Building Capacity for Change in 2022
In his address at the 11th Convention of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (August 16, 1967), Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive and that love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.
Defined by our commitment for shaping a more promising future for music in higher education, we must acknowledge that we can only do so by empowering our members to lead meaningful change. Collectively, we strive to do so with thoughtfulness, care, love, and a relentless belief that music uniquely offers ways of imagining a more just and harmonious world. As we close out 2021, a year filled with uncertainty, the College Music Society Board of Directors is busy building its capacity for positive change in 2022 and beyond.
Appointing committee chairs is among the joyful responsibilities of the president. Envisioning the 2023 Miami national conference as one that celebrates diverse musical traditions, features local and regional art forms, foregrounds improvised musics, and spotlights the significant contributions of Hispanic/Latine artists, musicians, and scholars, I sought to identify a colleague whose life’s work is rooted in equity, fueled by curiosity, and is a celebration of community. Unanimously endorsed by the Board of Directors, Dr. Mihoko Watanabe has accepted my nomination to serve as the Program Committee Chair for CMS’ 66th National Conference. And I am elated.
Designed to re-energize committees and spark new initiatives, while retaining the wisdom of those who have admirably led, I am excited to share plans for incorporating new leadership in 2022.
Under the leadership of Don Bowyer, the Committee on International Initiatives has expanded its membership to stretch across six continents and laid the foundation for forming a CMS International Chapter in 2022. As the Committee begins work on a strategic plan for growing membership outside its traditional North American borders, we welcome Dr. Amr Selim, Assistant Professor at the Lebanese American University, as the Committee’s Co-Chair, beginning in January 2022.
As Director of Service Learning and Community Engagement (retired) at the University of North Texas, Donna Emmanuel championed methodologies for co-creating community-music unit partnerships. Dr. Emmanuel has shared her expertise with CMS through conference presentations, research, and service, including her role as Program Committee Chair for our 2017 national conference. Beginning January 2022, she will partner with Nate Zeisler, Dean of Community Engagement at the Colburn School, to Co-chair the Committee on Community Engagement. Widely regarded as a leader in his field, Dr. Zeisler brings with him his vision of “a world where arts majors have a path to a sustainable career, creative minds are empowered to rule the workforce, and access to the arts is not just for the privileged few, but for all.”
Amidst this season of thanksgiving and light, I would like to recognize outgoing Board Members, each of whom has served with distinction, integrity, and a love of our art form and the good it can do in the world.
Teryl Dobbs, Music Education
Kim Wangler, Music Industry Studies
Jenn LaRue, Student Representative
Emery Stephens, Performance
Gene Trantham, At-Large
Charles Rochester Young, Treasurer
Eileen M. Hayes, Past-President
As you anticipate the ways in which you will celebrate the good in the world this season, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to The CMS Fund. The CMS Fund seeds projects that bring together members of CMS and local communities through music-making, funds initiatives that lead to technology’s increased effectiveness in college music instruction, supports interactions between higher education music faculty and local organizations, and supports student travel to conferences.
Happy Holidays and thanks for joining the conversation.
Mark Rabideau
President, The College Music Society
Associate Dean for Faculty & Student Affairs, College of Arts & Media, University of Colorado Denver