Music In Our Schools Tour Spotlight: University of Central Missouri

This past fall, National Association for Music Education (NAfME) chapter at the University of Central Missouri (UCM) partnered with Give a Note Foundation to support music education in underserved regions across the nation as part of the “Music Ed Matters” Chapter Challenge.

This spring, Give a Note Foundation’s Music In Our Schools Tour will be visiting four schools from the Chapter Challenge, beginning with the University of Central Missouri on March 3, 2017.

“At the beginning of the year, our Chapter Advisor, Dr. Campbell, encouraged us to discover our potential and participate in a service project to help our community,” says UCM NAfME Secretary Jenae Maley, “When we discovered the Give a Note Foundation and presented it to the chapter, our members instantly connected and empathized with the students in need of better resources for music education.”

The UCM NAfME chapter had one goal for their service project: to bring music back into the lives of students. As active musicians, they recognize the  importance that strong music education has played in shaping their lives. Not only have music programs instilled a lifelong love of the arts, they have also helped define their identity.

The chapter quickly set to work to achieve their goal. Through coordinating a social media campaign with their members using Facebook and Instagram, the chapter collected money from the community surrounding UCM, as well as  faculty in the Music Department. The UCM NAfME chapter managed to exceed their fundraising goal for the Give a Note Foundation.

The UCM NAfME Chapter is dedicated to helping future music educators reach their full potential. In addition to attending the Missouri Music Educators Annual Conference in January, they meet bi-monthly and host professional development seminars. The NAfME chapter at UCM boasts the largest membership of any professional music organization on campus with over 60 members. Future Music Educators at various points in their degree program are drawn to the NAfME chapter.

Freshman Chapter Member Solara Martin joined NAfME at UCM to “get involved in the music department” and “make friends that share her love of music.” According to Vice President, Junior Elizabeth Goller, NAfME has provided “knowledge that I can’t get in a classroom setting.” Junior Chapter Member Zachary Dennis highlights the opportunities NAfME provides him to “network and meet professionals in the field”. Senior Member Morganne Eckelkamp joined NAfME to “build relationships with future colleagues, attend conferences to expand my knowledge of my content area, and share music and the importance of music education with my community.”

The members of the UCM NAfME chapter are proud to be a part of such a distinguished organization and are actively seeking opportunities to advance themselves professionally and improve music education throughout the country.

To learn more about Give a Note Foundation and the Music In Our Schools Tour, visit www.giveanote.org and follow the hashtag #MusicInspires. Be sure to follow the Tour on Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.