Mufie in educationa State, regional and national level at the meetings of the MENC since
it was founded in 1907. The inclusion in the name of the organization
from the very beginning of the word ‘conference’ indicates the under-
lying purpose of the organization. At the meetings, local, regional or
national, the generalist in music education confers with the specialist-
the person who is particularly concerned with what we teach and how
we teach meets up with someone who is also concerned with wLy we
teach. The person who is primarily concerned with his responsibilities
as the conductor of a performing group learns from his colleagues in
the field that there are other responsibilities which music education has
in the total framework of education. From this melting pot which is
provided by the professional organization come inevitable trends to-
ward uniformity.
I think I should also say that the United States of America has no
monopoly on the idea that a professional and voluntary organization
can be extremely effective in the field of music education. Our friends
who are here from Chile can tell us some fine things about the Asocia-
ci6n de Educaci6n Musical which has been such an important ally in
the development of music education in Chile. There is a new and effec-
tive organization in Peru, the Asociaci6n de Profesores de Mbsica, and
there is another in Guatemala. Our friends who are here from the
Nordic countries should be asked to tell us about the Nordic Music
Teachers Association which has been an inspiration to the teachers of
music in those countries for several years.
In this paper I have attempted to give you a kaleidoscopic view of
where we were, where we are, and where we hope to go in the field of
music education in the United States of America. We are a new pro-
fession. In the course of two generations we have grown to the point
where 40,000 people have had to be trained to teach in the schools-
something of a task, you will agree. Through the professional organi-
zation which at the present time is at the strongest point of develop-
ment in its history, and through the vitality of the profession whose
members are in the profession for the principal reason of contributing
to the intellectual, emotional and spiritual growth of the boys and girls
in the schools through music, we feel sure that we shall continue to be
worthy of taking our proper place, making what contributions we can,
discharging our obligations, and meeting our responsibilities at future
international conferences of music education.