North Carolina Music Educator Summer 2023

Notes from the Executive Director
Susan Heiserman
President’s Message
Johnathan Hamiel
Warm summer greetings from Raleigh! Whether you’re
working a summer job or side gig, pursuing continued
learning, or taking a vacation, I hope you’re finding
time to do the things you enjoy, and taking some time to reflect.
My reflection: throughout the past year, I’ve been bowled over by
incredible music making at all-states, honors events, and MPAs;
amazed by the number of music educators receiving awards and
honors from their schools, districts, and statewide; and grateful for
the strong leadership demonstrated by colleagues in each section,
and the seriousness with which they take their responsibilities.
It’s an honor to work with a group of people who are making a
difference in the lives of students daily!
We’re always growing and evolving, and NCMEA leadership
wants to make sure we are serving the profession in ways that
are responsive, practical, and helpful to you. We always welcome
feedback from members and want to stay informed about your
experiences as music educators from the mountains to the coast.
If you ever have a question, request, or want to let us know how
NCMEA could better serve you, please email me (sheiserman@
ncmea.net) or use the “Member Suggestion Box” form at
www.ncmea.net, under Member Resources.
2023 Conference: Inspire Harmony
As you begin planning for fall, make sure the NCMEA
Professional Development Conference is on your calendar!
We’ll meet in Winston-Salem, November 4 – 7, where you can
enjoy over one hundred inspiring sessions, workshops, and
performances.
In addition to focusing on skills in each teaching area, there
will be sessions dedicated to DEIA, literacy, wellness and selfcare,
music technology, guitar, and piano, as well as a whole new
popular music track. You can visit a wide variety of industry
vendors and representatives in the exhibit hall. Encourage your
students to participate in Tri-M/Young Professionals Day or to
audition for an honors ensemble.
This year, we are thrilled to introduce the launch of the
North Carolina Intercollegiate Honor Band (NCIHB)! The
NCIHB seeks to provide a collaborative and musically artistic
experience for students at the collegiate level from all North
Carolina public and private colleges and universities offering
band. The NCIHB will exist to promote music education at the
middle and high school levels, encourage continuing musicmaking
at the university level regardless of program of study,
connect with current and future music educators, and promote
the creation of new music through commissioning projects.
Each applying North Carolina college or university with a band
program is guaranteed at least two students to participate;
approximately 80 students will be selected. The 2023 clinician is
Michael Haithcock, and the performance will take place in the
Stevens Center on Monday, November 6 at 8 p.m.
Keynote Speaker and Feature Performers
The John Brown Big Band, headline performer at this year’s conference
The headline conference performance on November 5 will
feature the John Brown Big Band, a professional large jazz
ensemble made up of top North Carolina musicians specializing
in traditional compositions from the Great American Songbook
and today’s cutting-edge arrangements. They will be joined
by Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon. Brown,
currently director of the jazz program and associate professor
of the practice of music at Duke University, will be coming full
circle at the NCMEA conference, having attended as an Honors
Orchestra student, then as a music educator, and now as a
featured performer!
Our keynote speaker, Mickey Smith,
Jr., is a seven-time Teacher of the Year and
recipient of the 2020 GRAMMY Music
Educator Award, who has inspired both
children and adults alike through his unique
motivational mixture of music and message.
Smith is not only an international keynote
speaker and presenter, but he also continues
to serve as a full-time teacher at The King’s
Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Through his love for music, Smith blends the roles of
educator and entertainer to create a dynamic experience that
entertains, educates, and elevates everyone to excellence. He is
dedicated to helping educators discover their sound. No matter
what the classroom challenge may be, he strives to encourage
others to keep on going.
Conference registration will open in August, so stay tuned
for more information and keep an eye on the Conference
section of the NCMEA website for updates. Enjoy the rest of
your summer!
Happy summer to the music educators of the great state of
North Carolina! When you receive this journal, several
of you will be on summer vacations, participating in
summer music camps or spending much-needed time with family
and friends. I hope we all find the time to do the things we want to
do. While we are spending this time relaxing, I hope we can find
a moment to reflect and reimagine what went well this academic
school year as well as some challenging items.
The most precious gems in this world are created with pressure.
Diamonds and other precious gemstones are formed through
taxing circumstances. I understand the future can be filled with
uncertainty – and at times even be somber – when we think
about the state of our schools, our administration, and our beliefs
about the direction we feel education should go. However, I am
convinced this too shall pass. I believe this pressure will bring
about a jewel we can share with the world. And as we look back
on the road we’ve traveled, we will find the methods to assist
friends and cohorts on how to face adversity by being consistent,
remaining student centered and keeping music education at the
nucleus of our existence.
Through these methods, I encourage you all to:
• Inspire students through the joy music brings;
• Inspire your fellow co-workers with the comradery we share
to reach our common goal of high-quality music education
programs throughout the state; and,
• Inspire yourself to continue to push forward in spite of the
circumstances.
Through these methods we can change the world by Inspiring
Harmony as we encompass a culture of belonging, inclusion,
togetherness and unity in music education.
NCMEA Elementary Mini Conference
This year, the Elementary Music Mini-Conference was held
at UNC Wilmington. I cannot express the amount of joy being
around the elementary music educators can bring. Every year I
attend, I always leave with a wealth of knowledge and resources I
can use immediately in the elementary music classroom.
Music educators came from near and far to participate, and
everyone walked away energized and equipped with tools to finish
the school year. I find it remarkable that regardless of the level we
teach, (elementary, secondary, or collegiate), there are strategies
present in all levels that can be applied to our current situations.
I realize our jobs are busy, and there is minimal time to complete
daily obligations, but I encourage all of us to attend professional
development outside of our content area. I promise you will be
exposed to something extraordinary!
Thank you to the Elementary Section and Joseph Girgenti for
your leadership and dedication to our music educators for being
the harmonic connection we all need. And a huge THANK YOU to
UNC Wilmington for being our gracious host.
Student Events
I am proud to say our student events are back to pre-COVID
participation. Our state MPA’s were a huge success. It was a
pleasant surprise to see schools that normally do not participate
in MPA do so this year. This is great! I encourage all of us to use
MPA as a means of growth and reflection. I encourage every
music educator to participate in our state festivals, MPA, Solo
and Ensemble, All-Districts, All-Regions, All-Counties etc. It is
our job as music educators to expose our students to new musical
experiences.
I understand the thought of a less than perfect performance
can be frightening, but please, do not be afraid. Your students will
surprise you and rise to the occasion. Also, if going for a rating is
not an attainable goal, everyone is more than welcome to go for
“comments only.” Several times, I received my best adjudication
when I took my groups for “comments only.”
If money is an issue, I encourage you to ask your local districts
if there are funds available to assist with substitutes, buses,
clinic fees, or even funds to assist in bringing an experienced or
retired music educator into your classroom to assist with MPA
preparations. Congratulations to every program and music
educator who participated in our district MPA and SEMPA events.
Regardless of the outcome, if your ensemble improved and learned
more about the importance of performances and music education,
I would consider that a successful performance.
Also, this spring we were fortunate to attend the All-
State Honor Band, All-State Chorus, and All-State Jazz Band
performance. I would like to thank Jim Kirkpatrick, Band
president; Aleisa Baker, High School Choral president; Emily
Turner, Middle School Choral president; and Tina Robinett, Jazz
president, for their countless hours of work and dedication to
ensure our students had the opportunity to perform at All-State.
Our music students are amongst the best in the country.
The ensembles were able to produce the highest quality of
performances and continued to impress our clinicians from
throughout the United States with their musical maturity. The
dexterity and musical capability were extremely distinguished, and
the behaviors and maturity of our students were professional and
well mannered.
Attributes like these don’t happen overnight. This comes from
highly motivated teachers giving their all, every day, to ensure our
students have the needed skills and techniques to be successful.
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