Learn the Latest in Music Research and Teacher Education:
The 2018 Music Research and Teacher Education National Conference
By Susan Poliniak
This article first appeared in the January 2018 issue of Teaching Music.
The focus this year will be on diversity, inclusion, equity, and access.
The next NAfME Music Research and Teacher Education (MRTE) National Conference will take place March 22–24, 2018, in Atlanta, Georgia. “NAfME’s Society for Research in Music Education (SRME) and the Society for Music Teacher Education (SMTE), along with the Council of Music Program Leaders (CMPL; formerly the Council of Music Supervisors) have worked together diligently to bring attendees opportunities to encounter the latest research findings in sessions that include not only traditional research spoken presentations, but in a series of open forums, symposia, and presentations by key national music education luminaries, as well as research poster sessions and planning sessions,” remarks Glenn E. Nierman, Immediate Past President of NAfME.
Concerning the upcoming MRTE’s focus on diversity, Nierman states that, “For quite some time now, NAfME’s National Executive Board (NEB) has been aware that the organization needs to do more to promote inclusion, diversity, equity, and access in all its aspects—from promoting diversity in our leadership to increasing diversity within our Honors Ensembles. Consequently, our NEB pledged to look at all decisions we face as a Board through an ‘inclusion, diversity, equity, and access lens.’ So, when our Planning Committee reported to the NEB that we envisioned a Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Access focus for the conference, headed by Patricia Sheehan Campbell and Judith Jellison, both past recipients of NAfME’s Senior Researcher Award and leaders in this area of research, they were most pleased. Judith and Pat will set the stage for the diversity focus at a plenary session in which they are the featured speakers early in the conference. In addition, they have solicited a ‘diversity of voices’ (meaning professionals speaking about different aspects of diversity/equity and representing professionals at various stages in their careers) for four panel sessions at the conference that might help attendees leave with enhanced knowledge and perspective, an openness to ideas and a penchant for self-reflection, research questions to be pursued, and good models of diversity, inclusivity, equity, and access. The sessions, under the broad theme of ‘Diversity and Inclusion in American Music Education: Inroads, Blockades, Redesigns and Deliveries,’ are sure to be a highlight of the conference.”
“We hope to see you in Atlanta!” – Dr. Glenn E. Nierman
Nierman continues, “On behalf of NAfME’s Professional Development Committee and with respect and gratitude to the leadership of our NAfME Societies and Councils who spent countless hours planning the content of the events at this conference, we hope to see you in Atlanta!”
For more information, including dates and deadlines, visit research.nafme.org. The early bird rate deadline is January 28.
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Elizabeth Baker, Social Media Coordinator and Copywriter. January 26, 2018. © National Association for Music Education (NAfME.org)
