It is with great pride that I have the opportunity to meet with our amazing DEIA Task Force as we continue to discuss and reflect on the operations of CMEA as they relate to diversity, equity, inclusivity, and access. This task force exists to make recommendations to the CMEA Board to adjust policy and practices. What we, Colorado Music Educators, do know is that society is quickly readapting and this change is for the better when we support educator practices with Culturally Responsive Teaching/Pedagogy (CRT/P), Anti-Bias Anti-Racist Education (ABARE), Social and Emotional Learning/Competencies (SEL), Gender Inclusivity, Special Education Supports, and representation of Economic Diversification and Rural/Urban Communities. Why do we do this? We do this because this represents our members and most importantly, it represents the students in our classrooms.
Our members are alike in countless ways. We all love music and we all love children. We love to perform and receive applause. We all have great adoration for our mentors and respect for our colleagues. We seek opportunities to be creative. And... we all have biases. If we were all asked to list 5 musicians that we believe are the greatest of all time, we would never find common ground. Why? We all have biases. Bias is detrimental if we cannot acknowledge its existence in ourselves. It is only with our self-awareness of our own biases that we can mend the gaps of support within our music rooms and ensembles. Is our bias cultural, unconscious/implicit, or conscious/explicit? Bias may be positive or negative and is defined as “in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair” in the Google Dictionary.
In our efforts to become more culturally responsive in our teaching, I hope that we are all using this new lense of anti-bias when planning our lessons and desired outcomes by looking at our repertoire, utilization of guest conductors/artists, assignments of vocal parts, concert attire, and handbooks. May we all aim to be fact based, mindful of subtle clues our students give us, create better structures for our decisions, and foster social awareness in our classroom communities.
All of this is overwhelming and heavy on our shoulders at times. It is natural that when we are stressed we tend to revert and teach the way we were taught and not necessarily the way our students should be taught TODAY. I encourage you all to maintain a hard and fast rule: TEACH the students you have and not the students you WISH you had or the student that you were. They need us more today than they ever have. We know that music is a safe place for all as it is the community that has welcomed us. Let’s all continue to nurture the future of music education.
As we prepare for the 2022 CMEA Clinic/Conference in January, we (Executive Board, Board of Directors and State Assembly) know that what CMEA puts forward to the public represents our values. Our board members have taken time to participate in deep conversations this past year as we seek to better represent our entire membership. Some changes are as quick as editing verbiage on a form while other changes take time to implement. Please do not ever hesitate to step forward with any personal questions or ideas regarding our work in the arena of DEIA. CMEA is a professional organization to which we are all welcome because we pay dues. We pay to “belong.” CMEA is where we all should naturally exist. CMEA wants to represent YOU and the future of our profession.
CMEA CONFERENCE PERFORMING GROUP APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN
The window is now opened to submit your applications and sound files to be considered and selected as an honor performing group for the 2022 CMEA Conference. The conference will be held in person only at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs from January 26- 29, 2022. Applications close on November 5, 2021.
It now time again to nominate your colleagues for the 2022 CMEA Honor Awards. Nominations are currently open and close on October 1, 2021. To nominate an individual for one of these awards simply click on the award and you be taken to the award nomination form and instructions. All award nominations and supporting materials will be submitted through the google form. You must sign into your gmail account to access these forms. If you are interested in making a nomination but are unable to access the form please email officecmeaonline@gmail.com or communicationscmeaonline@gmail.com
Do not miss the opportunity to take advantage of the early bird CMEA Conference registration rates. Early bird registration rates end on October 15, 2021. Conference Pre-registration rates begin on October 16, 2021.
Welcome back to the 2021-22 school year to my fellow General Music Educators! With the start of a fresh year and for many of us fully in person, we have fresh excitement, ideas, and lesson plans! I hope each and everyone of you had the opportunity to rejuvenate over the summer months as this last year and a half have been stressful for us and our students. Remember to take time for yourself during the school year! We must remember that in order to be great teachers, we must have time for self-care. The window is now open to submit a performance application for the CMEA 2022 Conference! The General Music Council members and I want to strongly encourage you to submit a recording of any type of ensemble with any type of recording materials! We are thrilled to have concerts back at CMEA! Also, the CMEA 2022 Conference Early Bird Registration is now open through October 15th. Plan ahead to save money! West Music strongly encourages G.M.C. attendees to pre-order instruments this year to pick up at the conference! This will allow them to support our sponsored clinicians to the best of their ability so give them a call today! 1-800-397-9378. Finally, don’t forget to attend workshops from our local organizations and chapters. The Rocky Mountain Chapter of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association will HOST events this year. Check out ROCKE’s (Regional Organization for Colorado Kodaly Educators) calendar HERE. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions, suggestions, or just to say hi!
Throughout the last year and a half, the two words that have continued to resonate in my head have been Patience and Empathy. I was reminded of those two words as I met my students on the first day of marching band camp in early August. There was a mix of emotions from students and staff alike. Some students practiced over the summer, some put their instruments in the case after we finished the previous year, and some came back to band after taking a year off (not wanting to deal with online band). Many students were excited to be around their friends and to be back in the familiar spaces in our school that they call their second home. However, there were others that experienced intense social anxiety. Regardless of their situation and their emotions, we worked hard to ensure that each student would be cared for and valued. We adjusted plans to make sure each student found success. As you head back to school, there are undoubtedly mixed emotions about the year ahead. Excitement for the return of students to your rehearsal rooms and performance halls. Concern regarding protocols and the state of your programs moving forward. Remember to treat yourself with the same patience and empathy you show your students.
Let us know how the IMC can support you, and let’s Celebrate One Another! We are ALL CMEA!
Did you know that you can purchase CMEA Solo and Ensemble Awards even if you did not attend a CHSAA Solo and Ensemble Festival? If you hosted a regional Solo and Ensemble Festival or a county of district festival you can still order CMEA Solo and Ensemble medals.
Have you participated in a CHSAA Large Group Festival and put off ordering the award plaque? You can still order plaques for past festivals.
Did you have students in All-State Jazz Band, All-State Jazz Choir, All-State Orchestra, or the Elementary, Middle School, or High School All-State Choirs? If you did this might be a great time to honor these students with an All-State Medal. You can order these medals for your students and have them shipped directly to your home address. This is a great way to recognize your students for their accomplishment.
Have you thought about stocking up on Solo and Ensemble Medals, All-State Medals, or Clinic/Conference Performing Group medals? This might be a good time to spend remain budget dollars to stock up on these medals before your funds run out.
All award orders can be placed by Clicking Here. All transactions can be completed on-line, including credit card payment.
Do you have questions regarding CMEA awards? You can direct those questions to CMEA Awards Manager- Ken Anderson at awardscmeaonline@gmail.com
