1. MENC AND THE
CONTEMPORARY
Highlights from:
MUSIC CMP in Perspective
Presentation by
PROJECT Stacy Larson

2. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
 The second half of the 20th century brought many changes to
education, including music *
 Federal government became much more involved in public education
 Not-for-profit organizations became involved in arts education
 Music education struggled as a profession to connect with a more
modern and changing society *
 MENC (Music Educators National Conference—now known as the National
Association for Music Education) had been trying to interest members in using
more 20th-century music
* (Mark and Gary 407, 412)

3. FORD FOUNDATION
 1957—Ford Foundation examined the place of the arts in the US
 Norman Dello Joio suggested that young composers be placed in public
schools
 1959—Young Composers Project
 Grant from the Ford Foundation, administered by MENC
 Placed 31 composers in public school systems in 3 years
 One of the first examples of successful cooperation between composers and
educators
 Program was a huge success, but pointed out that teachers were poorly
prepared to teach contemporary music

4. CONTEMPORARY MUSIC PROJECT
 1962—New proposal from MENC suggested
continuation/expansion of the Young Composers Project
 1963—Success of Young Composers Project elevated its status
from a pilot project to one of Ford Foundation’s ten major
programs
 $1.38 million grant (over 5-year period)
 Contemporary Music Project for Creativity in Music Education
(came to be called CMP)
 1968—Ford Foundation extended its support of CMP
 Additional $1.34 million for another 5 years
 MENC also contributed $50,000 each year

5. PURPOSES OF CMP
1. To increase the emphasis on the creative aspect of music in the public
schools.
2. To create a solid foundation or environment in the music education
profession for the acceptance, through understanding, of the
contemporary music idiom.
3. To reduce the compartmentalization which now exists between the
professors of music composition and music education for the benefit of
composers and music educators alike.
4. To cultivate taste and discrimination on the part of music educators and
students regarding the quality of contemporary music in schools.
5. To discover, when possible, creative talent among the students in schools.

6. 3 MAJOR PROGRAMS OF CMP
 Program I: Professionals-in-Residence to Communities
 Continuation/Expansion of the Young Composers Project
 Professional musicians were placed in residence in scattered
communities throughout the US
 59 composers and/or professional musicians were involved over the 10-
year period of the program
 Professionals were to “serve the cultural interests of these communities
and innovations among the various artistic, civic, and educational
institutions in the communities”
 Workshops and seminars were added to educate teachers
about contemporary music through analyzing, performing &
creating music

7. 3 MAJOR PROGRAMS OF CMP
 Program II: Teaching of Comprehensive Musicianship
 Grants given to develop a variety of approaches that could be
used in teaching comprehensive musicianship
 Course sequences, syllabi, institutional approaches
 All grade levels: elementary, secondary, undergraduate, graduate
 1965—Seminar on Comprehensive Musicianship held at
Northwestern University
 Developed and implemented ways to improve education of
music teachers

8. 3 MAJOR PROGRAMS OF CMP
 Program III: Complementary Activities
 Variety of ways of communicating the work of CMP
 Consultative services to schools and universities
 Workshops and courses for school music teachers and college faculty
 Presentations at state, regional, and national music education
conventions
 Publications and articles
 Instructional film on the common elements of music
 National conferences on College Music Curricula, which explored the
rationale of comprehensive musicianship as a basis for the total college
music curriculum

9. COMPREHENSIVE MUSICIANSHIP
(CM)
 “A concept about the teaching and learning of music based on the
ideas that music is more than composition or theory or
performance or pedagogy”
 Provided a focus for an entire music curriculum so that students could
synthesize material and see relationships between all activities
 Process-centered approach included performing, organizing, and describing **
 Done through experiences in
analysis, composition, improvisation, performance
 Furthered CMP’s goal of reducing the
“compartmentalization” in the music profession **
** (Hoffer 79)

10. CM IN THE CLASSROOM
 Integration: Skills and information are acquired in the context of
the analysis, composition, or performance of music
 Breadth and depth: Subjects that are deemed most important
might be explored across a variety of time periods and cultures
 Involvement: Students are active and can apply ideas and
information through projects of composition, performance, or
research
 Independence: Students take increased responsibility for their
own learning

11. BROADENING THE SCOPE
 Comprehensive musicianship went beyond the current traditional
music curriculum to show how various aspects of music relate to
each other. *
 Examples of comprehensive musicianship in the curriculum:
 A studio instructor goes beyond the performance of a musical work and points
out theoretical and historical aspects
 A choral director discusses the relationship between music and art across all
time periods from medieval to modern
 An instrumental conductor involves students deeply in
listening, composing, improvising, and performing
 An elementary general music teacher allows students to encounter music
spanning from past to present, from a combination of ethnic, Eastern , and
Western classical traditions
* (Mark and Gary 408)

12. PROGRAM REFLECTION
 When the program ended in 1973, the goal of CMP “to provide a
synthesis, a focus, for disparate activities in music, in order to give
them a cohesion and relevance in our society, to its cultural and
educational institutions and organizations” had been fulfilled
 At the time, MENC hoped that CMP had left a legacy for those
regularly responsible for the quality and scope of the musical life
of this and future generations

13. IMPACTS ON MUSIC EDUCATION
 CMP provided challenges, developed methodology and
materials, and gave music education a new direction *
 Music teachers became more conscious of the need to teach and
use contemporary music **
 Elementary school music series books now contain examples of various types
of contemporary music
 Publishers have brought out more contemporary materials for use by school
groups
 Music education grew into a profession that was more receptive
to the changes and innovations of society
* (Mark and Gary 409)
** (Hoffer 79)

14. BIBLIOGRAPHY
“CMP in Perspective.” Music Educators Journal. 59.9 (1973): 34-47.
Print.
Mark, Michael L. and Charles L. Gary. A History of American Music
Education. 3rd ed. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2007.
Print.
Hoffer, Charles R. Introduction to Music Education. 3rd ed. Long
Grove: Waveland, 2009. Print.