Hello Colleagues,
Happy New Year, 2025!
The New Year’s holiday is my favorite holiday of the year. For this relentless optimist and hopeless idealist, the idea of the entire planet stopping for a moment to collectively reflect on the achievements of the past year and dream about a better future is magical. At no other time of the year does everyone on the planet creatively dream about what is possible, celebrate with community and loved ones, and acknowledge the connectedness of our shared humanity. At this moment, I see the creativity, vision, and positivity for a better future for all of us that I aspire to capture and frame for the rest of the year.
In CMS, we are aspiring to the following for 2025:
- Complete our work on redefining the new Mission, Vision, and Values statements for CMS
- Amplify our Cohorts and integrate them into our committees for organization and oversight
- Solidify the initiatives of the new CMS International Chapter
- Produce a brilliant National Conference in October 2025 in Spokane, WA
- Produce a brilliant International Conference in June 2025 in Colombia
- Update our website to serve our members better
- Explore and expand our ability to serve our institutional members
- Plan and lead discussion on an innovation summit for 2026
Starting this January, The College Music Society has reorganized our standing committees with the following groups. I am now in the process of contacting members and filling these committees. Please [email protected] if you want to serve on one of these new committees!
Professional Development and Entrepreneurship
- Solicits and evaluates proposals for Webinars / Summits / etc…
- Creates opportunities for professional development and career growth within CMS
- Oversees the cohorts for Mid-Career, Early Career, and Academic Leadership
Academic Citizenship & Cultural Inclusion
- Leads CMS in defining and engaging with the ever-evolving concept of belonging in our organization and our institutions
- Advocates for diversity and inclusion in music in higher education by focusing on issues of harassment, sexual assault, gender equity, and anti-racism initiatives.
- Provides ongoing training in these areas
- Oversees the Inclusive Pedagogy Cohort
Community Engagement, Partnership, and Advocacy
- Builds and maintains partnerships with other music in higher education-adjacent entities
Health, Access, and Well-Being
- Explores pedagogical methods at the intersection of the mind-body relationship to expand the meaning of "educating the whole person” in higher education
- Provides ongoing training in these areas.
I proudly welcome the following new members to the CMS Board of Directors. Please see their full bios in the spotlight below, as well as their complete profiles in the coming months. Thank you all for your service!
- Drew Coles
CMS Board Member for Jazz and Commercial Music - Suzanne Hall
CMS Board Member for Music Education, re-elected - Elisabeth Hoegberg
CMS Board Member At-Large - Jessica Muñiz-Collado
CMS Board Member for Music Industry, re-elected - Brian Pertl
CMS President-Elect (2026-2028) - Adam Rizzo
CMS Board Member, Student Representative - Bonnie Sneed
CMS Treasurer, re-elected - Mihoko Watanabe
CMS Board Member for Music Performance
Thank you for all you do, and I wish you a healthy, productive, and vibrant Spring Semester / Winter Quarter!
BC
Brian Kai Chin
President, College Music Society
