Tuesday, June 19, 2012

RESTON, VA (June 19, 2012) -- The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) announced that Nancy E. Ditmer will assume the presidency of the Association at its 2012 Music Education Week. Ditmer, professor and department chair at the College of Wooster in Ohio, has served as the Association's North Central Division President (2002–2004), as president of the Ohio Music Education Association (1996–1998), and as editor of the OMEA Triad (1991-93). A nationally known clinician and music educator, Ditmer was designated a 2008 Lowell Mason Fellow and received the 2006 Distinguished Service Award from the Ohio Music Education Association, among other honors during her career. Prior to her appointment at the College of Wooster in 1984, Ditmer taught in the public schools in Arcanum and Versailles, Ohio. She is also the founder and director of the Wooster Music Camp, a summer program for middle and high school instrumental music students.

Ditmer says there are three major issues on which she plans to focus during her presidency: teacher evaluation; the development of a new version of arts standard; and exploring creative and innovative ways of delivering high quality professional development. She will also emphasize collaboration. "One of the most important things I've learned in the course of my career," she said, "is that whether we teach band, choir, orchestra, guitar, general music, theory, composition, or any other aspect of music, we are all music educators who need to work together to provide the best possible musical experiences for all students."

NAfME's annual Music Education Week event takes place in Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC, June 22-26. It includes the annual National Leadership Assembly, professional development sessions for music educators, advocacy outreach to legislators on Capitol Hill, an open-to-the-public performance by the U.S. Marine Band ("President's Own"), and the 2012 All-National Honor Ensembles, which will perform Sunday, June 24, at 4:00 p.m. at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Nearly 250 outstanding student musicians from around the country will participate.

Music Education Week also features the National Symposium on Music Assessment and Teacher Evaluation, co-sponsored by Make Music, Inc. Participants will learn about the state of the art in music assessment, based on model projects NAfME has identified in districts and states across the U.S. They will be provided the opportunity to influence the ongoing development of new technology tools to facilitate music assessment.

For more information on Nancy E. Ditmer, the 2012 All-National Honor Ensembles, the National Symposium on Music Assessment and Teacher Evaluation, or other aspects of Music Education Week, contact Elizabeth Lasko at ElizabethL@nafme.org or 703-862-2503.National Association for Music Education, among the world's largest arts education organizations, is the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. NAfME advocates at the local, state, and national levels; provides resources for teachers, parents, and administrators; hosts professional development events; and offers a variety of opportunities for students and teachers. The Association orchestrates success for millions of students nationwide and has supported music educators at all teaching levels for more than a century.



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