Wednesday, August 7, 2013

RESTON, VA (August 7, 2013) – If there's anyone who truly understands the value of educating a young person about music, it has to be Karl Dean, the Mayor of Nashville. After all, this is Music City we're talking about, a town that's all about creating and consuming music.

As keynote speaker, Dean will be bringing his unique insights and love for music, along with his support of Nashville's music industry, to The National Association for Music Education's annual professional development conference October 27-30, 2013 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Conference Center. The Mayor's keynote address will be on Monday, October 28 at 10:00 am.

Music educators from across the United States are expected to come together in the place "music calls home" to network, learn, and celebrate music education. In addition to the conference, more than 600 students representing 46 states will perform in NAfME's annual All-National Honor Ensembles Concert. The concert will include performances of the All-National Honor Orchestra, Honor Concert Band, Honor Mixed Choir, and Honor Jazz Band.

NAfME's mission is a good one – to encourage the study and making of music by all. With more than 70,000 members, the organization is THE voice of music education in the United States.

"Nashville's 'Music Makes Us' education initiative is the perfect backdrop for NAfME's new reimagined conference," said Nancy Ditmer, NAfME President. "The mayor's commitment to making Nashville a world-class city for music education will make our teachers feel welcome and valued."

There's no question either that Dean is extremely serious about that commitment. Music Makes Us is Nashville's revolutionary new approach to music education that includes new contemporary curriculum and technologies, but also builds on and improves traditional music curriculum in band, orchestra and choir.

Music Makes Us infuses new life into the music education program with new classes in songwriting and composition, world percussion, rock band and mariachi and technology-based production such as recording and hip hop at middle schools and high schools.

"Through Music Makes Us, we are well on our way to ensuring that Nashville has the best music education program in the country," Mayor Dean said. "Nashville has the largest concentration of the music industry of any city in North America, and Music Makes Us takes full advantage of the many talented individuals on both the creative and business sides of the industry as a resource for our students. I look forward to talking about the importance of music education with members of the National Association for Music Education. Music and arts education is not a frill. It is an essential part of a well-rounded education."

For more information, visit www.nafme.org.



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.

Follow NAfME on Twitter (twitter.com/nafme) and on Facebook (facebook.com/nafme).