Music Educators Hall of Fame

Purpose and Procedure

Statement of Purpose
The Music Educators Hall of Fame recognizes and honors those music educators who, by virtue of their contributions, are of such significant stature that they are considered to be among the most highly regarded professional leaders in American music education. The contributions of those inducted may be in such fields of specialization as music pedagogy, scholarship, administration, or organizational leadership, and must be of lasting value.

The Hall of Fame is a vehicle to inform the general public of the achievements of the music education profession and to provide recognition of the profession's most outstanding individuals. It is also an important means of preserving the most notable aspects of the heritage of music education in the United States.

The Music Educators Hall of Fame Location

The Hall of Fame will consist of a plaque with bronze nameplates recognizing the inductees. The plaque will be displayed in a prominent location in the MENC national headquarters.

Awards

Awards to inductees will consist of the following:

1. A bronze plaque
2. Expenses paid to MENC in-service conference at which induction ceremony takes place

Hall of Fame Board

The Hall of Fame Board will consist of three (3) persons designated as members of the Screening Committee, ten (10) persons designated as Members-at-Large, and a Chairperson. The work of the Board will be conducted primarily by mail and e-mail.

Screening Committee

Three members of the Hall of Fame Board, together with the Chairperson, will comprise the Screening Committee. The three members will be appointed by the National Executive Board upon the recommendation of the President. The term of appointment will be for six years. Members may be reappointed after a lapse of two years.

Members-at-Large

Ten Members-at-Large of the Hall of Fame Board will be appointed by the National Executive Board upon the recommendation of the President. The term of appointment will be for one biennium. Members may be reappointed.

Chairperson

The Chairperson of the Hall of Fame Board will be a member of the Council of Past National Presidents, and will be elected by the Council. The term of appointment will be for six years.

Criteria for Members of Hall of Fame Board

Board members are to be selected for their broad knowledge of the music education profession, including its historical and current trends, for their ability to analyze the significance of achievements of music educators, and for their general recognition by the profession.

Members of the Board are not eligible for induction. If a member is nominated, he or she will be notified and given the opportunity to resign. In the event of a resignation the term will be completed by an appointee named by the President.

Criteria for Induction

Contribution
Has the nominee made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of music education?

Eminence
Have his or her achievements in teaching, administration, research, or creation of music education materials distinguished the nominee from his or her contemporaries?

Influence
Has the nominee's influence been of major significance to the profession even though contributions may have been confined largely to a single field of specialization (e.g., strings, teacher education, jazz, research)?

Permanence
Is it probable that the nominee's accomplishments will continue to be valued by music educators of the future?

Just as Webster's American Biographies mentions "look-up-ableness" as a factor to be considered in choosing names to be included, so those involved in the selection of Hall of Fame inductees should give some consideration to how likely it is that future historians of American music education will consider the contributions of the nominee noteworthy.

Nominations

The Hall of Fame induction process will be conducted on a biennial cycle. A living nominee must be at least 55 years of age and have a record of sustained contributions to the field. Instructions for submitting a nomination are found under "Music Educators Hall of Fame Guidelines for Nominations" on the MENC website.

Procedures for Selection of Inductees

Screening of Nominations

Every nomination to the Hall of Fame will be reviewed by the Screening Committee to determine whether the nominee meets the criteria for induction into the Hall of Fame as established by the National Executive Board. Every nominee receiving two or more favorable votes from the Screening Committee will be included among the candidates voted upon that biennium by the full Hall of Fame Board.

Balloting

Balloting will be conducted among the members of the Hall of Fame Board each biennium to determine nominees to be recommended to the National Executive Board for induction into the Hall of Fame. Each member of the Hall of Fame Board will be asked to vote for at least five but not more than ten candidates. To achieve consistency in style and format, the materials submitted in support of each nomination will be edited prior to the voting by a person designated by the Chairperson. Additional materials, if needed, may be solicited from the nominator or from other sources. Any Board member who believes that important and relevant information is missing from the curriculum vitae of a nominee distributed with the ballot may submit that information to the Chairperson for consideration for inclusion in subsequent balloting cycles.

Reporting Results

The three names receiving the most votes from the Hall of Fame Board will be forwarded to the National Executive Board for possible induction into the Hall of Fame. However, no name will be forwarded unless that person receives votes from at least fifty per cent of the Hall of Fame Board members voting. In the event that fewer than three candidates receive the votes of at least fifty per cent of the members voting, fewer than three names will be forwarded. In the event that a tie vote makes it impossible to determine the three persons receiving the most votes, a subsequent ballot or ballots, as necessary, will be held to resolve the issue.

Retention in the Pool of Candidates

Every nominee in the candidate pool receiving one or more votes but not placing among the top three in the balloting will be continued in the pool of candidates for the succeeding biennium. However, a nominee who fails to receive at least three votes in each of three consecutive biennia will be dropped from the pool. Any nominee dropped from the pool may be renominated.

Number of Inductees
A maximum of three people will be inducted biennially. Fewer may be inducted at the discretion of the National Executive Board.

Induction Ceremonies

Questions? Contact Marlynn Likens.
Music Educators Hall of Fame Honorees
Music Educators Hall of Fame Guidelines for Nominations