/ Membership / Meet Our Members / Wayne Mallette
Candidate for 2025-2027 Eastern Division President-Elect
Wayne Mallette Curriculum Vitae
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?
One of the major challenges that music education will face is the growing teacher shortage. A USA Today article cited that 86% of the schools in the United States were struggling to hire teachers. As a Fine and Performing Arts supervisor, I have witnessed the dwindling number of teachers entering the music teaching profession and the challenges of recruiting new music educators.
Another challenge is diversifying the music teaching profession to give our students windows to see that all individuals can become music teachers. While this issue has been pervasive for years, the number of teachers of color has dropped steadily since the early 2000s. If we are serious about music for all, then we must ensure that educational systems create opportunities for all students. Many students with the acumen for teaching music may not see themselves as teachers because they may never see a teacher of color.
Every obstacle provides us with an opportunity for change and advocacy for music education. Advocacy must be a major initiative for the Eastern Division. I envision spaces for state and local officials to join us at state and division conferences to engage in meaningful conversations around the advancement of music education. Music administrators, educators, and students could see, in real time, how those in authority have been a part of the conversation on how to advance our causes.
Continual outreach and advocacy can foster relationships that help to bridge the diversity gaps in our field. Outreach must be to musicians in fields we have yet to tap into. Many in the music production field and Black church musicians would be great music teachers and could give students real-world experience in the music field. Using the conference, we could reach out to local musicians who may not be music teachers and invite them to perform and take part in our conferences at the Eastern Division and national level.
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?
The association will face challenges similar to those faced by the music education profession. The NAfME Eastern Division will have to consider how to provide relevant professional development through the lens of DEI. With the advancement of AI, the music education field will have to provide tools and training for educators who desire to incorporate it into their classes and teach students to use it responsibly. The conference should have special sessions focused on music production and technology.
Many music educators may need the tools to teach a Modern Band (Rock Band), Steel Pan Ensemble, or music from non-Western cultures. The Eastern Division should ensure that our conference offers sessions on the pedagogy of non-Western music.
Conference and membership affordability continues to be an issue for many music teachers. This issue of access should be addressed by seeking partners in the private sector to help sponsor our conferences. Sponsorships or grants may help lower costs, thus creating access for potential NAfME members.
One issue NAfME will have to continue to be aware of is maintaining our integrity and credibility surrounding race and racism. The organization must be aware of our hidden biases and willing to own up to our shortcomings. I will insist on having individuals from diverse backgrounds at all levels of decision-making to help avoid issues that have occurred in the past. When mistakes happen, I will create a culture of accountability where we take responsibility and help our members make better decisions. This culture will focus on calling upon us to do better, not merely remove people without changing the culture that created the problem.
How do you plan to advance equity/DEIA in NAfME during your term of office?
It is essential to look at everything we do through a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion to make the changes necessary to diversify our practices. In New Jersey, we made multiple-layer changes to our organizations through a DEI lens. Our executive board adopted a diversity clause to our All-State ensemble conductor application. All the invited conductors had to choose selections that represented the vast diversity of our state. We did not leave it to chance or the goodwill of the conductors. We made it clear that this was an expectation of our conductors. I would like to adopt a similar expectation for our Eastern Division Ensembles.
One of the best ways to advance DEI is to intentionally diversify our headliners and keynote speakers at the Eastern Division Conference. Another measure we took in New Jersey was to ensure that our conference had sessions that focused on inclusion and diversity and that the forward face of our conference was diverse. People will decide our inclusivity by the diversity of those we elevate at our conferences and in our professional development. I will ensure that conference headliners represent the diversity we desire to see in music education.
Another way to increase diversity and inclusion is to have conference sessions specifically for music educators from underrepresented communities. At the National American Choral Directors Conference, they had a “cookout” session for the Black Choral Musicians. This was a networking and celebratory gathering for Black members of ACDA to meet during the conference. I hope to hold similar networking and social events at the Eastern Division Conference. These sessions can be organized and hosted by members of our conference who have a passion for increasing support for music educators of color. By supporting our members through creating safe spaces at our state and division conferences, we will connect them to the organization in a meaningful way.
The Eastern Division has already taken a step to host the Honors Modern Band. I would like to further this and consider adding other ensembles to our Eastern Division Ensembles. The Eastern Division must lead the country through the inclusion and support of various non-Western honor groups or headliner ensembles, such as a Gospel Choir, Steel Pan Band, or Mariachi Band, to be part of our conference lineup. A vast body of nationalities and races represents the Eastern Division. By intentionally diversifying our conference offerings, we can give our local roots a global reach.
Equity Statement
In my teaching philosophy, diversity is not merely a concept but a fundamental aspect of the learning process. I am committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse learning environment that celebrates the unique backgrounds, perspectives, and talents of every student and educator. It is of the utmost importance for me to acknowledge and embrace the cultural, ethnic, socioeconomic, and gender differences that students bring to the classroom.
I aim to create an atmosphere where every student feels valued, heard, and empowered to be the fullest expression of themselves through music. I am dedicated to selecting and incorporating a diverse repertoire that reflects a wide range of musical styles, genres, and traditions. This approach not only exposes students to the beauty of world musical expressions but also cultivates an awareness and respect for the varied cultural contexts from which these forms of artistic expression emerge.
Furthermore, I am committed to providing equitable opportunities for all students to participate and excel in music education. I actively seek out and address barriers that may limit access to resources, ensuring that students have the chance to explore and develop their musical talents to the fullest extent. In New Jersey, we have helped to create an organization, The Crescendo Foundation, which offers need-based financial support for students who are accepted into one of our All-State Ensembles. This organization is focused on breaking down the financial barriers that may prevent students from participating in our All-State Ensembles.
As the President of NJMEA, I was proud to promote diversity and inclusion in aspects of our All-State Ensemble experience. In 2021, I led the effort to include a diversity and inclusion statement in our conductor selection process. When we invite guest conductors, we make it clear to potential conductors that we not only value diversity but also want our conductors to select a program that will reflect the diversity of our state and provide our students with music that will show them the world outside our borders.
I was also proud to elevate the idea of intentional diversity for our State Music Conference. As a profession, we are still too comfortable functioning within systems designed to keep certain individuals outside the room. Therefore, we must be intentional about programming and including diverse voices. Otherwise, we will continue to perpetuate marginalization and exclusion. We made sure that our headliners, keynote speakers, and featured performance ensembles were all individuals from underrepresented communities. I will bring this idea of intentional diversity to the Eastern Division Board.
Leadership Statement
When Chris Bowers, the director of “The Last Repair Shop,” accepted the 2024 Oscar Award for Best Documentary, he said, “Music education isn’t just about creating incredible musicians. It’s about creating incredible humans.” This is central to my leadership philosophy, which is rooted in a belief in the transformative power of music education. I am a dedicated educational leader with a passion for music and a commitment to fostering inclusive and transformative learning environments. My journey in education has been marked by a relentless pursuit of excellence, a focus on diversity and equity, and a commitment to developing both individuals and transforming organizations.
I use Carol Dweck’s book Mindset as a guide when working with individuals. I lead from a lens of a growth mindset, focused on constantly growing and learning from situations, even from mistakes. I use the growth mindset model to think outside the box and push individuals to achieve higher than they ever dreamed. Helping those I work with reframe their thinking to see the potential and not the problem has allowed me to see growth in many sectors I work in.
Leaders have a responsibility to support all individuals they are charged with, not just those with a similar mindset or work ethic. Therefore, I surround myself with individuals who challenge me to think differently and elevate my capacity for growth. I also believe in surrounding myself with individuals from diverse walks of life. I cherish the opinions and life journeys of people who can share multiple perspectives through decision-making processes. When we intentionally invite all voices into the room, our decisions can have a broader impact and service to all.
It is important to learn from those who have already forged the path. While I believe in progressive, forward-thinking leadership, we must be willing to honor those whose shoulders we stand on. Institutional knowledge and experience must be valued to advance any organization. Honoring the traditions of the past garners the respect of those who have paved the way. This respect will invite those individuals to trust and join new leadership to advance our profession and organization together.
My leadership philosophy is rooted in the importance of diversity and inclusion and the need for continuous learning. I am excited about the prospect of contributing to educational leadership and leveraging my expertise on a regional level of NAfME to create innovative and inclusive music spaces for all educators and students.
