/ Membership / Meet Our Members / Edward Doyle
Candidate for 2025-2027 Eastern Division President-Elect
What do you see as the major challenges music education will face during your term and in what ways can you transform these into opportunities during your presidency?
Like most subjects within the education profession, music education is facing an impending teacher shortage. The past few years of teaching have caused many of us to feel lost and doubtful at times, no matter our experience level. I can’t help but empathize with those starting off in this career, yet I would like to proclaim to all of us that there is much to look forward to, and my faith in the profession is as strong as ever.
To address the teacher shortage, NAfME must increase its relevance to music educators in multiple stages of their careers. The earliest stage is that of discernment, often taking place while students are in high school. I believe Tri-M provides a great opportunity to showcase the beautiful musical opportunities that await our students as they enter their adulthoods. To those at the pre-service level, NAfME must be consistently present, visiting and connecting with colleges, and inviting them to have more of a presence at our in-service events. To those teachers new to the profession, mentoring provides new teachers with personalized support and guidance, contributing to their professional growth and development. Mentors can share their expertise, offer insights, and help new teachers refine their skills. Through it all, we must commit towards the broader community of music education, and that starts in our own localities. If you are reading this and you just had the best year of your career, then I encourage you to take someone under your wing. I continue to believe in this profession, and I continue to believe in our public schools. There are students in your classroom who cannot thank you enough for all you have given.
Another challenge facing music education is with participation rates. At NHMEA festivals since COVID, particularly those at the younger age levels, there was a noticeable unbalanced participation among ensembles and instrumentation. This will have long term ramifications on school programs and eventually the musical workforce. NHMEA partnered with area music providers to rectify that trend, but this will be a multi-year effort. Addressing these challenges more broadly will necessitate a comprehensive and strategic approach. Tailoring communication, removing barriers, giving fitting incentives, and truly knowing the unique characteristics of the musical audience are all key considerations in improving participation rates.
What do you see as the major challenges the association will face during your term, and in what ways can you transform these into opportunities during your presidency?
I believe one of the major challenges NAfME needs to address is showing its relevance to membership. One of the most important ways to do that is through commitment to advocacy. Advocacy is most effective when executed regularly, with a proactive approach, not reactive. During my term as president of NHMEA I faced a few of those experiences that we can learn from. In 2022, our association tested our advocacy chops and spoke out en masse against proposed state legislation (HB 1671) that would have devastated our profession by redefining core content. We passed that particular test with NAfME’s help, and rectified the legislative impact, and we stand ready to fiercely advocate for all our students if similar legislation arises again. Along those lines, we must promote a culture of civic engagement, as we further awareness of upcoming local and national elections.
Along those lines, NAfME must speak to adaptability and connecting with modern times. We should seek to increase the exposure to cultural opportunities for students. Our current student generation is living within a rapid cultural shift affecting musical genres, and we music educators can only benefit from moving with them. We can do this while continuing to pay tribute to the rich musical traditions of the past, but we must also remember to include the equally virtual contributions of talented figures of the modern era. As students are granted more musical opportunities beyond mere introduction, extending into the world of musical creation especially outside the traditional ensembles, we teachers will likely enjoy greater student involvement if we acknowledge these growing musical trends.
One such current musical trend is the inclusion of modern band. Through NHMEA’s arts liaison at the state Department of Education, we had three cohorts of teachers receive training from Music Will. This means 90 teachers have access to the Modern Band resources in their classrooms. Along with the changes to the Guitar Ensemble All-State requirements, these efforts will soon lead to a modern band and guitar student festival and professional development opportunity to hopefully take place during the next school year.
How do you plan to advance equity/DEIA in NAfME during your term of office?
As emphasized in research recently brought forward by Dr. Robert Putnam in his 2015 book Our Kids, the current generation of young people are facing an opportunity gap. Today, young people born into families of means will likely grow to be adults with means, while those young people born into poverty are less likely than in previous generations to rise out of poverty. Of course, systemic racial barriers to music education include obstacles that disproportionately hinder access to quality music education for individuals from marginalized racial and ethnic backgrounds. These barriers can manifest in various forms across different stages of the education system, including underfunded schools, limited access to instruction, cultural relevance, and implicit bias.
It is of vital importance that we prioritize equity of opportunity for students. In the music world, an entire segment of students is unable to participate to the extent that I participated in when I was a child. This is a community problem that I feel must be addressed head on. I feel personally compelled to solve this problem, because the students I encounter are who inspire me the most. I strive for students to know that music is a wonderful and important spiritual outlet. The experience of music making – especially with others – has throughout the years provided the means for a deep self realization. Music provides an amazing focus in the lives of young people. I have seen and experienced firsthand music becoming an important component in people’s lives.
There is no time to waste in advancing this cause. I would like to see affinity groups for educators created, so that educators of various backgrounds and identities can connect and start dialogue about the challenges they face. At NHMEA we initiated thorough reviews of our music libraries, to ensure that insensitive material is no longer embraced and performed. We also changed our audition repertoire to be more mindful of artistry possible from musicians of all backgrounds, diversifying representation in the process. Like all of these decisions, I intend to approach each future decision through a lens of equity that is focused on students, celebrating the rich tapestry of our collective offerings, and bridging the opportunity gap.
Equity Statement
Music has the opportunity to shape lives and provide opportunities for all students to embrace and enjoy the diversity of the greater world.
Music educators must carry out and maintain positive relationships with every student and every supporter. Doing this will ensure that the barriers to music learning are removed at all levels and in all communities. Diversity among all musicians of all ages must be embraced and encouraged. Student backgrounds – including racial, ethnic, religious, gender, gender identity, class, sexual orientation – must not limit educators’ expectations of student outcomes. As student participation in music programs remains altered due to the lingering impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, educational practices that emphasize Social Emotional Learning are vital to student success. These practices must be prioritized in order to best help students recover the learning that has been lost over the past few years.
The programs that we often celebrate for musical excellence have typically been the ones with the most resources. Yet rarely do these programs represent the demographics of the nation as a whole. We professionals must change our focus to reform the traditional definition of success, and embrace the success of music programs that serve the underserved. The traditional process of allocation of resources must also be scrutinized to ensure that every student has what they need to succeed.
These are not empty suggestions. Everyone involved in music education must look at our profession through the lens of equity. We must tap the potential of all young musicians, allowing them to participate fully, and open their doors to higher opportunities within the world. If we dedicate ourselves to changing our focus towards equity, we can reach a dream of using music education to create a greater impact on the larger community.
Leadership Statement
Of the many things that make a great leader, a sense of perspective is one of the most important things a leader must have. That means a clear understanding of operations is needed within each leadership component. A leader must position themselves to understand the varied interests and concerns of a diverse world. During my leadership in the relatively small association of NHMEA, I worked with programs in small rural regions found in much of New Hampshire. Yet my daily work has been in the diverse school district of Manchester, consisting of more than 13,000 students, 57% of whom receive free or reduced lunch, speaking more than 75 languages. So I believe I have a perspective well beyond the walls of my state.
As Eastern Division President, one major commitment of mine will be to empower state associations so they may reach their fullest potential. As a member of the NAfME executive board, I will be well positioned to communicate thoroughly and consistently to all of the associations of various sizes and scope the goals and plans that unify NAfME. Objectives need to be clear, while giving each state association the room to produce their own desired results.
It is also vital for a leader to be cognizant of the new voices available to students and teachers today. Music educators must stay relevant to trends applicable within music, education, and the broader culture. Achieving that requires engagement with government entities, and awareness of the voices that hold the floor.
Respect for the differing passionate voices is an essential component of leadership, yet we leaders can never be so comfortable in our ways that we leave out voices and experiences within marginalized populations. Our priority must be to respect and celebrate the experiences that reflect our students’ lives, and I will encourage state associations to make commitments towards that end.
