TN Musician Vol. 76 No. 1

TMEA EDITOR'S MESSAGE
Anna Laura Williams
Siegel Middle School
CELEBRATING THE 75TH
ANNIVERSARY PUBLICATION YEAR
OF THE TENNESSEE MUSICIAN
Featuring the TMEA Past-Presidents
The Tennessee Music Education Association (TMEA)
was officially formed in 1945 as a voluntary, non-profit
organization representing all phases of music education at
all school levels.
The Tennessee Musician was founded in 1948 with J.
Clark Rhodes appointed by the TMEA Board of Control as
inaugural editor.
Since 1945, the Presidents of the Tennessee Music Education
Association have been trailblazers for music education in our
state representing us at the local, regional, and national level. In
the past and in the present, TMEA Presidents are proven leaders
that have made a profound difference for music education.
Beginning with the first volume of the Tennessee Musician (1948-
1949 publication year), our TMEA Presidents have written
messages to the membership. Throughout time, this section has
held many titles, including “From the President,” “The President’s
Message,” “The President’s Letter,” “Letter from the President,”
and more.
While the title of the President’s section has changed over time,
the importance has not. In the Tennessee Musician, the TMEA
President's opening remarks have historically been a crucial place
for our TMEA leadership to communicate with all members,
providing encouragement and letting the members know that
their voices are heard.
When possible, I sought to feature an inspirational quote
from each President’s first message (issue “No. 1”) to TMEA
membership. However, in some instances, a quote located in a
later issue (i.e., issue “No. 2,” “No. 3,” or “No. 4”) was too powerful
to omit and was thus selected in place of a message from their
introductory letter.
The Tennessee Musician has recorded motivational messages
from our past TMEA Presidents throughout time, and through
reading these messages, I feel a closer connection to all members
of our state music education association. It is my earnest desire
that this Tennessee Musician 75th Anniversary feature similarly
inspires you.
1954 - Tennessee Musician
Vol. 7, No. 1
1981 - Tennessee Musician
Vol. 34, No. 2
1992 - Tennessee Musician
Vol. 44, No. 4
2004 - Tennessee Musician
Vol. 57, No. 1
2010 - Tennessee Musician
Vol. 63, No. 1
2002 - Tennessee Musician
Vol. 54, No. 4
2006 - Tennessee Musician
Vol. 59, No. 1
2018 - Tennessee Musician
Vol. 71, No. 1
Anna Laura Williams
17th Editor, Tennessee Musician
Special thank you, TMEA Past-Presidents
While working on this project, I have been grateful for the
opportunity to speak with numerous TMEA Past-Presidents.
Many of these music education leaders have submitted answers
to the questions “What does the Tennessee Music Education
Association mean to you?” and “What words would you use to
describe the Tennessee Music Education Association?” Their
responses are highlighted throughout the following pages.
Additional reading:
I have also enjoyed reading T. Earl Hinton’s (1998) document
titled “A Brief History of the Tennessee Music Education
Association,” located on the TMEA website:
https://www.tnmea.org/history-past-presidents
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