NCMEA Summer 2020

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Notes from the Executive Director Pat Hall Since the COVID-19 pandemic changed our personal and professional lives, the NCMEA staff and board have been working extremely hard to provide North Carolina music educators with what may seem like an overabundance of teaching resources. In early June, President Carol Earnhardt outlined a vision of what schools might look like when they reopen in August. NCMEA leadership also prepared a document: Examples of What Music Might Look Like For Students Across North Carolina. Carol’s video and the document that can be shared with administrators can be accessed on the NCMEA website. On May 27, 2020, fifty-three national arts and education organizations across the United States joined together in a statement to support Arts Education as Essential for students during the COVID-19 pandemic. A few days later, the North Carolina Arts Education Leadership Coalition (AELC); Arts North Carolina (Arts NC); North Carolina Arts Education Association (NCAEA); North Carolina Dance Education Organization (NCDEO); North Carolina Music Educators Association (NCMEA); North Carolina Theatre Arts Educators (NCTAE); and the North Carolina Theatre Conference met to create a unified document: Recommendations for Arts Education as NC Reopens Schools. The document was shared with school reopening task forces on June 5. NC Department of Public Instruction and the State Board of Education released their reopening plan Lighting Our Way Forward: North Carolina’s Guidebook on Reopening Schools on Thursday, June 11. Their guidance follows the StrongSchoolsNC Public Health Toolkit (K-12) released by the governor’s office and NC Department of Health and Human Services. Schools are required to create three plans depending on what restrictions are necessary when school opens: • Plan A: Minimal Social Distancing; • Plan B: Moderate Social Distancing; and • Plan C: Remote Learning Only. The document lists health practices that are required and those that are recommended. The recommended practices would be tailored to each school/school district as appropriate. The other big question is, what will our Professional Development Conference look like this year? The conference planning team will be meeting over the summer and hope to have an announcement by August 1. If we are not able to meet in person, we will pivot to providing virtual/online professional development opportunities for members. And, we will extend the 50th Anniversary celebration through 2021. So stay tuned. Speaking of the 50th Anniversary, we were thrilled to reveal the new NCMEA logo. This new logo was designed to give NCMEA a more contemporary look and be adaptive in a variety of uses such a digital, web, print and even t-shirts. After our anniversary, the logo evolves in color and use to highlight our teaching areas and programs. NCMEA is extremely fortunate to be fiscally and operationally healthy and will make it through this pandemic. We will continue to provide these benefits and resources to our members: • How to make the most of your career though professional development programs; • Be informed about the latest news affecting music education programs; • Help your students excel through local, state-wide and national workshops and performance opportunities; • Learn how to share the lasting value of music education with your peers, administrators and elected officials. Music education will prevail because we are all in this together! courtesy of Daniel Briggs 8 | NORTH CAROLINA MUSIC EDUCATOR
June 8th, 2020 To North Carolina School Superintendents: On behalf of the North Carolina Music Educators Association (NCMEA), thank you for your diligent work during this unprecedented time regarding instruction for North Carolina students. The quick move to digital learning in March reflects the diligence and hard work of leaders across our state. Now leaders are faced with making the complex and complicated decisions for instruction in the fall. Music education has played an important role in these tumultuous times and will continue to do so for all students. The healing and unifying power of all the arts has been evident as the COVID-19 pandemic swept the country. We have seen and heard it play out through works of art on sidewalks, shared musical moments from porches, in plays and dance performances, and every other imaginable iteration of art making. As you prepare plans for school reopening in the fall, we believe several factors pertaining specifically to music instruction warrant your careful consideration. Music instruction is essential to the social and emotional health of our state’s students. The sense of community, awareness of and desire for the welfare of others, and the interpersonal skills fostered in music classes are needed now more than ever. During this time of social and cultural upheaval, it is essential that students continue to have access to the skills and space music making provides to explore, process, and express their emotions and lived experiences in a safe and supportive environment. Social interaction and emotional health are enhanced by the ability to express oneself creatively through music. Music instruction increases student engagement and hope in school and beyond. A 2015 Gallup Poll of K–12 school district superintendents identified student engagement and hope as critical elements for effective schools – even as important as graduation rates. Research from multiple organizations demonstrates that student participation in the arts improves attendance, behavior, and academic performance. According to an October 2018 Gallup Student Poll, students in art-rich schools with free/reduced lunch program participation of 75% or greater scored higher than the overall mean on student engagement and hope. These students reported feeling cared for by the adults at their schools, being excited for their own futures, holding a positive outlook on their employment prospects, and having confidence they can make a difference in the world. Unlike most single grade or subject teachers who see students for one semester or year, music teachers have the unique privilege and responsibility of building and nurturing relationships with the same students over multiple years of their development. These relationships and the lessons learned through music will be critical in helping students adjust to their new reality and in keeping them engaged in learning. Music instruction contributes to the development of students’ creativity and capacities preparing them to enter and contribute to North Carolina’s creative economy. With its strong emphasis on team-building and self-reflection, music education is supremely suited to re-ignite students’ interest in learning through collaboration, while simultaneously fostering creativity, critical thinking, and communication. These skills are recognized as the “4 Cs” – the most desirable skills needed in the 21st-century worker. Music instruction is part of a well-rounded education for all students as understood and supported by federal and state policymakers. As defined in ESSA, “music and the arts” are a part of a well-rounded education. Every state in the nation recognizes the importance of the arts as reflected in rigorous PreK-12 state arts standards. Music is a part of a balanced education, providing North Carolina students with essential skills and knowledge they need to be productive, college and career ready citizens. As noted in Arts Education for America’s Students: A Shared Endeavor, “An education without the arts is inadequate.” Music instruction can continue in an online, hybrid, or face-to-face environment. While virtual music instruction looks different from face-toface music instruction, it is vital to maintain music programs during this pandemic. In a virtual or hybrid environment, students can progress in their music education with meaningful instruction in the NC Essential Standards for Music. The document, Recommendations for Arts Education as North Carolina Reopens Schools, provides helpful consideration for the safe administration of all arts programs in a face-to-face environment. I can assure you that the membership of NCMEA shares your concerns for the health and safety of students, teachers, administrators, and support staff as we look toward resuming instruction in the fall. However, our unwavering commitment to providing a rich and varied educational experience to North Carolina students should remain a priority. NCMEA is actively monitoring the latest information and guidance from experts on the national level to develop guidance for the safe continuation of quality music instruction for students of North Carolina. If our organization can be of any further assistance as you complete the difficult task of planning for reopening in the fall, please do not hesitate to call on us. Sincerely, Carol Earnhardt President, North Carolina Music Educators Association NORTH CAROLINA MUSIC EDUCATOR | 9
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NCMEA Summer 2020

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