Welcome to the November NewsLink!

from your friends at MENC

Dear Collegiate Members,

I hope your November is full of music, fun, and delicious food!

This month’s feature article offers tips on learning jazz and becoming a well-rounded music educator. You’ll also find some fun historical facts about the Collegiate program, which is now celebrating its 60th year!

As always, if you have comments, questions, or would like to share your chapter’s activities or recruitment strategies with us for publication in a future issue, e-mail annew@menc.org.

Happy Thanksgiving!
 

Expand Your Horizons with Jazz

Katie VanDenBerghe is a music education student at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York. She is currently in her junior year, and her major instrument is the flute. She is the Eastern Division Student Representative for CMENC. She also serves as publicity officer of her school’s MENC chapter and secretary of her IAJE chapter.

Jazz education is an integral part of the music curriculum in American public schools. It is the first purely American music form and is regarded as a fine art. Jazz has greatly influenced all subsequent musical genres. Unfortunately, far too many music teachers enter the teaching field with little to no jazz experience.

This lack of experience seems to result from the fact that jazz ensembles are much smaller than wind ensembles, bands, and orchestras, and they have a much less diverse instrumentation. Thus, the majority of music education students may not have the opportunity to perform in a jazz ensemble. This presents a problem when these students become teachers and are asked to direct a jazz ensemble. Many of us will be asked to do so during our careers, and we should also be able to teach jazz in the general music classroom. To ensure a high-quality music education for public school students, we need to understand jazz and be able to teach it competently. 

The most important aspect of learning jazz is listening. Jazz is about feeling, and the only way to truly feel the music is to listen to the masters, put yourself into the music, and make the music your own. Each artist brings a different perspective and voice to the music—it’s important to hear the differences and the similarities. Whether you take a jazz class or not, you can begin to understand the music by listening to it and analyzing it. Ask for album recommendations from a professor or a friend who knows jazz. Miles Davis’ album, Kind of Blue, is an excellent place to start. Many compilations, including the Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz, are also good starting points. Try typing “jazz listening list” in an online search engine; many schools have comprehensive lists that you can use. Also, go to as many live jazz performances as you can—jazz can be very spontaneous and is a much different experience live than on recordings.

If possible, all music education students should take at least one jazz course, such as

• Jazz Ensemble

• Jazz History

• Improvisation

• Jazz Arranging

• Jazz Theory.

Taking a course in jazz will help you gain an even deeper understanding of the music than you would by participating in an ensemble. These classes reveal the origin and deeper meanings and implications of jazz—information that will help you teach this music.

As music education majors, our schedules are packed with the number of required courses. Adding something extra may not seem feasible. If you can’t fit it in your schedule, consider the following ways to learn about jazz outside the classroom:

• Transcribe tunes. Once you have started listening to jazz, pick a piece that you enjoy, and learn to play (or sing) it by ear. Start simple, progressing to more difficult tunes. Once you can play a tune, try writing it down (if you are not familiar with jazz notation, have a professor or a friend explain the basics).
   
• Improvise. Improvisation may seem daunting at first, so start in a low-pressure environment such as a practice room. Once again, start simple. Learn bass lines to the pieces you are listening to and transcribing, then compose your own melody over those changes. Ask someone to help you navigate these changes, but trust your ears. Remember: this is ultimately your expression. Once you start to feel comfortable (or before that if you like), play in a jam session with some friends. It’s a lot of fun, and there doesn’t need to be any pressure. You can learn from listening to each other.
   
• Read. Do some reading on your own. Ask the jazz history professor for a class reading list. There’s a great deal of literature available. I particularly recommend musicians’ autobiographies or books that focus on an artist’s most famous album and how that music was made. Learn as much as you can!

All of these activities will make you a more well-rounded musician and music educator and relieve some of the stress and insecurities you may face if asked to teach jazz. Jazz education in public schools will greatly benefit from teachers who have experienced jazz firsthand and can apply their experience to their students’ education.

Happy 60th Birthday, Collegiate!

MENC is proud to celebrate 60 years of supporting future music educators. “This 60-year anniversary of MENC Collegiate that coincides with MENC’s landmark centennial anniversary substantiates the significant leadership and important contributions that past MENC members have made to the future of this great organization,” said Jill Sullivan, professor of music at Arizona State University and national chairperson of the MENC Collegiate program. “This vision to build a bridge between preservice and in-service teachers surely is an important factor of the strength and growth of this organization today.”

Curious about the history of the Collegiate program? Here’s how it evolved:

• MENC was founded in 1907. As early as the 1930s, music education students gathered informally to discuss the Music Educators Journal. These so-called “Journal Clubs” eventually added activities to their meetings, and by the 1940s, many groups gathered regularly.
• In 1947, Thurber H. Madison of the School of Music, Indiana University, Bloomington, chaired an MENC Committee on Student Membership and Student Activities. This committee concluded that a new affiliated organization for college music education students could “help reduce the rather abrupt and formidable transition between graduation and professional teaching.”
• Based on the committee finding 60 years ago, MENC established the Collegiate program, and its mission is much the same today. Madison was named the first National Collegiate Chairperson, serving from 1947 to 1952.
• MENC Collegiate national dues in 1947 were a whopping $1.50 per year! Today, MENC proudly continues to offer professional support to our Collegiate members at a discounted, affordable rate. MENC has kept Collegiate dues to less than one-third of the regular membership cost, while richly increasing the benefits in the 60 years since the Collegiate program’s inception.

Member Benefit Spotlight

MENC’s Career Center

Are you wondering how music fits into your future?

MENC’s Career Center provides you with information on music careers, including a “dictionary” of music careers. You can also visit the Job Center to register as a job seeker or browse job postings.
 

Career Help from MENC’s Mentors

Help with Cover Letters

Writing the cover letter for a job application can be stressful. MENC Mentor Kevin Mixon suggests, “Try and find out about the job and tailor your cover letter so that your strongest assets relate directly to the vacancy from the beginning of the letter. Reviewers will probably skim a lot of letters, and I like mine to be concise, clear, free of errors, and indicate how I am perfect for the job—that’s it. Essentially, I mention highlights from my resume that will interest reviewers looking to fill this particular vacancy. For example, if it is an elementary position and I have experience with grades 4–12, I would be sure that my elementary experience is highlighted.”

Visit www.menc.org/mentors to post your own career questions.

Conn-Selmer’s Words of Wisdom

from Peter Loel Boonshaft
Professor of Music and Director of Bands, Hofstra University

“Great teachers ask lots of questions. In fact, I think the better the teacher, the more questions they ask. My favorites are ‘what,’ ‘how,’ and ‘why.’ We certainly need to spend a great deal of time learning the ‘what’ of our profession—those facts our students need to know. Equally important, though, is spending time developing the ‘how’ of our teaching—those techniques and approaches we use to help others learn. But nurturing the reasons ‘why’ we teach may be most important, for that is how we feed our passion for teaching. As teachers, we all understand ‘why.’ It is hard to put into words, but to find it, a teacher need look no farther than the eyes, hearts, and souls of every child we teach.”

Peter Boonshaft is the author of the critically acclaimed books Teaching Music With Passion and Teaching Music with Purpose. He holds Bachelor of Music (Summa Cum Laude), Master of Music Education in Conducting, and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees. He was founder and music director of the Pennsylvania Youth Honors Concert Band and the Connecticut Valley Youth Wind Ensemble and held the post of conductor of the Metropolitan Wind Symphony of Boston. He is currently on the faculty of Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, where he is professor of music, director of bands, and director of the graduate conducting program. He is also a featured clinician at the Conn-Selmer Institute, the preeminent educational workshop in the music industry. For more information, visit www.csinstitute.org.
 

Current News and Announcements

MENC’s latest specials and news

November Member Special:  Cheaper by the Dozen!

The November MENC member monthly special features the brand new 2008 MIOSM pencils and pencil sharpener. Your students will love these round “mood” (heat-sensitive) pencils and the flip-top, translucent blue pencil sharpener. In your students’ hands, these items will be used all year to help raise awareness of music in your school!

In November only, MENC members can purchase the new MIOSM pencils (12 per pack) for only $3.00 and the pencil sharpener for $1.00. No additional purchase is required.

Pencils: #6006R. Pencil sharpener: #6005R. These specials are not available at state conference resource shops. Call 800-828-0229 or visit www.menc.org/specials to order.

Rising Band is Named after Music Education Building

Eidman Hall, an up-and-coming progressive pop band, got their group name from the building where they studied music at the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College. The group recently collaborated with the Gin Blossoms.
 

The VSA Arts International Young Soloists Program
Deadline: November 15, 2007

This program is designed to identify and encourage talented musicians who have a disability. The award is given annually to four outstanding musicians, two from the U.S. and two from the international arena. The award provides an opportunity for each of these emerging musicians to earn a $5,000 award and perform in Washington, D.C. Any individual musician (instrumental or vocal) from the U.S. who has a disability and is under 25 and any individual musician from outside the U.S. who is under 30 and has a disability is encouraged to apply. See www.vsarts.org for more details.

BMI John Lennon Scholarship
Deadline: December 3, 2007

The BMI John Lennon Scholarship is back for 2008! This program offers one $10,000 scholarship and two $5,000 scholarships for original compositions with the broadest popular appeal. For more information, visit www.menc.org/interact or talk to your Collegiate advisor.
 

Collegiate Chapter of Excellence Award
Deadline: January 1, 2008

In national conference years, MENC awards the Collegiate Membership Chapter of Excellence recognition for successful chapter activities that develop a school’s CMENC program. Activities completed in the two years prior to January 1, 2008, are eligible.

To apply, submit a description of your chapter’s project, program, or recruitment technique along with an application form.

Question of the Month

Each month, MENC gets feedback on music education issues from members. November’s questions are about boys in chorus, multicultural music, and the future of music education. Visit www.menc.org/question to contribute.

Register for the MENC National Conference!

Conference registration and lodging are now open for the 61st National Biennial In-Service Conference, which will take place April 9–13, 2008, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Register using the printable registration form (online registration coming soon). Register by February 15, 2008, to qualify for the Early Bird discounted registration fee and to enter the drawing for free registration and two nights at a conference hotel. Visit www.menc.org/conferences for more information.
 

The World’s Largest Concert Is Back!

The World’s Largest Concert (WLC) has been the highlight of Music In Our Schools Month (MIOSM) since 1985, the same year the celebration was extended to last the entire month of March. WLC is a sing-along concert that links students around the world through music—it reaches an estimated 6 million students, teachers, and music supporters each year.

The 2008 WLC will take place on Thursday, March 13, 2008, at 1 pm Eastern Time. The theme, which corresponds with the 2008 MIOSM theme, is “Music Touches Lives.” The WLC will not be broadcast on television this year, but it will be available on DVD—students and teachers are encouraged to participate on March 13th.

Make your campus a part of this amazing event! Visit www.menc.org/wlc to learn more and purchase a DVD.
 

November Mentors

Do you have music education questions? MENC’s mentors have the answers!

Each month from September to May, the “Ask the Mentors” forum features a different mentor for band, orchestra, chorus, general music, and mariachi. The mentors are veteran teachers who provide advice in response to your teaching questions. Visit www.menc.org/mentors to post questions and read responses.

Meet the November mentors:

Band mentor Ron Meers is in his 26th year as director of bands at Riverdale High School. He was selected as Riverdale High School’s teacher of the year for the 2002–2003 school year. Prior to his tenure there, he was director of bands at Mt. Pleasant High School in Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee, for 13 years. He is currently serving as President of the Tennessee Music Education Association.
 

Mariachi mentor Bill Gradante has spent the last 27 years teaching mariachi classes in Fort Worth, Texas, at J.P. Elder Middle School and North Side High School, while spending weekends as a professional mariachi. He has published academic articles on the music of José Alfredo Jiménez, Colombian folk music, and low-rider culture. He is also the editor of the book Foundations of Mariachi Education: Materials, Methods, and Resources, soon to be published by MENC and Rowman & Littlefield Education.
 

Chorus mentor Terry Annalora is a choral director who has won numerous awards, including the Miles City Unified School District Teacher of the Year Award and the Montana Music Educator Association’s Leadership Award. He has organized several successful choir festivals. His own choirs have been repeatedly selected to perform at the Northwest American Choral Director’s Association and MENC conventions. He is currently president of the Montana Music Educators Association.
 

Orchestra mentor Ann Forman is the orchestra director for River Trails District #26 in Mt. Prospect, Illinois, a position she has held for the past 23 years. Previously, she taught elementary orchestra in the Cedar Falls, Iowa Community Schools and played violin with the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra. In addition to her public school teaching, Ann directs several other ensembles and guest conducts at music festivals and camps. She has won several teaching awards and is active in the Illinois Music Educators Association state mentoring program.
 

General music mentor Lenna Harris is a veteran teacher of 34 years. She taught in various school districts in Tennessee and Maryland prior to her current position in Knowlton Township, New Jersey, where she has taught vocal, general and instrumental music for the past 23 years. Lenna was a 1995 recipient of the New Jersey Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, and has twice been named a Master Teacher by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.