Read Now: MMEJ Vol 74, No. 2

Read Now

Dear MMEA Members and Friends,

On behalf of our Massachusetts Music Educators Journal Editorial Board, I am pleased to share that Volume 74, No. 2 of the MMEJ is LIVE!

Our winter issue cover features artwork by sixth-grader Anaya Godbole, whose joyful portrait captures a young listener fully immersed in music. Anaya's expressive drawing—with its confident lines, playful details, and authentic emotion—embodies this issue's central themes about trusting the creative process and honoring artistic development at every stage. It reminds us that growth happens through doing, that process matters as much as product, and that honoring where our students are right now is how we help them become. This issue explores what it means to trust the creative cycle, to make learning visible, and to recognize that we're all building on what came before while reaching toward what's next.

Click here to read the articles and features in our winter issue, including:

• It's not Just Music; It's Through Music... by Jared Cassedy (President's Message)

• The Spiral that Connects Us by Christy Whittlesey (From the Editor)

• Thinking Like Athletes in the Music Education Space; Changing Our Narrative Around College Recruiting to Keep the Music Alive by Eytan Wurman (Advocacy)

• When the Melody Comes Full Circle by Koriana Lewis Bradford (Choral)

• General Music Learning is Also Social and Emotional Learning by Edward Varner (General Music)

• Composers as Partners: Commissioning Works from Under-Represented Populations by Dr. John T. Hart Jr. (Innovations)

• Teaching Between the Lines: Bridging Formal and Informal Music-making by Stephen Cox (Instrumental)

• The Year of Tyler, the Creator: Teaching the Creative Process by Meaghan O'Connor-Vince (Technology)

• The Challenges of Reaching and Teaching Neurodivergent College Music Students by Rhoda Bernard (Higher Education)

• Snapshots from Central Massachusetts by Jonathan Colby (Large Municipalities)

• A Fun-Filled, Skills-Based Approach to Teaching Music in Kindergarten by Steve Peisch (Embracing the New Music Educator)

• The Pedagogical Promise and Potential Pitfalls of the Modern Band Movement by Seth Adams, Ph.D. (Research and Music Teacher Education)

• Unleashed: Invisible Binaries That Visibly Hold Our Students Back by Jesse A. Rigsby (Cultural Responsiveness)

• Music Program Leaders and Their Impact on Early Career Music Teachers by Scott Burgener (Music Program Leaders)

• Props to the Maestra by Steve Damon (Viewpoint)

• District Updates

…And Much More!

Special thanks to the MMEJ Editorial Board Members and authors who contributed to this issue!

Don't forget:

• Authors are eligible for 30 PDPs from DESE for publishing an article in the MMEJ!

• You can now earn up to 10 Professional Development Points (PDPs) each year by reading and reflecting on MMEJ articles! Each successful reflection on an article is worth one PD hour. You can start reading and reflecting today to receive your PDPs at: https://www.massmea.org/journal.

The MMEJ Editorial Board is composed of MMEA members who each represent various content areas within music education:

Rhoda Bernard, Higher Ed

Heather Cote, Music Program Leaders

Brian Gellerstein, Jazz/Contemporary

Jamie Gunther, Research and Music Teacher Education

Genithia Hogges, Cultural Responsiveness

Catherine Iatesta, Embracing the New Music Educator

Allison Lacasse, Advocacy

Sarah Leahy, General Music

Koriana Lewis Bradford, Choral

Seelan Manickam, Innovations

Meaghan O'Connor-Vince, Technology

Allyson Rottman, Large Municipalities

Michael Smith, Instrumental

Please reach out to editor@massmea.org with ideas for articles, comments, or to share student artwork to be featured on our cover. YOU are the MMEA, and the MMEJ Editorial Board wants your voice to be heard!

Respectfully,

Christy Whittlesey, MMEJ Managing Editor