KCOMTEP Annual Conference
September 30, 2013

The annual KCOMTEP (Kansas Conference of Music Teacher Education Professors) conference is scheduled for Monday, September 30 at the Marcus Welcome Center on the Wichita State University campus. The conference will host Marcia Neel for two presentations during the day-long session.

Marcia Neel, a veteran of 36 years as a public school music educator, directed secondary music programs in Connecticut, Ohio, Massachusetts, and Nevada. As Supervisor of the Secondary Music Education Program of the Clark County School District, Las Vegas, Nevada, she supervised 38 high school and 56 middle school music programs. Under her direction, these programs provided 100,000+ students the opportunity to study music.

Ms. Neel is national recognized as an innovative music curricula leader. She implemented a standards-based Mariachi Program and is the lead author of ¡Simplemente Mariachi!, an instrumental and vocal method series for educators and beginning mariachi students. Under her direction the National Mariachi Workshops for Educators has provided training for over 100 mariachi school-based programs (About Marcia Neel, 2013).

Marcia had served in several music education leadership positions including positions of MENC Western Division President, two terms as Nevada Music Educations Association President, and as President of the Nevada Choral Directors Association (Marcia Neel, 2013). She served on the Nevada Goals 2000 Panel and co-authored Nevada's Content Standards in Arts Education (About Marcia Neel, 2013).

Ms. Neel brings experience as an educator, presenter, and leadership of Music Education Consultants, Inc., an organization of arts associations and schools districts dedicated to expanding school-based music education. (Marcia Neel, 2013). She has participated in numerous webinars presented by NAfME.

Marcia will present two topics at the KCOMTEP session: "Modern Classroom" with Thanks to "Modern Family"! and Interviewing Skills; the Rules of the Road. Joyce Huser will also work with KCOMTEP faculty on the revised national music standards and the common core standards.

The day-long session is open to music education faculty members from two and four year higher education institutions as well as NAMfE Collegiate music students. The session begins at 9:00 and will conclude mid afternoon. Registration is open on the Kansas Music Educators Association website (ksmea.org/kcomtep). Faculty and collegiate students who plan to attend the day session must complete the online pre-registration. Registration will close at midnight, Friday September 20.

KCOMTEP (Kansas Conference of Music Teacher Education Professors) is a state organization, unique to Kansas, providing a structured framework for faculty discussion on topics relevent to music teacher education. Membership includes music teacher education professors from public, private, and community colleges and universities. KCOMTEP meets regularly each fall.

KCOMTEP, organized 35+ years ago, was at the forefront in the development of the state music standards and, later, in working with KSDE to develop a unified and consistent approach to music teacher education program assessment at our various schools. Members continue to actively work toward improved course transfer and articulation among our programs and in collaboration with our state community colleges. Each fall the organization sponsors the annual workshop as a collaborative event with collegiate NAfME student members.

If you have not received information regarding registration and attendance September 30 conference please contact me.

References