Tour of MENC Membership: MENC's structure

I. NAfME's Structure

NAfME's strong and diverse membership plans and directs the association. NAfME responds to the needs of its membership through its structure of committees, societies, and task forces; its close ties with the federated state associations; and its elected leadership.

Leadership begins with the National Executive Board (NEB), the legal representative of the organization. As the governing officers of NAfME, the NEB is made up of leaders at the divisional and national levels and relies on the National Assembly for information. The National Assembly, the NEB's advisory body of state association leaders, holds meetings annually and concerns itself with providing input for national policies and organizational efforts. View the current NEB.

For more information, visit About NAfME.

Divisions

NAfME is divided into six geographical divisions: Eastern (CT, DE, DC, EU, ME, MD, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT), North Central (IL, IN, IA, MI, MN, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI), Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY), Southern (AL, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV), Southwestern (AR, CO, KS, MO, NM, OK, TX), and Western (AZ, CA, HI, NV, UT). In addition to national officers, all divisions have elected leaders who represent their regions and provide input for national issues and efforts.

Some divisions offer biennial conferences. Division conferences draw members from different states in the region, offering a variety of concerts, workshops, lectures, industry exhibits, and more. In addition, some divisions sponsor occasional symposia on topics of special interest.

Federated State Associations

NAfME maintains close relations with its 52 federated state music educators associations (the fifty states, the District of Columbia, and the European Music Educators Association). NAfME and these associations work together to form a tight network of information and resources, covering issues that affect music education and music educators at both national and local levels.

Membership in the national and state organizations is reciprocal, and as an active member of NAfME, you automatically become a member of your state association, entitling you to all the benefits associated with membership at the state level.

Each state association functions independently of NAfME, addressing state-level concerns and offering a variety of membership activities, including in-service conferences and seminars, festivals, competitions, and other activities. All state associations have chairpersons to address specific areas in music education such as general music, government relations, Music In Our Schools Month® (MIOSM®), Collegiate membership, public relations, multicultural awareness, special education, Tri-M® Music Honor Society, and more. Within state associations are numerous opportunities for involvement in local music-related activities and statewide events.

To get involved, contact your state music educators association for more information.