Dear Collegiate Member,

Happy Holidays! We’re soon approaching that long awaited break in the season where you can relax for just a little bit before the new year in 2010. Where has the year gone? In this issue, you will find this month’s feature article, “El Sistema:  To Play, to Fight, to Dream,” by Diana Hollinger. You’ll also learn about what’s going on around MENC, get news and announcements, and find interesting opportunities. Brand-new this year, Collegiate Specialty Items for sale! Check out the new lapel pin, writing pens, and fleece blankets designed with the collegiate student in mind.

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 Shauna Leavitt.

El Sistema: To Play, to Fight, to Dream

by Diana Hollinger

we have to dream further, all the way to the
fountain, we have to row centuries upstream,
further than infancy, further than the beginning,
further than the baptizing waters,
to throw down walls between person and person, to
join anew that which is separated

Octavio Paz, Mexico
“The Broken Jar”

Six and a half years ago I boarded a plane on my first trip to Venezuela to visit what is now widely known as “El Sistema.” I was finishing a doctoral degree and wanted desperately to write a dissertation about something that would “change me,” something more than just a document to get a degree, something that mattered. I stumbled across a music education phenomenon in Venezuela. Now, just a few years later, there is hardly a person in the world following classical music who is unaware of this program. However, when I first began, it was quite a different story. There was no website, only one story had aired on 60 Minutes, and conductor Gustavo Dudamel had not yet become the international superstar he is today. It was not clear whom I should contact to find out more, to interview, or to visit. I called and sent email to anyone I could think of who might be involved in or in touch with the program. I even cold-called Venezuelan government agencies within Caracas, using my awful Spanish, hoping somebody would direct me to a source. Eventually I found someone at UNESCO, who put me in contact with El Sistema staff.

How things have changed! El Sistema is now an international phenomenon, almost a brand, with its leader Gustavo Dudamel the logo. Both El Sistema personnel and Dudamel are overwhelmed by requests for visits, information, and resources. El Sistema founder, Dr. Abreu, and top Foundation personnel began restructuring in an effort to better reach out to musicians and educators throughout the world. Even so, they still have more requests than they can process, honor, or even respond to. One friend told me he gets well over a hundred e-mails each day from around the world. Gustavo Dudamel is swept in and out of his conducting engagements, surrounded by an entourage and protected from an adoring public. The Simón Bolivar Youth Orchestra (SBYO), the premier orchestra from El Sistema, led by Gustavo Dudamel, has crashed through cultural barriers around the world. To sit in such a concert anywhere is to feel truly one people as a human race, and understand that music is a form of communication even more than an art. Dr. Abreu, Gustavo Dudamel, and the musicians and teachers of El Sistema have managed to bring people lovingly together in the world of music, no matter the country, the background, or the cultural differences. Countries around the globe are now trying to duplicate Venezuelan efforts, and the Spanish “El Sistema” requires no translation.

El Sistema is a government-funded organization in Venezuela, founded by maestro José Antonio Abreu, aimed at systematizing music education and promoting the collective practice of music through symphony orchestras and chorus as a means of social organization and communitarian development.

El Sistema has somehow clarified the importance of music education for every child. Music is more vital to growth, development, and equal access, especially to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, than many educators realize. When budgets or time become tight, the arts, and especially music, are often the first thing to be cut, or to be devalued to “extra-curricular” or “enrichment.” This is not only an issue of a complete education, but also one of social justice for those students who lose access to music education. El Sistema stands as a symbol for that fact.

Why is music education so important? MENC begins The Housewright Declaration with, “Whenever and wherever humans have existed music has existed also.” Music is one of the fundamental ways we, as humans, express ourselves and communicate with one another, and to lose access to this ability is to lose access to a portion of what makes us human. Samuel Hope writes in a MENC Vision 2020 article that we communicate with words and symbols, with numbers, with pictures, and with organized sound (music). We can talk without the ability to read or write, enjoying basic expression of self, but we understand this is a serious disadvantage, as it denies access to both information and expression on a wider and deeper level. The same can be said about music. We can hear it without learning it, but this takes away the possibility of even basic expression in this medium, thus denying both expression and access, except as an uninformed spectator, an outsider. We only properly serve our children with the best music education—high quality, systematic, and standards-based. This is not a matter of just good-quality music education for all. It’s a path to social justice.

The idea of presenting a good-quality music education to the most disadvantaged children, then, is one of providing access to what has previously been available only to the elite, thus opening a door not only to a world of expression and humanness, but opening wide the door to possibility. This is the core value of Venezuela’s El Sistema. The appointment of Gustavo Dudamel as the new conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic has given California, the United States, and indeed, the world, a unique opportunity to learn from El Sistema. When Dr. José Antonio Abreu, El Sistema’s Founder, won the TED prize with its $100,000 and “one wish to change the world,” in Spring 2009, he wished for an “El Sistema USA.” Now, El Sistema USA is sending “fellows” from the United States to Venezuela to learn from their model. Consider making a journey that might change you as it changed me. Consider being a fellow, and, at the very least, learn more about the real power of music education. We are not on the periphery of education, as many would have us believe. We are the guardians of social justice; we are the educators who reach children who might otherwise be at risk. After all, if music is an innate form of communication and expression, and a child is unable to fully express himself through words and numbers—the two forms of communication our current education system uses and values—then what is left for such a child? For these children, we must work so that they may play, fight for justice, and dream.

For more information, see the following websites.

• El Sistema
• El Sistema USA
• Gustavo Dudamel
• LA Philharmonic
• TED

Additionally, 60 Minutes has several episodes available online about El Sistema and Gustavo Dudamel. The documentary film, Tocar y Luchar, is available with English subtitles at http://www.tocaryluchar.com/. Finally, if you have yet to watch Dudamel on tour with the Simón Bolivar Youth Orchestra, search YouTube for dozens of clips of them performing Danzón or Mambo, also available on their Fiesta recording.

Diana Hollinger is Coordinator of Music Education at San Jose State University in California, and is currently finishing a book for Scarecrow Press about El Sistema.

2009-10 Chapter of Excellence

Do you want your Collegiate chapter to be recognized on a national level? Send in your application for Chapter of Excellence. The Chapter of Excellence Recognition was developed to distinguish chapters for their successful chapter Music Programs, Professional Development Projects, Recruitment Techniques, and Service Projects. This recognition is conferred annually and is based on the significant contributions made by the chapter to the development of the MENC Collegiate membership program at its institution between January 1, 2009 and the Chapter of Excellence entry deadline of December 15, 2009.

Chapters submit a description and a Chapter of Excellence Application for each chapter activity to be considered. Activities completed between January 1 and the Chapter of Excellence deadline of December 15 are eligible for Chapter of Excellence Recognition. A committee made up of sitting MENC Collegiate National and Divisional chairs will select the Chapter of Excellence entries to be recognized.

Professional Achievement Recognition

The purpose of the Professional Achievement recognition is to distinguish individual Collegiate members for their commitment and dedication to MENC and music education. This recognition is given to Collegiate members who have served their chapters in an exemplary manner. All Collegiate members who meet the following criteria are eligible to receive this distinction.
Criteria: (all requirements apply)

• Student must be currently enrolled in an active MENC Collegiate chapter.
• Student must also have been a Collegiate member of MENC in the school year prior to the current one.
• Student must possess an overall minimum grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) or equivalent during the year of the application.
• Student must verify participation and involvement in chapter activities.
   

For each eligible Collegiate member, chapter advisors should send a completed Professional Achievement application and a description of the eligible member's participation and involvement in chapter-related activities to MENC. Applications must be sent to MENC on or before February 28. Recipients of this recognition receive a Certificate of Achievement and a specially designed lapel pin. Each senior nominee will also be considered for a $500 grant from the Caitlin Merie Hurrey Memorial Scholarship.

New! Collegiate Specialty Items …

• Blanket: Light gray, 50 x 60 inches machine washable fleece. MENC Collegiate logo in black and white stitching. #8055. $20.00/$15.00 MENC members
• Pen/Highlighter: Dual ended with black ink and yellow highlighter. Silver pen with black MENC collegiate logo. #8057. $1.60/$1.20 MENC members
• Lapel Pin: ¾” steel pin with dark and light blue enamel. #8056. $1.60/$1.20 MENC members

To order: Call 1-800-828-0229 or visit www.menc.org.

Member Benefit Spotlight

Weekly Music Education News

MENC provides its members with weekly updates on music education news and member resources, including classroom materials, grant and scholarship opportunities, and specialty items. You can choose to receive this update each week as an e-mail by calling 800-828-0229, or you can go to www.menc.org/news to see the most recent news at any time.

Current News and Announcements

Student Composers Competition

MENC is seeking original music of student composers for featured performances during Music Education Week to be held June 24-29, 2010, in Washington, D.C. Selected compositions will be the best representative works from MENC's six divisions in each of the following levels: elementary/middle school, high school, and undergraduate/graduate school. The instrumental composition category is for woodwinds, solo or any combination of instruments up to a woodwind quintet and piano. Visit contest page for rules and entry form. Deadline: February 15, 2010.

2010 Guild of Musicians Young Composer’s Award

The Guild of Temple Musicians is proud to announce the details for the 2010 annual Young Composer's Award. Please read the flyer for details on this year’s requirements and submission protocol. This Annual award helps promote and encourage musical works of young Jewish composers. It is a vital addition towards enriching and preserving a vibrant musical tradition.

MIOSM® Lesson Plan Writing Contest

For all MENC members. What do you do in your classroom to celebrate Music In Our Schools Month®? Enter your creative lesson plans, teaching tips, and activities. Visit MIOSM Lesson Plan Writing Contest for the rules and contest entry form. Deadline: February 1, 2010.

2010 Biennial Music Educators National Conference

Join us March 25-27, 2010 in Anaheim, California for this wonderful event! We are in the process of including at least two days of workshops and sessions specifically for collegiate members. It should be a wonderful event. For registration and housing information, visit 2010 Music Educators National Conference.

2010 Music Education Week

Music Education Week is a new annual event created by MENC at the direction of the MENC National Executive Board. It is built around a new format, different from that of past national biennial conferences. This format is designed to provide members with opportunities for music education advocacy, intensive professional development, and performances in a destination location on an annual basis, and during the summer instead of the school year. Watch MENC’s Web site for program details in fall 2009.

New Book

Enhancing the Professional Practice of Music Teachers: 101 Tips that Principals Want   Music Teachers to Know and Do
By Paul G. Young

If you want to improve your professional performance and set yourself apart from your colleagues-in any discipline-these tips are for you. If you desire anything less than achieving the very best, you won't want this book.

Rather than addressing research and theory about music education or the "how-tos" of teaching, these time-honored tips focus on common-sense qualities and standards of performance that are essential for success-everywhere. Whether you're considering a career in music education, entering your first year of teaching, or nearing the end of a distinguished tenure, this advice applies to musicians in any setting. Affirming quality performance for experienced teachers and guiding, nurturing, and supporting the novice, Young outlines what great music teachers do. Easy to read and straightforward, read it from beginning to end or focus on tips of interest. Come back time and again for encouragement, ideas, and affirmation of your choice to teach music.

This book is a feature in three of our weekly Band articles here:
Common Sense Tips, Part 1
Common Sense Tips, Part 2
Common Sense Tips, Part 3

For complete tips and details, Enhancing the Professional Practice of Music Teachers: 101 Tips that Principals Want Music Teachers to Know and Do is available with a 25% discount to MENC members from Rowman & Littlefield Education.

December Poll

Each month, MENC asks its members for their input on current issues and trends in music education. This month’s question is: If your school is presenting a concert in December, what are you calling the concert? Share your thoughts today.

December Monthly Special

Notes with Imagination

Now is a great time stock up on MENC’s “Music! Just Imagine…” notecards. In December only, this set of 3 “Carolina blue” notecards with envelopes is available for half off the member price! Each card features a different “musical imagination” quote and can be used for thank you notes to students, holiday greetings to friends and family or advocacy notes to other teachers and administrators. These cards are only available for a limited time, so stock up now while the price is right!

“Music! Just Imagine…” Notecards. #6093R. $2.25. Call 1-800-828-0229 or visit www.menc.org/specials to order. No additional purchase required. Special not available at state conference resource shops.

Follow MENC on Twitter

Collegiate Facebook Groups

• Stay connected with other MENC Collegiate members around the world by joining MENC’s Collegiate Facebook group. To join, simply visit www.facebook.com and search “MENC Collegiate Headquarters.”
• Want to know what’s happening at MENC Headquarters? Become a fan of MENC on Facebook!

MENC on LinkedIn

Connect with fellow MENC members and music education advocates on LinkedIn, a professional networking site. Participate in discussions about current topics, get music education news, and network with others in the field. To join, login to LinkedIn, select "Search Groups" from the top drop-down menu, and search for "MENC." If you haven't created an account yet, you can sign up at linkedin.com.

New MENC Collegiate Home Page

Check out the new MENC Collegiate Home page with announcements and news, and links to all things collegiate.

“Ask the Mentors” Forum

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, jazz, guitar, and mariachi. The mentors are veteran teachers who offer advice in response to your teaching questions. Post questions and read responses on the Future Teacher’s Forum. Read about this month’s MENC Mentors.

Month of December 

Band – Terry Flanagan
General Music – Mary Stevens
Chorus – Ken Tucker
Orchestra – Janine Riveire
Jazz – Paul Haar
Guitar – Ed Prasse

--Shauna Leavitt, December 11, 2009, © MENC: The National Association for Music Education