North Carolina Music Educator Winter 2023

President’s Message
Johnathan Hamiel
Greetings fellow music educators. Our 52 nd annual
Professional Development Conference left me highly
motivated and eager to get back to the classroom.
Whenever we get the opportunity to spend time with other music
educators throughout our great state, I’m always left with a full
heart and enthusiasm to get back to assisting teachers, students and
our music community.
I would like to thank our amazing executive director, Dr. Susan
Heiserman, for completing her first of many NCMEA Professional
Development Conferences! I am so excited about the future of our
organization under her leadership and guidance. I would also like
to extend my appreciation to the previous two NCMEA board of
directors. Both have been extremely important to the past, present,
and future of our organization.
Last year’s board had the responsibility to run the organization
through a global pandemic and online learning. Our current
boards are charged with the task of assuring the organization
recovers and rebounds from the pandemic and consistently moves
forward while dealing with the repercussions of the COVID
pandemic. I would like to thank all of our past board members
who have rolled off the NCMEA board this term and last term. We
appreciate you and the work you have done; the organization is
forever grateful.
With the rate of attrition in many industries at an all-time
high, we have educators contemplating changing professions. Have
you ever wondered what life would be like if you chose another
profession? At some point and time, we all have. I’m sure many of
our music educators have had the same conversation with loved
ones and support systems when we chose to become professional
musicians.
I remember 20+ years ago wanting to be a lawyer. I have a
pretty good memory and can remember events, facts and dates
pretty well. My mother was a nurse and really encouraged me
to select the health care field. My extended family continued to
encourage me to pursue a technology career. All of these areas
of study are amazing professions and essential to the world as
we know it today. But there was just something about the music
classroom that continued to draw me to it. We may all have chosen
music education for very different reasons, but whatever that
reason was, I encourage you to meditate and remember who you
are and why you chose this profession.
For me, it was the process of creating music. The concerts
and performances were great, but it was the process of teaching
individuals everything I could about music and their instrument
that I found the most rewarding. Being able to see students
set goals, work hard and achieve those goals are priceless. The
experience of having an ensemble know exactly what to do with
the wave of a hand and nod of the head. We shared a language that
could not be duplicated or imitated. Being able to expose young
people to music, events, and opportunities that they felt were
above where they should be was my drive to create every day on
the podium. Often, we would take trips to far away lands through
a piece of musical literature. This was a form of us using music as a
vehicle to travel from land to land, culture to culture.
At conference this past November, we were able to bring
1,400+ music educators into one place at one time for one goal…
redefining success, of our state, of our organization and of our
profession as a whole. We have skillfully shown success can look
differently based on the community, clientele, or demographics.
But what’s next? Where do we go from here?
When we ask these questions my first question is, “What is
your why”? What’s the reason behind why one would choose music
education? What is our genuine philosophy of music education
and has it changed? What makes us get up every morning to create
music with our students throughout the state? My why may be
different than yours, and that’s okay. The beautiful aspect of music
is we don’t all have to be the same in order to enjoy and teach it.
As a child, music was always there for me as a way to share my
thoughts, feelings and emotions. Depending on what was going on
in my life at the time, there was always a song or a piece of music
that captured my feelings perfectly, even when my words could not.
I remember as a first-year teacher feeling it was my duty to provide
my students with the best music education possible; the same thing
my teachers did for all of us.
I encourage you to reflect on your reasons for being a music
educator. Comprise a list of positives and negatives of the
profession. I encourage you to fix and resolve the negatives within
your control. For those you cannot control, I encourage you to
speak to a mentor or an administrator about finding options to
resolve them. If they are not available, our organization can provide
you with mentors who can assist you in your journey.
The positives are the items that bring you joy and fuel you to
keep going. Allow those positive reasons to serve as the affirmation
you are on the correct track and fuel you through the challenging
times. I cannot reiterate enough how important it is to have a great
mentor to speak with and confide in. It doesn’t matter if you are
three or 30 years into the profession; it’s imperative we constantly
have a circle of cohorts to be honest with us and give us guidance
when faced with difficult situations. If you are in search of a
mentor, please contact the head of our mentoring section, Carol
Earnhardt, at mentoring_progam@ncmea.net.
I encourage you to believe in yourselves, in your training, and
in music education. The journey to a harmonious world begins
with Music Education!
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