Music Education since Mid-Century: The Role of the Music Educators National Conference

Abstract

The many trends and events that have occurred in American music education during the second half of the twentieth century have enabled the profession to remain a diverse and dynamic component of American education, due in large part to the leadership of the Music Educators National Conference (MENC). MENC has expanded its functions dramatically since the middle of the twentieth century to fulfill its mission of advancing both music education and the professional growth of its members.' This article traces the leadership and support activities that MENC has undertaken as the umbrella organization for the music education profession and that have been most critical in shaping the profession from the 1950s into what it is today. It describes a variety of roles assumed by the organization in intellectual leadership, curriculum, professional development, advocacy, and professional standards. MENC's engagement in these areas has been critical, because it alone, with its membership, committees, publications, workshops, conferences, and symposia, has the organizational structure and credibility to guide the profession through an era of accelerated, profound change. MENC was founded in 1907, after one hundred and four music teachers from sixteen states had met in Keokuk, Iowa. Ninety years later, in 1997, the organization had grown to a membership of 67,000 with a professional staff of fifty-eight. In addition, there is a federated MENC unit representing each state, the District of Columbia, each territory, one for American teachers in Europe, and six divisional units, each of which comprises several states. The MENC organizational chart includes seven permanent committees, ten councils, and three societies. Twenty-five other music education associations have formal ties to MENC, either as affiliated, associated, or auxiliary organizations. MENC also has international influence through the International Society for Music Education, which it had helped found decades earlier.