Creating a community of
fine arts administrators

In the early 1970s a small group of music supervisors from the Dallas-Forth Worth metroplex met together periodically to share ideas and help each other with mutual related music concerns. This group began to expand and so we moved our meetings to Crystal's Pizza restaurant in Irving and found our meetings becoming more beneficial to each other. The meetings remained informal with no set agenda and no officers; the only constant was that I arranged the site and sent a reminder letter each month to the group. We all looked forward to our monthly meeting and always left the meetings with new ideas and a refreshed sense of purpose in our work.

As the group enlarged in our area and across the state, we felt it would be beneficial to have music administration opportunities specifically targeting our work-related concerns at the TMEA conventions and summer meetings. The first TMAC officers were elected in February, 1983 at the Texas Music Educators Association Convention in San Antonio. The following people were elected as the charter officers of the TMAC organization: President R.J. (Dick) Winters, Music Coordinator for the Plano Independent School District; Vice President Woody Schober, Director of Music, Irving ISD; and Secretary-Treasurer Ken Howard, Music Supervisor, Waco ISD. Following the election of officers, meetings and workshops were scheduled at TMEA and at the summer conventions. These meetings addressed various topics including budget, curriculum, personnel, public relations, planning and organization, etc.

As a music educator who spent 30 years in music administration, I was grateful for the help and assistance I received as a member of TMAC and applaud those now who are continuing to provide this worthwhile organization for the continued advancement of music education in our state.