Three MENC Divisions Elect New Leadership

Voting online for the first time, MENC members in the Southwestern, Northwest, and Eastern Divisions each selected a division president-elect. The term for each division president-elect begins July 1, 2009, and each succeeds to division presidency on July 1, 2011.

The newly elected officers offered different reasons for wanting to serve their division members as well as in the MENC National Assembly over the next six years.

Sean D. Ambrose is the Northwest Division President-Elect. Ambrose is the music supervisor for Laramie County School District #1 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, having served in this position since 1993. In his twenty-second year of music education, he has taught band grades 4-12 and collegiate, as well as K-12 general music, choir, and guitar in both Kansas and Wyoming.

He is the assistant conductor of the Cheyenne Symphony and the Cheyenne Chamber Singers and the conductor of the Cheyenne Civic Concert Band and the Cheyenne Trombone Ensemble. He has served the Wyoming Music Educators Association in a variety of positions and currently is immediate past president. He has traveled with student musicians across the U.S. and to Europe and South America.

Ambrose holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Wyoming as well as certification in educational administration and has done graduate work at UW and Kansas State University. He earned his Orff certification with Judith Cole and has extensive training in Orff and Kodály.

Upon election Ambrose said, "The opportunity to serve our profession in this capacity is both exhilarating and daunting, but it comes down to service. As professionals within the larger community of education, I perceive work with MENC or any other professional organization to be an obligation of growth and service both personally and professionally. I'm looking forward to working with the great music educators of the Northwest Division as well as the leadership of MENC as we continue to strive for the best music education systems possible."

The MENC Eastern Division President-Elect is Thomas E. Dean, the choral director and chair of the fine arts department at Mount Pleasant High School in Wilmington, Delaware. Dean has been active in the Delaware Music Educators Association, serving on the Board, All-State Senior Chorus Committee, Professional Development Day organization committee, and in other capacities.

In discussing his election he said, “Long ago, when I was an undergraduate at West Chester State College (now University), I had Dr. Richard Merrell for Secondary Methods. He was adamant about encouraging all of us to be part of MENC—our professional organization—that it was our obligation to be involved and move our profession and music education forward.

“I took this message to heart and when I began to teach in Delaware back in 1984, became involved in the state organization (DMEA), helping out in any way that I could. I never sought a leadership role, instead considering myself a worker bee working in the background—to fulfill that obligation that Dr. Merrell had instilled in me.

“When I was approached by members of the DMEA to have my name submitted as a nominee for the Eastern Division leadership I was a bit hesitant—not because I was not interested, but because there are so many outstanding musicians and leaders throughout the Eastern Division who might be more capable. After discussing it with some of my colleagues, I agreed to have my name placed in nomination … To say that I was a bit shocked when it was announced I was one of the two nominees to come out of this consideration would be an understatement.

“I am deeply humbled by the confidence and faith that the membership of the Eastern Division of the MENC has shown in me, and I will do everything in my power to live up to the trust bestowed upon me. There are many issues before us in both the national organization and the division that we must act on—sometimes aggressively. We will also need both the leaders and members in each state to be involved if we are to be successful. I look forward to working for you and with you in the coming six years.”

John W. Taylor is the Southwestern Division President-Elect. In his twentieth year as professor of music at Friends University, Wichita, Kansas, Taylor teaches music education courses vocal/instrumental and has conducted bands and orchestras. He also has taught in the public schools. His university’s Collegiate MENC Chapter has produced twelve state presidents.

Taylor is founder and musical director of the Wichita Wind Ensembles. These student bands have appeared on international tours, at the National Band Association, and have won national and international awards, including two grand championships at MusicFest Orlando. In 2007, he founded the WWE Professional Band, a paid adult wind ensemble.

He served as president and is currently executive director of KMEA, managing a staff of nine and a budget of over $200,000. He served MENC at Vision 2020, on the MENC Presidential Nominating Committee, and at twelve MENC National Leadership Assemblies. Active as a clinician and guest conductor, he helped write standards and licensure documents for the Kansas State Department of Education, and his articles have appeared in Music Educators Journal and the journal of the National Federation of State High School Associations.

Of his election, Taylor said: "Primarily, it is an honor to be selected by my peers to serve in this capacity.  After more than 30 years in this profession, I still find music educators to be amazing people.  They work longer hours than most of their peers solely because they want to bring the beauty of music into the lives of their students.  My task will be to serve the members and leadership in the seven states of the Southwestern Division.

“After more than 15 years of leadership work for Kansas Music Educators Association and MENC, I have found the predominant trait of our most successful elected leaders is a focus on our members.  My task of serving will include making decisions as part of the National Executive Board that will affect music education now and in the coming years."

Division president-elect photos courtesy of Dean, Taylor and Ambrose

--Roz Fehr, May 7, 2009. © MENC: The National Association for Music Education