“According to the MENC Constitution and Bylaws, the National Executive Board may establish 'Societies' to foster communication among and meet the needs of specific segments of MENC's membership, “ said Barbara Geer, MENC president-elect. “With the recent demise of the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE), the time is right for an MENC Society for Jazz Education to serve our jazz educator members and promote the jazz education profession."

The Society for Jazz Education will join several long-standing music education groups under MENC's umbrella, including the Society for General Music, the Society for Music Teacher Education, and the Society for Research in Music Education. According to the MENC Constitution and Bylaws, societies within MENC are composed of all MENC members with established interests in the professional area served by the society. Each society may have a publication or other means of communication, and each has a governance structure including a Council, an Executive Committee, and other officers determined necessary by the National Executive Board.

“MENC's goal is to advance music education by encouraging the study and making of music by all, “ said John Mahlmann, executive director of MENC. “Naturally, we want to make sure jazz, that uniquely American music, is included in our efforts."

More details about the Society for Jazz Education will be announced soon. For more information, visit our website.

MENC: The National Association for Music Education, the world's largest arts education organization, marked its centennial in 2007 as the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. More than 130, 000 members represent all levels of teaching from preschool to graduate school. Since 1907, MENC has worked to ensure that every student has access to a well-balanced, comprehensive, and high-quality program of music instruction taught by qualified teachers. MENC's activities and resources have been largely responsible for the establishment of music education as a profession, for the promotion and guidance of music study as an integral part of the school curriculum, and for the development of the National Standards for Arts Education.