• MISSION: To advance music education as a profession and to ensure that every child in America has access to a balanced, sequential, high-quality education that includes music as a core subject of study.
• HISTORY: Founded in 1907 with 69 members, today's membership has grown to nearly 70,000.
• Highlights of MENC'S History:
  • 1907: Music Supervisors National Conference (later renamed MENC) founded. 1940: MENC published an outline of the first K-12 music education curriculum.
  • 1990-91: MENC, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. (NARAS), and the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) formed the National Coalition for Music Education and launched the "Music Makes a Difference" campaign.
  • 1994: MENC introduced the National Standards for Music Education, developed as part of the National Standards for Arts Education under a $1 million federal grant.
  • 1995: MENC distributed thousands of copies of Standards-related materials, including the Tool Kit for Implementing the Standards.
  • 1996: MENC named 42 songs that every American should know, publishing them in a song book designed to encourage communities to begin singing together again.
  • 1997: MENC celebrated ninety years of service to music educators nationwide.
• MEMBERSHIP: As of Dec. 31, 1997, MENC membership numbered 69,719 including in-service, collegiate, and Tri-M student music honor society members. There are fifty- two State Music Educators Associations -- comprising 6 regional divisions -- plus one European Music Educators Association. Membership in the national and state music educators associations is reciprocal; therefore, membership in MENC automatically entitles one to membership at the state level.
• 94% of MENC's Tri-M Student Music Honor Society members indicated in a recent MENC survey that they have an overall B grade point average or higher. (Source: Music Educators National Conference, 1996-97 Member Survey)
• NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR MUSIC EDUCATION: MENC played a key leadership role -- along with the American Alliance for Theatre & Education, National Art Education Association, and National Dance Association -- in the development of the National Standards f or Music Education. The National Standards for Music Education were developed in 1994 as part of the National Standards for Arts Education under a $1 million federal grant. To date, forty-four states, plus the District of Columbia, have set and implement ed music standards (similar to, or the same as, the National Music Education Standards). The National Standards represent the first comprehensive set of educational standards for K-12 arts instruction.
• PUBLICATIONS:
  • Music Educators Journal (MEJ): MENC's award-winning journal issued six times yearly, MEJ offers timely articles on teaching approaches and philosophies, current trends and issues in music education, classroom techniques, and the lates t in products and services.
  • Teaching Music : Issued six times yearly, TM focuses on practical articles in specific areas, including technology guides, advocacy resources, and "how-to" articles.
  • Music Education Research Journals Available: Journal of Music Teacher Education (JMTE), General Music Today (GMT), Journal of Research in Music Education (JRME), and UPDATE: Applications of Research in Music Education .
  • MENC's Professional Resources Guide includes a comprehensive list of all of MENC's publications, including standards and guidelines for successful music programs, curriculum enrichment, classroom materials, promotional and awareness items.
• To order the above publications or for a copy of the Resources Guide, call 1-800- 828-0229.
• EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING:
  • MUSIC IN OUR SCHOOLS MONTH (MIOSM): Every March, MENC sponsors MIOSM, a public outreach program designed to support school music programs and raise awareness of the importance of music education.
  • WORLD'S LARGEST CONCERT (WLC): The highlight of MIOSM, the WLC is an annual PBS presentation involving the satellite broadcast participation of more than eight million schoolchildren.
  • FUND FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF MUSIC EDUCATION (FAME): Established in 1996 to improve music education and secure its place in America's schools by helping teachers advance their knowledge to better serve their students through research, professional development, and contemporary teaching materials.
  • NATIONAL BIENNIAL IN-SERVICE CONFERENCE: MENC's National Music Education Conference takes place every two years and serves as an opportunity for music educators to exchange ideas and information, including the latest discoveries in product s and services.
  • SingAmerica! CAMPAIGN: Last March, the Music Educators National Conference (MENC), together with the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America (SPEBSQSA), and Sweet Adelines International, launched SingAmerica!, a national campaign to revive active music-making in America and keep America's musical heritage alive. As a component of this nationwide initiative, MENC released a SingAmerica! compact disc of 20 patriotic favorites performed b y the U.S. military service bands. To date, approximately 40,000 SingAmerica! CD's have been given away throughout the U.S. at military band concerts and in our nation's elementary and middle schools.

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