North Carolina Music Educators Association

Congratulations to Union Academy Charter School (Monroe, NC) on being named North Carolina’s Tri-M® Music Honor Society State Chapter of the Year for 2025–2026 by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). This recognition highlights outstanding student leadership, service, and dedication to music education in their community.

Tri-M® honors middle and high school students for excellence in music, academics, and service, supporting chapters nationwide with scholarships and professional development opportunities. Union Academy’s achievement reflects the impact of strong music programs and student-driven advocacy across North Carolina.

Read about all of the 2025–2026 award winners here: https://buff.ly/gwUkPad

Apply for 2026 NCMEA Middle School Conference Performance Choir. Don't miss out on this wonderful performance opportunity. Applications close on June 1st.

https://buff.ly/yeDJoYO

NCMEA is developing a parental support resource page for music teachers, including a database of qualified substitutes for extended parental and medical leave. This effort comes in response to research showing that many music teacher mothers in North Carolina struggle to find support and coverage during maternity leave.

If you know qualified music teacher substitutes who may be interested in being included, please send their name and contact information to Raychl Smith at [email protected].

Find the page here: https://buff.ly/kDZWhjA

Registration to attend the Fall Comprehensive Arts Education Conference, Saturday, September 26th at the PECK Expeditionary Learning School, in Greensboro, NC will open on FRIDAY, MAY 22nd!!!

This day-long conference serves as a statewide professional development opportunity for dance, music, theatre, and visual arts educators, district arts education leaders, teaching artists, arts integration specialists, and pre-service teachers from across North Carolina working in K-12 programs, independent studios, performing arts organizations, and higher education institutions.

The mission of this conference is to support the three essential components of the North Carolina Comprehensive Arts Education Model: Arts Education, Arts Integration, and Arts Exposure. Sessions will be centered on the four K-12 Arts Education Standards core strands of Connect, Create, Present, and Respond and aid to reinforce the 2024 standard course of study.

This event is proudly supported by the North Carolina Music Educators Association. All conference participants will receive a boxed lunch and a NC CAEC tee shirt with registration. Stay tuned for future posts about this event on Facebook and Instagram!

Recently graduated? Your state mentorship programs are standing by to help! Complete the short form at the link in bio to opt-in to have your contact information shared with state MEA mentorship programs (if applicable).

https://buff.ly/IeOp294

Also, visit NCMEA's Mentoring Program page for more information.

https://buff.ly/qrVCV6X

Registration is now open for the 2026 NAfME Collegiate Leadership Advocacy Summit happening June 22-24 in Reston, Virginia. Join NAfME Collegiate members from around the country for in-person leadership-centric learning sessions, advocacy training, and networking at this one-of-a-kind event! Visit bit.ly/NAfMECLAS for resources and registration information.

https://buff.ly/cjUsu59

Thank you to for meeting with for the to discuss essential arts legislation. Your support for the arts is vital to economic growth and the soul of our nation.

From left to right are Rep. Mike Schietzelt, Carolina Perez Guerrero, Azariah Ropp, David Dixon, Annie Pinto, James Daugherty, Susan Heiserman and Michael Henderson.

Choral musicians, mark your calendars!

Choral Singing in America: Nurturing the Country’s Soul, a feature-length documentary celebrating choirs and communities across the country, will be available worldwide beginning May 18 on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, and YouTube TV.

From classrooms and concert halls to churches, synagogues, prisons, and hospice centers, the documentary highlights how choral singing fosters connection, empathy, and a shared sense of purpose across communities.

Musicians making appearances in the film include Eric Whitacre, Pentatonix’s Scott Hoying, Tim Sharp, Doreen Rao, Anton Armstrong, André Thomas, Rosephanye Powell, Tom Trenney, Mack Wilberg, Dale Warland, and Alice Parker. The documentary features performances by the St. Olaf Chapel Choir, Atlanta Master Chorale, the Moses Hogan Chorale, The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, the Robert Shaw Festival Singers, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and Chanticleer along with many others.

Learn more about the film: https://choralsinging.org/about
Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/UoX3yHRRUgM

Please help us spread the word!

Official movie poster for Choral Singing in America, designed by Nick Porcaro

Last call to apply for the Hortense N. Reid-Kerr Scholarship!

This $2,000 one-time award honors NCMEA’s first full-term and first minority president (1971–1973) and supports a Music Education major of a racial or ethnic minority who is a North Carolina resident attending a college or university in NC.
Hortense Reid-Kerr also taught at Howard University, inspiring generations of music educators, and students from HBCUs are strongly encouraged to apply.

📅 Deadline: May 15 at 11:59 PM
🏆 Recipient recognized at the NCMEA Professional Development Conference in November

For full details, visit the scholarship section of the NCMEA website.

Apply today and celebrate Reid-Kerr’s legacy through the power of music education:
🔗 https://buff.ly/H47zLao

Another great day of Arts Advocacy is in the books as joined NCDPI members for the to discuss essential arts legislation.

From left to right are Ashley Perkinson (NCMEA lobbyist), David Dixon, Annie Pinto, Anne Murtha (Legislative Specialist, NCDPI), Azariah Ropp, Susan Heiserman, Jazzmone Sutton, James Daugherty, Geoff Coltrane (Sr. Director of Government Affairs & Strategy, NCDPI), Lizzie Yelverton (Legislative Liaison, NCDPI)

ACT NOW to support a K-5 Performing and Visual Arts Requirement in the NC state budget and help protect every NC student’s constitutional right to a sound, basic education.

The House budget version includes a K-5 Performing and Visual Arts Requirement that would ensure all NC public school students in grades K-5 receive:

• Standards-based instruction in both Performing and Visual Arts
• Taught by subject-licensed educators in standard-sized classes
• For 30 minutes at least once every 5 instructional days for each subject

Take two minutes to write to your NC General Assembly representatives and urge them to support the K-5 Performing and Visual Arts Requirement and empower every North Carolina student for success:

Write your representatives and learn more here:
https://buff.ly/c9rYPT4