ACROSS THE DECADES 50th ANNIVERSARY

ACROSS THE DECADES

CMEA/ACME 50TH ANNIVERSARY

Based on replies from responding past presidents (12)
Collated by Betty Hanley

During the 50 years from its birth in 1959 to the present, the CMEA/ACME (originally ACEM) has experienced many thrilling achievements as well as moments of doubt. The Association has survived and continues to be a vital voice for Canadian music educators thanks to the valiant efforts of many committed and visionary music educators, particularly its past and current presidents:

1959 - 60 Dr. G. Roy Fenwick
1960 - 62 Gifford Mitchell
1962 - 63 Dr. Lloyd Slind
1963 - 65 Lola MacQuarrie
1965 - 67 Garfield Bender
1967 - 69 Dr. Frank Churchley
1969 - 71 Prof. Vernon Ellis
1971 - 73 Dr. Allan Clingman
1973 - 77 Kenneth Bray
1977 - 79 Paul Murray
1979 - 81 Winnifred Voigts
1981 - 83 Dennis Humenick
1983 - 85 Brenda Trafford
1985 - 89 Paul Maynard
1989 - 91 Joan Therens
1991 - 93 Dennis Tupman
1993 - 95 Dr. Rodger Beatty
1995 - 97 Dr. Eric Favaro
1997 - 99 Debbie McPherson
1999 - 01 Dr. Amanda Montgomery
2001 - 03 Dr. Barbara Graham
2003 - 05 Gregg Bereznick
2005 - 07 Allan Anderson
2007 - 09 Mary Dinn
2009 - TBA Dr. Ed Wasiak

Over the years, Canadian music educators have not adequately recognized the contributions of and honoured those who built Canadian music education, and certainly not those who steered the CMEA/ACME through many challenges.

Last year, a questionnaire was sent to surviving past presidents asking them to identify the challenges, solutions, and accomplishments of their presidency. What follows is a compendium of their responses.

DECADE 1 1959–1969
Respondent: Churchley

The CMEA/ACEM was formed in Toronto in 1959.
This was a decade of growing pains.
The first issue of the journal, The Canadian Music Educator was edited by Leslie Bell.
There was an attempt to make the Association recognized as the national voice for music education in Canada.
There was also some international recognition, a result of founding members having attended MENC conferences, and initial thoughts about the need for a Canadian national organization having occurred at an MENC conference in Atlantic City in 1957.
The process of writing a Constitution was begun.
The John Adaskin Project was a joint CMEA/ACEM and Canadian Music Centre venture that continues today under the leadership of Dr. Pat Shand.
In 1965 at the Calgary CMEA conference, Dennis Tupman presented what was likely the first summary by every province of what is going on in the CMEA and music education. He used phone calls to key individuals to hear their stories and also a questionnaire, with the help of Lloyd Slind. That survey report was lost when Wally Laughton stopped his work with the CMEA.
The Newsletter was established in 1968.

DECADE 2 1969–1979
No responses

The idea of provincial/national dual membership was developed, with Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Québec, and Saskatchewan on board.
The 13th ISME international congress was held at the University of Western Ontario in 1978 and co-chaired by Luc ien Brochu and Donald McKellar.

DECADE 3 1979–1989
Respondents: Humenick, Trafford

The CMEA/ACEM experienced record membership.
A restructuring was undertaken to establish CMEA as a federation of provincial music educators’ associations.
Wallace Laughton, Mr. CMEA, traveled the country spreading the “CMEA gospel,” edited the Newsletter (established in 1968), and established a CMEA Resource Centre in St. Catharine. Thoughts were given to a paid position to handle the business aspects of the Association. Diana Brault was subsequently hired as Executive Secretary.
The National Office moved from Brock University to the Canadian Music Centre.
In 1982, Ontario and Manitoba became affiliated provinces.
The CMEA had five standing committees: Council on Research, Council on Teacher Education, Curriculum Committee. President Dennis Humenick established the Committees on Public Relations and on Philosophy.
The CMEA/ACEM held very successful national conferences.
Despite the efforts of Jean Patenaude and Roger Mongeon who represented FAMEQ, there were challenges with establishing a French connection.
Between 1983–1985, the NBMEA disbanded as a result of restructured teacher associations.
The CMEA/ACEM logo was created.
The Canadian Artist Series (three sets of cassettes with lesson plans edited by Brault, Wood, and Mason) was distributed, and a Monograph Series was published.

DECADE 4 1989–1999
Respondents: Therens, Tupman, Beatty, Favaro, McPherson

This was a period of great depression, economic and otherwise. It was in this decade that the positions of most of the music education coordinators and advisers in Canada were lost. These individuals had been a huge driving force in the CMEA in the ‘60s and ‘70s along with many university personnel, like Don McKellar and Ken Bray. The negative impact of these cutbacks cannot be overestimated. Consultants could usually get board funding to attend conferences. That funding was cut as well.
This was a period of decreased membership in the CMEA/ACEM.
The support of a national research journal (and even international through ISME) was fostered. Unfortunately the publication of this research journal nearly led to bankruptcy.
There was also a substantial debt resulting from a single journal publication.
Who would be the official Canadian affiliated national organization (ANO) for ISME was disputed. In 1990, the CMEA/ACME was approved, and Joan Therens was placed on the ISME Board of Directors. She later became Secretary-General of the Society.
In 1989, Charles Hoffer, MENC President, made a proposal for the CMEA to join forces with MENC. His offer was (politely, of course) declined.
In 1991, a national conference with an international flavour was held at UBC in partnership with the BCMEA.
In 1993, the last real national stand-alone conference was held at Wilfrid Laurier and was well attended. After 1994, national conferences were discontinued, and the CMEA/ACME sponsored a few presenters at affiliated provincial conferences.
There was a continuous movement towards Uniting Our Voices. Members from most of the other national music education groups were invited to attend when we had the regular CMEA Board meetings in Toronto. The CMEA look the lead.
During this decade we always held out the hand of friendship to FAMEQ.
With the formation of the Coalition for Music Education in Canada music education advocacy became a focus. The CMEA was at the table for the first meetings of the Coalition, ensuring that this Coalition activity had a national perspective, even though all the people who started it, except Dennis Tupman, were from Toronto.
In 1995, due to financial constraints, the CMEA/ACEM National Office in Etobicoke was closed, and the Executive Secretary’s position was discontinued.
There was concern about the diminishing national profile of the CMEA/ACEM.
The National Symposium on Arts Education, a CMEA initiative led by Eric Favaro in partnership with the Canadian Conference for the Arts led to connection with other arts and arts education organizations and UNESCO. There were six symposia held yearly from 1997 to 2002 (in Cape Breton, Victoria, Regina, Ottawa, Calgary, and Montreal).
The CMEA/ACEM made a successful bid to host the International Society for Music Education’s (ISME) congress in Edmonton in 2000. Amanda Montgomery played a central role in this endeavour.

DECADE 5 1999–2009
Respondents: Montgomery, Graham, Bereznick, Anderson, Dinn

ISME 2000, Music of the Spheres, was sponsored by the CMEA/ACME and held in Edmonton.
The CMEA/ACME balanced its budget.
Brian Roberts and Barb Graham developed the first CMEA web site, which has expanded and is currently maintained by David Ennis. Check out www.cmea.ca.
The CMEA supported the Pan Can Symposiums — the first one being at Western University in 2005.
The format of the Canadian Music Educator changed from a journal to a magazine under the guidance of Lee Bartel and Lee Willingham.
The CMEA/ACEM began the publication of a series of books: Leadership, Advocacy, Communication (1999), Looking Forward (2000), Musical Understanding (2002), Creativity and Music Education (2002), Questioning the Music Education Paradigm (2004), Listen to their Voices (2007), and Exploring Social Justice (2009). The last four books are part of a biennial series edited by Lee Bartel.
The Association ceased its publication of the Newsletter with issue 120, Spring 2006 and moved to an E-Newsletter in October 2006.
British Columbia, the Yukon, and the QMEA became affiliated, contributing to a national presence.
Stronger links were established with FAMEQ.
Upon the advice of FAMEQ, the French name of the Association was changed from L’Association canadienne des éducateurs de musique (ACEM) to l’Association canadienne des musiciens éducateurs (ACME).
A strategic plan (available on the CMEA/ACME website) addressed the need for a revitalized Association. Numerous outreaches were undertaken (MENC, ISME, NAC, NAXOS, Orff, Kodaly, CBA, Private Music Teacher Association, LTTA, as well as UNESCO and several University Music Departments).
The Policy Handbook is under revision.
Membership has stabilized.

DECADE 6 2009–2119

Some personal observations.
There are recurring themes across the decades: teacher education, membership, affiliation, visibility of a national association, and meeting the needs of teachers across the country (including those who are French speaking).
There are on-going organizational tensions between: teachers and university/college teacher educators; research and practice; provincial and national directions; serving English- and French-speaking members; and affiliation and non affiliation.
In addition, there is a revolving door of voluntary leaders; there are financial restrictions that limit desirable projects and a variety of MEA configurations that increase the challenges of affiliation.
There are also educational tensions facing all music educators: arts/music; music as art/music as social practice; music as a helpmate (integration)/music for itself; and a north/south over an east/west pull that is drawing Canadian music education researchers to the United States for collegiality.
Music educators need to become more interested and involved in policy and political decision-making.
The Pan-Canadian Symposium (the third one was just help in Victoria) provides a venue for Canadian music educators to meet.

RECENT/CURRENT CMEA/ACME INITIATIVES

Name change of ACEM (Association canadienne des éducateurs de musique) to ACME (L’association canadienne des musicians éducateurs)
Development of vision and mission statements and a five-year strategic plan
Eighteen reasons for belonging to the CMEA/ACME (developed by MEA presidents under the leadership of Kathy Saul-Fowler)
Books
Magazine
Policy handbook
Essay Competition
Performance awards
50th Anniversary celebration: Song competition, honoring Past-Presidents, historical articles, development of archival photo DVD
Restructuring
New affiliations

Many thanks to the Past presidents who contributed to this overview of 50 years of service. A national voice for music education is vital.

If you are ever inclined to wonder about what the CMEA is doing, remember that its leadership consists of volunteers and consider the following words (which I have liberally adapted): “Ask not what the CMEA/ACME can do for you. Ask what you can do for the CMEA/ACME.”