Take 5 for OMEA
September 2026 News from the OMEA
OMEA Events
Please check OMEA's online calendar for events, webinars, and meetings.
JJ Sutton, OMEA Executive Director
OMEA Awards
OMEA Elections
Call for Articles
Click here for more information regarding OMEA Publications.
JJ Sutton, OMEA Executive Director
All-State News
Conference News
Orchestra News
Advocacy & Public Policy News
Click here for September's 2026 OMEA Advocacy & Public Policy News.
Laura Arthur, OMEA Public Policy Chair
Stephen Marshall, OMEA Advocacy Chair
Student Composition Contest News
Click here for September's 2026 OMEA Student Composition Contest News.
Kathy Briggs, OMEA Student Composition Chair (traditional)
Jason Rodgers, OMEA Student Composition Chair (electronic, songwriting, loop-based music)
Small Schools Advocacy News
Click here for September's 2026 OMEA Small Schools Advocacy News.
Melissa Jmaeff, OMEA Small Schools Co-Chair
Paul Burch, OMEA Smalls Schools Co-Chair
Mentorship Program News
Is Music Technology in your future?
As the school year winds down and conversations about staffing and course offerings begin, music educators may find themselves being asked to teach Music Technology (sometimes with little preparation or support). If that’s you, you’re not alone, and help is available. Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to refine an existing course, I’m happy to share resources, lesson ideas, and practical strategies from the classroom. Music Technology can be an incredibly engaging and meaningful pathway for students, and with the right support, it can also be a rewarding space for teachers.
Jason Rodgers
OMEA Secondary General Music Chair
OMEA Survey
Are you teaching music technology? Curious or planning to? Are you being directed to add this to your curriculum or offer a class? The OMEA is gathering data on the current status of music technology classes in our schools: what’s being offered, what’s being planned, and what resources teachers have or need. Your insights will help guide future support, training, and collaboration opportunities across the state.
Click here to access the survey.
Jason Rodgers
OMEA Secondary General Music Chair
OMEA Survey
You may have recently received an email from us asking you to complete a survey for a study we are conducting regarding Music Performance Assessments. This message is simply a reminder asking for you to participate if you haven’t already done so. This survey is open to all OMEA members, regardless of whether you are active, retired, preservice, and regardless of teaching level (e.g., elementary, middle, high school).
With this study, we are attempting to better understand music educators’ attitudes toward “music performance assessments.” We use the term music performance assessments (MPA), to describe organized events such as festivals, contests, and competitions where bands, orchestras, and choirs perform music for adjudicators and expect to receive a rating, ranking, or score, in addition to comments.
We have independently assessed the validity and reliability of this survey through several rounds of pilot testing, and we are now in the process of data collection. We would like to invite you to share your thoughts/feedback regarding your experiences with MPAs using the link below. The process will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Thank you for your help!
Click here to complete the survey.
Jay Silveira
University of Oregon
Wes Brewer
Oregon State University
OMEA Publications
Please click here to access OMEA publications. Issuu will now archive all OMEA publications dating back to 1948. These older editions will be posted as access becomes available for scanning.
Please contact JJ Sutton if you are interested in submitting an article for future publications.
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Tri-M
A Tri-M® Music Honor Society chapter opens up a world of opportunities for students who have already shown themselves to be academically capable and musically gifted. Through performance and community service, they’ll develop confidence, creativity, critical thinking, compassion, and a host of other leadership skills sure to serve them well in school and beyond.
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OMEA social media is a great way to receive news and updates in real time!
