At MENC’s first post-war conference, held in Cleveland in 1946, the hot topic was planning for the future. MENC drafted an Advancement Program for the organization that included public and community relations, budgets, research, curriculum, and recruitment of future teachers. As the nation experienced the various effects of America’s post-war economic boom, MENC realized a great increase in revenue, from dues and other sources. Members also approved a constitutional amendment that expanded MENC’s status from an education association focused solely on its members to an organization concerned with benefiting society at large.
MENC Presidents:
Louis Woodson Curtis (1938-40)
Fowler Smith (1940-42)
Lilla Belle Pitts (1942-44)
John C. Kendel (1944-46)
Luther A. Richman (1946-48)
Charles M. Dennis (1948-50)
US Presidents:
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-45)
Harry Truman (1945-53)
Inventions:
Kidney Dialysis Machine – 1944
Microwave Oven – 1946
Transistor – 1947
Frisbee – 1948
Velcro – 1948
Wurlitzer Jukebox – 1948
1950s
In the early 1950s, MENC faced the first wave of baby boomers completing the first grade. Millions more were coming along behind them—and MENC was committed to “Music for All.” The organization required a large effort to keep up with its goals. In the early part of the decade, MENC formed partnerships with many other music education associations, including the Music Teachers National Association and the National Association of Schools of Music, striving to unify efforts and standards across the industry.
To accommodate the onslaught of new university educators and graduate students who needed a place to publish the results of their studies, the members authorized the creation of the Journal for Research in Music Education at the 1952 conference.
In 1954, the National Education Association (NEA) moved its headquarters to Washington, DC and invited MENC to join them in their new building. During this time, Clifford Buttelman retired from his position as Executive Secretary and was replaced by his assistant, Vanett Lawler. Lawler hired Gene Morlan, the first music educator from the field to join the headquarters staff, as her assistant secretary.
When MENC celebrated its Golden Anniversary in 1957, it had more than 33,000 members—a far cry from the handful of music supervisors who had gathered in Keokuk a half-century earlier. This significant milestone marked the beginning of a new era for MENC and inspired its leadership to anticipate the future with renewed energy and commitment. Despite a stirring of controversy over issues such as rock-and-roll, the organization proved a bulwark and a unifying force for America’s music educators.
MENC Presidents:
Charles M. Dennis (1948-50)
Marguerite V. Hood (1950-52)
Ralph E. Rush (1952-54)
Robert A. Choate (1954-56)
William B. McBride (1956-58)
Karl E. Ernst (1958-60)
US Presidents:
Harry Truman (1945-53)
Dwight Eisenhower (1953-61)
Inventions:
Credit Card – 1950
Musical Synthesizer – 1953
Transistor Radio – 1953
Liquid Paper – 1956
Microchip – 1959
1960s
MENC saw a period of great financial growth under the leadership of Executive Secretary Vanett Lawler, brought on by an increase in both dues revenue and the number of publications and materials for sale.
MENC also found itself defending music education. As the launch of Sputnik caused American schools to shift their focus towards traditional academic subjects, especially science, members worked hard to encourage the inclusion of music. The Yale Seminar held in 1963 sought to enlighten others about the kinds of music and the repertoire that could comprise the music education curriculum. The seminar recommended more jazz and folk music in music curricula, but omitted popular and rock music. However, many music educators felt the seminar was inadequate. The Tanglewood Symposium held in Tanglewood, Massachusetts, in 1967, led by music educators, picked up where the Yale Seminar left off and recommended including popular music in music curricula.
In 1968, MENC created the Contemporary Music Project with a grant from the Ford Foundation to research and develop ways to update music education methods and approaches in public school classrooms. In combination with the project, MENC members focused much of their energy on teacher training, making sure that new college graduates had the proper preparation to take on the challenges of music classrooms.
With generational change apparent in America, an effort to preserve the history of MENC took shape while many members who were present at its founding were still living. During this time, MENC reached an agreement with the University of Maryland to house MENC’s archives at their main campus in College Park.
By the end of the 1960s, MENC found itself in search of a new office space as it changed its relationship with the National Education Association (NEA) to that of an affiliate. Because of a controversey over dues and the fact that NEA needed more space for union-related activities, NEA asked MENC to leave.
MENC Presidents:
Karl E. Ernst (1958-60)
Allen P. Britton (1960-62)
Alex H. Zimmerman (1962-64)
Paul Van Bodegraven (1964-66)
Louis C. Wersen (1966-68)
Wiley L. Housewright (1968-70)
US Presidents:
Dwight Eisenhower (1953-61)
John F. Kennedy (1961-63)
Lyndon Johnson (1963-69)
Richard Nixon (1969-74)
Inventions:
Audio Cassette – 1962
Compact Disk – 1965
Handheld Calculator – 1967
Artificial Heart – 1969
ATM – 1969
1970s
Due to a surplus for twelve consecutive years during Secretary Lawler’s tenure, MENC built reserves of approximately $500,000 during the 1960s. In combination with its reserves and money received as part of a capital building fund, MENC joined a number of other educational associations and built office space on what would become known as Association Drive in the newly formed Washington, DC suburb of Reston, Virginia. On July 17, 1975, MENC staff moved into its new headquarters space at 1902 Association Drive.
The 1970s also brought controversy to music education via Bennett Reimer’s landmark book A Philosophy of Music Education. Reimer’s philosophy defined music education as an aesthetic education, and was, at that time, the foundational belief in the purpose and value of music in schools. Aesthetic education had an actual and practical impact on the teaching of music, like no other system. Teachers taught music for the sake of music and worked to expose their students to diverse musical styles. This view brought about much discussion among members as to the purpose of music education.
In 1973, the New York State School Music Association celebrated Music In Our Schools Day, leading MENC to sponsor it nationwide in 1975 and 1976. This celebration soon became Music In Our Schools Week, and eventually Music In Our Schools Month in 1985.
MENC Presidents:
Wiley L. Housewright (1968-70)
Frances M. Andrews (1970-72)
Jack E. Schaeffer (1972-74)
Charles H. Benner (1974-76)
Robert H. Klotman (1976-78)
James A. Mason (1978-80)
US Presidents:
Richard Nixon (1969-74)
Gerald Ford (1974-77)
Jimmy Carter (1977-81)
Inventions:
VCR – 1971
Pong – 1972
Cellular Phone – 1979
Walkman – 1979
1980s
From the mid-1970s to the early 1980s, classrooms across the country experienced rapid declines in school enrollment due to the waning of the postwar baby boom. MENC and other teacher organizations experienced a membership decline. The resulting decrease in membership dues combined with the growth in expenses brought about by inflation led to a difficult financial time for the organization. Despite these difficulties, MENC remained proactive, helping members find increasingly scarce jobs.
The number of music programs in elementary and secondary schools began to decline in the late 1980s. As a result, MENC launched a grass-roots government relations effort, offering government relations training to state Music Educators Associations and divisions. According to historian Michael Mark, “By the 1980s, MENC had acquired considerable expertise in advocacy, had participated continuously and actively in legislative agendas, and had taken formal positions on a number of diverse federal issues.”
Despite a brief and unpopular attempt at reinstating an annual conference in 1981, MENC continued its popular biennial conferences. MENC celebrated its 75th anniversary at a particularly successful conference in San Antonio in 1982, where John Denver and Maya Angelou made presentations to standing room-only sessions at the Chicago Conference in 1984. In addition, the 1984 conference formally ratified MENC’s adoption of the Tri-M Music Honor Society as an MENC—managed program.
MENC hired its current Executive Director, John J. Mahlmann, in 1983. In his service to MENC, Mahlmann worked to develop the organization’s advocacy efforts and has played a key role in the accomplishments of the organization over the past 25 years.
MENC Presidents:
James A. Mason (1978-80)
Mary E. Hoffman (1980-82)
Russell P. Getz (1982-84)
Paul R. Lehman (1984-86)
Donald L. Corbett (1986-88)
Charles R. Hoffer (1988-90)
US Presidents:
Ronald Reagan (1981-89)
George H. W. Bush (1989-93)
Inventions:
IBM-PC – 1981
1990s
MENC’s grass-roots advocacy efforts in the 1980s began to payoff in the early 1990s. In 1990, MENC joined with the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and the National Association of Music Merchants (which later became NAMM, the International Music Products Association) to found the National Coalition for Music Education. The work of the coalition influenced the inclusion of music and the other arts as core curriculum subjects in the Goals 2000: Educate America Act in 1994. This in turn set the stage for developing MENC’s National Standards for Music Education. In addition, by the early 1990s, members actively promoted new approaches to music, arguing that music education must reflect the increasingly diverse backgrounds of contemporary American society. In response, curricula were gradually broadened to include the music of underrepresented groups, as well as popular music.
The late 1980s and early 1990s were a period of financial recovery for MENC. The conference trimmed its expenses and sharply increased revenues from the sale of books, song sheets, audio-visual materials, and computer software. MENC aggressively increased its stable of periodicals during the period, adding three publications in fewer than four years: Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, Journal of Music Teacher Education, and Teaching Music.
MENC’s involvement in setting education standards started in the 1920s, but the culmination of the organization's ongoing effort was the release of the National Standards for Arts Education in 1994. To assist pre-service and in-service music educators with implementing the K-12 National Standards for Music Education, MENC created the Strategies for Teaching series in 1998.
In 1998, the National Executive Board approved the name “MENC: The National Association for Music Education” as the organization’s new title to better reflect MENC’s mission.
MENC Presidents:
Charles R. Hoffer (1988-90)
Karl J. Glenn (1990-92)
Dorothy A. Straub (1992-94)
Will Schmid (1994-96)
Carolynn A. Lindeman (1996-98)
June Hinckley (1998-2000)
US Presidents:
George H. W. Bush (1989-93)
William J. Clinton (1993-2001)
Inventions:
2000s
MENC entered the new millennium with bold strategies to meet the challenges facing school music, and members and leaders prepared to promote music education with renewed vigor during the organization’s centennial decade.
In March 2005, MENC launched its National Anthem Project at a Capitol Hill event in Washington, DC. The National Anthem Project is an advocacy campaign to “restore America's voice through music education” by re-teaching Americans to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The project spotlights the important role that music education plays in teaching young citizens important historical traditions, and encourages community members to support access to music in school for all children. It will culminate with a world-record-setting performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" on the National Mall in Washington, DC during MENC's centennial year, 2007.
MENC today has evolved considerably from its first meeting in Keokuk, Iowa. Always mirroring American society, the association has grown, adapted, and changed through the last hundred years. With the support of more than 130,000 members, MENC has become the largest arts education association in the world and continues to advance music education by encouraging the study and making of music by all.
MENC Presidents:
June Hinckley (1998-2000)
Mel Clayton (2000-02)
Willie L. Hill, Jr. (2002-04)
David Circle (2004-06)
Current President:
Lynn Brinckmeyer (2006-08)
President-Elect:
Barbara L. Geer (2008-10)
US Presidents:
William J. Clinton (1993-2001)
Current US President:
George W. Bush (2001-09)