Press Release - MENC: The National Association for Music Education Announces Mariachi Music Education Initiative
MENC: The National Association for Music Education Announces Mariachi Music Education Initiative
World™s Largest Arts Education Association Welcomes Mariachi Educators as Part of Mission to Advance the Learning and Making Music in School
RESTON, VA (May 2, 2006) - MENC: The National Association for Music Education announced a new membership for Mariachi educators, the first MENC Associate Membership classification developed to engage teachers of nontraditional ensembles in support of MENC's mission goal of Music For All.
To launch the initiative, an MENC Mariachi Steering committee headed by Clark County School District, Las Vegas arts administrator Marcia Neel, long-time MENC member and avid Mariachi advocate, recommended nominees for Mariachi National Chair and Chair-Elect to the MENC National Executive Board (NEB) earlier this year. The NEB accepted the steering committee™s recommendations in March 2006 and appointed Noe Sanchez, Somerset ISD, San Antonio, TX, as the National Chair, and Richard Carranza, Eldorado High School, Henderson, NV, as the National Chair-Elect.
With Sanchez acting as National Chair and Carranza acting as National Chair-Elect, additional Mariachi Representatives will be appointed by the NEB in July to complete the MENC Mariachi National Advisory Council that will serve through July of 2008. These Mariachi experts will act as the leadership for this newly established MENC membership and will offer direction and recommendation to develop benefits and resources to assist Mariachi educators at all levels.
A new era of Mariachi education is here “ Mariachi programs are being started all over the United States, said Noe Sanchez. Unfortunately, many teachers who would like to initiate a program do not have the resources to build one. The Mariachi Advisory Council will try to help all those teachers who would like to build mariachi programs by providing needed resources to jump start their music program. Several years ago, this would not have been possible, but right now is the right time.
Mariachi member benefits will include an MENC Mariachi Web site and E-newsletter along with curriculum and publications of interest to Mariachi educators. These materials will support current Mariachi educators in their work and assist others who want to incorporate this popular ethnic musical idiom into their existing program. One of the first things the council will focus on is the creation of a ˜How to Start a Mariachi Program Packet™ and a National Mariachi Curriculum, continued Sanchez. This will be challenging, but the council is ready to provide leadership in Mariachi education.
Educators interested in these benefits can access the MENC Mariachi Membership support materials by joining MENC as a full active member and including Mariachi as one of their Professional Areas of interest, or they can join as an MENC associate member with limited benefits but full access to the Mariachi materials and updates.
For more information call 1-800-336-3768 or visit www.menc.org/mariachi.
MENC: The National Association for Music Education, the world™s largest arts education organization, is the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. More than 120,000 members represent all levels of teaching from preschool to graduate school. Since 1907, MENC has worked to ensure that every student has access to a well-balanced, comprehensive, and high-quality program of music instruction taught by qualified teachers. MENC™s activities and resources have been largely responsible for the establishment of music education as a profession, for the promotion and guidance of music study as an integral part of the school curriculum, and for the development of the National Standards for Arts Education.
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