Dakeyan C. Graham

Accomplished Practice # 3: Continuous Improvement

Illustration # 1

Source of Illustration

CMENC, Chapter #257 

Faculty Advisor

Dr. Timothy S. Brophy

Semester

Fall 2004 - present

Type of Assignment

CMENC Membership

Description of Assignment

An excellent way to seek continuous improvement in a given field is to become a part of an organization that links many professionals together. CMENC (Collegiate Music Educators National Conference) is a college level organization which links many music education students together. This organization is a daughter organization of  MENC, which is the professional organization for various music educators throughout the nation. Membership in CMENC demonstrates Accomplished Practice #3 in the following ways:

• Seeks feedback from students, parents, and other professionals
• Continues to read professional publications and attend workshops and conferences

Artistic Processes/Medium

CMENC opens many different avenues and provides various outlets for musical expression not only to music educators, but also performers with full ensemble (both vocal and instrumental) performance opportunities, chamber group, and solo performances at the various national conferences. There are also many opportunities to respond to various activities in the weekly meetings that are held in order to introduce a new approach to an aspect of professional life that may not have been thought of by the younger, less experienced minds. There is also a monthly magazine that is published and distributed throughout the United States with many helpful tips and strategies on teaching and many articles on what is happening in the musical world today. There are many opportunities to submit articles to the journal and see material posted and published.

Rationale

By becoming an active participant in CMENC, it demonstrates the desire for self-improvement. By linking yourself to thousands of collegiate students nationwide who are on the same journey into professionalism as we are. Accomplished Practice #3 is demonstrated by the continuation of reading of the national professional music education publication, Music Educators Journal, and attendance of various workshops and conferences, such as FMEA held in Tampa, Fl every January.

Illustration

There are weekly meetings held in the University of Florida music building in which various keynote speakers are invited to elaborate on one key element of music education that they have come to view as important in their experiences in the field. At times, this meeting period is used as an introduction to new ideas and preparation for professionalism such as the creating and managing of band/choral/orchestra budgets, ordering busses, and planning field trips, to name a few. When select members attend the various conferences, there is a required number of workshops in which we attend that we find interesting and helpful in our professional career. 

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