SMTE members: Current chair, Connie McKoy, and immediate past chair, Susan Conkling, recently participated in a precedent setting meeting with the NAfME executive board. The topics of the meeting were inclusion, diversity, equity, and access in music education. One outcome of the meeting was our recognition that state MEA presidents and executive directors often do not know the vast number of human resources in SMTE who could be called upon to lead workshops on topics related to these four areas of mutual interest.
We have promised the NEB that we will compile a “catalog” of member names, contact information, and short descriptions (50-75 words) of workshops they could present at state conferences. If you have expertise that you would be willing to share with state MEAs, please send your information via email to Susan Conkling (drc@bu.edu) by December 18, 2016. Below is an example of how a catalog entry would look, with thanks to Stephen Paparo.
The ABC’s of Creating an LGBTQ-Friendly Classroom
Stephen A. Paparo, Ph.D.
University of Massachusetts Amherst (spaparo@umass.edu)
Though the music classroom is often regarded as a “safe space,” those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ) often fell marginalized and excluded. This session will: (1) help teachers better understand their students’ sexual and gender identities, (2) engage participants in a discussion of ways to handle LGBTQ-related classroom scenarios, and (3) share best-practices for creating welcoming and inclusive classrooms and schools for all students.