Take 5 for OMEA
April 2026 News from the OMEA
Welcome to the Oregon Music Education Association's monthly e-newsletter, "Take 5 for OMEA." This e-newsletter has the most current news and information all in a 5 minute or less read. You can view past e-newsletters by clicking here.
Please visit our website at www.oregonmea.org for the latest on news and information at OMEA. You can visit our calendar page by clicking here.
To commemorate Jazz Appreciation Month, NAfME’s Council for Jazz Education presents a compendium of recent jazz education-related resources available through NAfME. Note that many of these resources require association membership to access. For more information on becoming a member, please visit this page.
2025-26 Title Sponsor, Dutch Bros
Dutch Bros Coffee's story began in 1992 with brothers Dane and Travis Boersma, who left their family's struggling dairy farm in Grants Pass, Oregon, to pursue a new venture. They purchased an espresso machine and a pushcart, setting up shop near the railroad tracks. The brothers, of Dutch ancestry, named their company Dutch Bros, honoring their heritage.
2025-26 Gold Level Sponsor, Portland State University Music & Theater
2025-26 Silver Level Sponsor, Beacock Music
Beacock Music has been a family- owned company since we first opened in 1976. In addition to Vancouver, we have two additional locations! Eugene opened in 2018 and Albany opened in 2022. They both have full service repair departments, full School Services Division, plus band and orchestra instruments, guitars, percussion, digital pianos, accessories, and print music!
2025-26 Silver Level Sponsor, Linfield University
Linfield’s Department of Music offers creative opportunities for musicians of all levels and skill sets regardless of major.
Whether you’re here to major or minor in music or participate in one of our ensemble groups, you will work closely with world-class faculty and perform side-by-side with professional musicians.
2025-26 Bronze Level Sponsor, 251 Realty
Travis Moddison is a real estate broker dedicated to serving southern Oregon with professionalism and value. He also runs a YouTube channel providing information on Oregon, and updates on news/events impacting Oregonians. In addition to real estate, Travis is an active musician with the Rogue Valley Symphony and raises ducks as a hobby. He loves to have evening jam sessions with his wife and three sons.
2025-26 Bronze Level Sponsor, Bandworld
Bandworld features the American Band College of Central Washington University hosted in southern Oregon each summer. WIBC's ensembles are auditioned and meet annually in the fall in SeaTac.
2025-26 Bronze Level Sponsor, Canter Flute Repair
Your flute should never stand in the way of your music. Our mission is to care for your instrument with the highest skill and precision, so it responds with true resonance and reliability, letting your artistry take center stage.
2025-26 Bronze Level Sponsor, Music Camps at Wallowa Lake
Each Summer, thousands of young musicians set out to expand their musical education through exciting programs where they can learn and grow amongst their friends and peers. One such program is the Music Camp at Wallowa Lake. Over 100 young musicians travel each year to Wallowa Lake for their Brass and Woodwinds Camp!
2025-26 Bronze Level Sponsor, Northwest Band Camp
2025-26 Bronze Level Sponsor, Oregon Symphony
The Oregon Symphony was founded as the "Portland Symphony Society" in 1896, it is the sixth oldest orchestra in the United States, and oldest in the Western United States. Its home venue is the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in downtown Portland.
2025-26 Bronze Level Sponsor, Pacific Lutheran University
Distinguished teachers, talented students, and supportive public: these are the people who make the Department of Music at PLU a nationally recognized center for musical learning, serving, and sharing.
OMEA Executive Board News
OMEA has a new, future-focused Mission and Vision statement along with a set of Core Beliefs that will guide our Strategic Planning for the foreseeable future. Many thanks to those who gave feedback in our Strategic Planning Survey, as well as members of the board who took the time over the summer to create these statements of accountability and purpose.
MISSION: OMEA supports music educators and advocates for equitable access to a high-quality and comprehensive music education for all students in Oregon.
VISION: OMEA will serve as the trusted source for music advocacy in Oregon and will strive to increase the quality and accessibility of music education in our state.
Please click here to read OMEA's Strategic Plan in full.
The Executive Board took the time over the summer to edit and streamline OMEA's Policies and Procedures document. The Board of Control approved changes in September.
Please click here to read OMEA's Policies and Procedures.
LINKS
- OMEA Advocacy
- Advocacy Resources
- Program Standards for Music in Oregon Schools
- National Music Standards One-Pager
Need advocacy support? Contact advocacy@oregonmea.org
Updated Advocacy Resources
The OMEA Advocacy webpage has been updated – Find a new version of the Advocacy Toolkit with helpful links.
2025-26 Bronze Level Sponsor, Portland Orff Association
The Portland Orff Schulwerk Association serves music educators in Oregon and Southwest Washington, promoting and supporting the teaching and enjoyment of music for the whole individual. Membership in POSA comes with benefits: reduced admission to workshops, use of our instrumentarium, and the knowledge that you are doing your part to spread the word about Orff Schulwerk in the Pacific Northwest.
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
2025-26 Bronze Level Sponsor, Young Musicians & Artists
YMA's mission is to provide young people with a unique personal experience in the visual and performing arts, where they share creative interests in a positive environment that builds confidence, enhances self-esteem and reinforces a sense of community.
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
Cauble, Furr & Beguin
Whatever area of law we are engaged in on behalf of our clients, our well-honed skills as trial lawyers, estate planning attorneys and administrative law attorneys come into play.
Chamber Music Northwest
Enjoy exceptional chamber music with Chamber Music Northwest's digital concerts available virtually at CMNW.org and live concerts in Portland, Oregon.
Ian Fuller Percussion
Ian is an educator and a performer, specializing in marching percussion and drum set, with a smaller focus in orchestral percussion. He currently lives in Hillsboro, Oregon.
Educational Travel Services, Inc
When teachers want to take their students on a new travel experience or a specific subject is being explored, ETSI can help design the perfect trip suited to your needs.
Eugene Ballet
Eugene Concert Choir
The Eugene Concert Choir is an enduring, vital part of the community which gives adult avocational singers the opportunity to perform at a professional level so that the beauty and power of choral singing is enjoyed and appreciated by all.
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.
J.W. Pepper
Metropolitan Youth Symphony
Music-ade, LLC
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.
Oregon Children's Choir
The Oregon Children's Choir has served kids in Lane County for over 40 years. We offer excellent singing opportunities for kids in 1st through 12th grade.
Oregon Coast Youth Symphony Festival
Peripole
Follow OMEA on Social Media!
Follow OMEA on Instagram at "oregonmusiceducation."
You can also follow OMEA on Facebook by liking "Oregon Music Education Association."
OMEA social media is a great way to receive news and updates in real time!
Portland Youth Philharmonic
Is is the mission of the Portland Youth Philharmonic Association to prepare young people for success through musical excellence.
Quartet Violin Shop
Southern Oregon University
University of Portland
Western Oregon University
Yamaha Corporation, USA
Yamaha aims to contribute to the “Well-Being of People around the World.” With our unique expertise and sensibilities, gained from our devotion to sound and music, we are committed to creating excitement and cultural inspiration together with people around the world.
NAfME
OMEA
Vision: OMEA will serve as the trusted source for music advocacy in Oregon and will strive to increase the quality and accessibility of music education in our state.
Misson: OMEA supports music educators and advocates for equitable access to a high-quality and comprehensive music education for all students in Oregon.