Open Letter to EMEA Members June Hinckley, MENC President

Dear EMEA Friends, 

     Thank you for the warm reception given to me and  my daughter, Catherine, on our first visit to Germany. It was indeed a treat. Tom Donaldson has asked me to reflect on some of my impressions during my visit with the music teachers who attended the Amberg Conference. 

     My first impression was of the versatility of most of you. Seldom did I speak with anyone who taught just band or just chorus. All of the people I visited with are required to teach in multiple areas which can be a real challenge. You all seemed to embrace this challenge and be glad to offer a variety of experiences to your students. That was, of course, the way most music educators used to teach when we saw great growth in music education programs in the United States. 

     My second impression was that change and an unknown future are the order of the day for all of you. Many have changed schools, principals, or teaching assignments recently and are facing additional, perhaps more dramatic changes in the future. Your students move in and move on with regularity, but this is not news. Dealing with change is your way of work and knowing that you have to give the students as much as you can in what may be a short time is your continuing challenge. 

     Finally, I saw a group of dedicated adventurers who love teaching, seek new ideas, and are mutually supportive of each other personally and professionally. Many have worked together for many years. You have traded or passed along unused instruments, located and shared needed materials, and mentored one another during personal low times and glory times and through teaching challenges and victories. You have a wonderful esprit de corps. 

     Good luck with your future challenges and the great “unknown” that we all face but that is dramatized by the volatility of events in Europe and the military. You have the “stuff” to not only survive but to flourish. If I, or the MENC staff and leadership, can be of service, we are only an e-mail away. 

Sincerely, 
 

June M. Hinckley 
MENC President