Empowering NJ’s Musical Landscape

Celebrating a century of advocacy, resources, and inclusivity

 

The New Jersey Music Educators Association (NJMEA) is a professional organization with a remarkable 101-year history.

The association has consistently championed the significance of music education across the state, from providing vital resources to empowering teachers in local advocacy.

Thanks to a proactive internal reassessment, NJMEA’s effectiveness as an organization has grown significantly, illustrated by its direct impact on music education in New Jersey.

As a result, the association has been able to pioneer many mindful and socially significant initiatives.

For example, NJMEA has consciously advocated for a more diverse representation of conductors and composers in all-state organizations, which directly impacts student exposure and opportunity.

Its development of a not-for-profit foundation specifically to aid students from underserved districts also shows a commitment to equity that transcends mere rhetoric.

With a proven ability to adapt, NJMEA plays to the tune of what music education needs most.

Its balanced approach to professional development post-COVID, combining in-person conferences with flexible online regional offerings, is a prime example of its responsiveness to member needs.

This hybrid model has ensured continuous learning and support, bridged geographical and socio-economic gaps, and increased access to specialized topics from experts nationwide.

To complement that maneuverability, NJMEA is also quite pragmatic about local advocacy. The association opts to empower teachers with resources rather than directly intervening.

The association’s highly effective strategy respects local autonomy while providing teachers with essential professional development hours, particularly where districts fall short.

NJMEA’s legacy is a century-long narrative of tangible influence marked by inclusivity, accessibility, and practical support for educators. This reveals a highly effective and empathetic organization.

NJMEA’s deep-rooted devotion, coupled with a renewed focus on diversity and accessibility, positions it as a cornerstone of music education in New Jersey. It shapes not only the careers of educators but also the lives of countless students.

From Supervisors to Comprehensive Support

For over a century, the New Jersey Music Educators Association has been an indispensable professional organization for music educators across the Garden State.

As a proud state affiliate of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), NJMEA plays a critical role in local advocacy for music programs and teachers, complementing NAfME’s federal advocacy efforts.

“We started as the New Jersey Music Supervisors Association in conjunction with the State Teachers Union, NJEA, and over the years we developed into a separate organization,” explains Executive Director Bill McDevitt.

Evolving beyond its origins, NJMEA exists now as an autonomous, multifaceted organization dedicated to providing essential resources, professional development, and performance opportunities for students.

The association’s centennial anniversary, marked in 2023, was celebrated through a special feature in their quarterly magazine, which offers articles on pedagogy, research, and other topics relevant to music educators.

However, longevity like this can only be achieved through continuous inspection and improvement, which NJMEA excels at.

“We started to look at our organization about 15 years ago, and we saw that its membership didn’t reflect the makeup of the teachers and students in the state,” McDevitt states, emphasizing that the association’s introspection was driven by a desire to better serve the diverse makeup of teachers and students across the state.

“We didn’t want to be an elite organization,” McDevitt says.

This humble desire led to the development of a not-for-profit foundation aimed at supporting students from school districts where financial difficulties might exclude their participation in high-level musical activities, ensuring that all students have the opportunity to engage.

Initiatives like this, while meaningful, also require substantial oversight and support. To that end, NJMEA helps provide that by focusing its legislative influence and advocacy at the state level, particularly through a strong partnership with Arts Ed New Jersey.

This collaborative entity serves as the primary voice for all arts education in Trenton, possessing the expertise and connections to navigate the legislative landscape effectively.

“They really are our number one advocate. They have all the information and know who to contact. They know when important bills are coming up, so we really look to them for our state advocacy efforts,” McDevitt says.

However, outside of working with Arts Ed New Jersey, NJMEA’s direct advocacy efforts are primarily channeled through empowering its members.

Recognizing that external organizations like NJMEA are often not well-received when school budgets are discussed, NJMEA instead equips teachers with the knowledge and strategies to advocate for their programs within their districts.

This includes guidance on addressing school boards, mobilizing parent involvement, and providing factual data to support the importance of music education.

By empowering its members this way, NJMEA has created an informed network of teacher-advocates who represent the true voice of music education. NJMEA’s support allows them to guide budget decisions, programs, and students in the ways that matter most to their specific districts.

An Adaptable Approach to Preserving Programs and Professional Growth

The pandemic undeniably reshaped how professional organizations deliver resources. With so many organizations pivoting to online platforms, NJMEA also made sure to follow suit.

“We used to meet monthly in the center of our state for our board, and now that’s changed to almost all virtual,” McDevitt says, explaining how the association held a completely online professional development conference during the height of COVID-19.

However, the organization quickly recognized the intrinsic value of in-person connection, transitioning back to a physical conference the following year. Today, NJMEA embraces a balanced approach.

While the state-level annual conference remains an in-person event, now back to pre-COVID attendance levels, its three regional divisions have become adept at providing online professional development.

These regional initiatives offer monthly virtual sessions that often feature experts who might otherwise be geographically inaccessible.

In fact, online or offline, NJMEA plays a vital role in supporting teachers’ ongoing professional development, despite the fact that certification in New Jersey is governed by state regulations.

During an era when 100 hours of professional development over five years was required for certification maintenance, school districts often struggled to provide content-based professional development for music teachers, given the limited number of music educators within any single school.

This is where NJMEA steps in, offering vital opportunities for these required hours. As McDevitt explains, the association acts more like a “district-based checkpoint to ensure that teachers can seek out professional development opportunities, if it’s not provided in their district.”

While providing access to programs is important, NJMEA understands that it’s equally important to defend against the revocation of access to the music programs that are already available.

This is why one of NJMEA’s most critical roles involves advocating for the continued presence and vitality of music programs in schools, a perennial challenge given that budget cuts often target “extracurricular” arts like music.

Performance-based music programs—such as marching bands, choirs, and orchestras—are often the most visible and outwardly celebrated aspects of a school, serving as community ambassadors in parades, competitions, and public ceremonies.

Yet, paradoxically, these are frequently the first programs considered for cuts.

“A lot of times, they don’t see what it really takes to get to the point of having a marching band at a parade or having a choir sing the national anthem. It takes a lot of educators,” McDevitt says, highlighting the unsung heroes of music education: the pre-K and elementary teachers who build the foundational love and skills necessary for students to progress to middle and high school programs.

It’s a fact that without these early educators, the higher-level programs would inevitably dwindle.

“We’ve seen especially at the middle school level, those programs are the ones people seem to think are the most expendable,” McDevitt says, noting that this is a pivotal age where students develop their passion for music.

Losing these programs often means students are “lost” to music entirely, impacting future high school enrollment.

So, NJMEA’s messaging in its advocacy also extends to helping the public understand the intricate ecosystem of music education, from foundational learning to highly visible performances, stressing that cuts at any level can undermine the entire program.

The Power of Passion and Priorities for the Future

At its core, NJMEA strives to be the ultimate state resource for music educators. The association prides itself on being a reliable point of contact for teachers seeking to either start or continue their professional journeys in music education.

“We seek to be a state resource, the place teachers know they can go to ask a question on anything related to music education,” McDevitt says, explaining that this commitment is deeply rooted in the personal philosophy of NJMEA’s leadership.

NJMEA understands that helping educators ultimately helps the students they teach.

A powerful example of this is McDevitt’s personal story of Myra, a student with special needs, whom he successfully found a way to include in her school’s marching band.

Despite Myra’s cognitive and medical challenges, her inclusion brought immense joy to her and her family. It allowed her to live out one of her childhood dreams before she unfortunately passed away.

However, this incredible moment solidified McDevitt’s philosophy of “never cutting a kid” and always finding a way for a student to be involved if they express interest.

Myra’s impactful presence and eventual burial in her band uniform displayed the life-changing power of music education and inclusivity, reinforcing NJMEA’s mission.

Looking ahead, NJMEA’s top priority for the next two years revolves around financial accessibility.

The goal is to find innovative ways to make professional development opportunities and student activities accessible to all, ensuring that no teacher or student is excluded due to financial barriers.

This proactive focus on affordability reflects NJMEA’s dedication to serving the broadest possible spectrum of New Jersey’s music education community.

It highlights a legacy that can be seen in the enduring impact NJMEA has made in the lives of music educators and heard in the songs played by their students.

These songs stand as a heartwarming testimonial, with each note seamlessly woven into the fabric of this remarkable association.

AT A GLANCE

Who: New Jersey Music Educators Association (NJMEA)

What: A passionate association with core work revolving around professional development, student performance programming, and advocacy for the preservation and expansion of music education.

Where: Based in New Jersey, NJMEA operates statewide with three regional divisions that coordinate local programming and virtual training sessions

Website: www.njmea.org