September 20,2006

FOCUS ON ISSUES & DECISION MAKING: The Music Administrator, Part 1 of 2

When school music programs face cuts or financial crisis, the Music Administrator is often the first faculty position to be eliminated. Never heard of this position? It may have already been eliminated, with overall responsibility for the music curriculum now loosely spread among a number of music faculty members. Survival of the music curriculum may then depend solely on the public relations skill of each individual teacher or the voice of the public.

In this two-part series, I’ll cover several levels of authority and responsibility for music department leadership. Even the most experienced advocates and involved parents may be surprised at how vital the position of Music Administrator is to the health and well being of a strong music education program.

When no Music Administrator is in charge of the music curriculum, music programs are often poorly administered or weakened. The program may even be relegated to a solely extra-curricular activity, as in districts where the Athletic Director is appointed "Activities" Director: suddenly the music department becomes a "function" that is exclusively extra-curricular in nature. 

Levels of Music Leadership

Who are (or were) these music leaders? Historically, Music Administrators were experienced music teachers with great passion for music education. They sought positions of leadership as advocates of music for all children.

However, in many cases they lacked the administrative background or training to fully understand how the system worked. As they assumed their positions, many became painfully aware that they had really been hired by the administration to endorse whatever decisions were passed down to them.

And, to make matters worse, though they were given different titles relative to the level of authority of their positions, they often worked without specific job descriptions or responsibilities like those I’ll outline in part 2 of this series.

Here are a few typical position titles and brief descriptions of duties, listed in descending level of authority. Normally, as the level of authority diminishes, so does the amount of FTE assigned to the position.

Director of Fine Arts

The Director of Fine Arts position includes supervision of all areas of the arts (usually music, drama, dance and the visual arts). The term "director" implies an administrative level position, with authority equivalent to other personnel with a similar title such as the Directors of Personnel, Curriculum, etc. In the administrative flow chart, this individual might be responsible to an Assistant Superintendent.

Director of Music

This position is similar to that of the Director of Fine Arts but limited to the music program. This position may be equivalent to or under the supervision of the Director of Fine Arts, depending on the size of the district. This may also be a position in which the Director of Curriculum is responsible for supervision of arts areas outside of music. This position should have centralized authority over all aspects of music in the district.

Music Supervisor

The position of Music Supervisor is normally a position with district-wide supervision. Unfortunately this often includes only those teachers that are itinerant (elementary general or instrumental music), leaving any supervision of teachers assigned to a single school (e.g., high school band director, middle school choral director, etc.) up to the site administrator (principal). Efforts should be made to at least include the Music Supervisor as an advisor to the site administrator, particularly in the teacher selection and evaluation process.

Music Coordinator

This position is often exactly what the term "coordinator" implies. It usually carries significantly less authority, and often serves only as a means of coordinating areas of the music program in which the teacher is assigned to multiple schools. Often this position simply becomes a vehicle for dispensing information that has "come down from the top."

[Note:  The positions listed above are not usually eligible for tenure, and therefore may become very politicized. Any perception of authority to lead or advocate may be erroneous, and attempts to do so have sometimes led to dismissal. People who assume this position from within the district may have the option to go back into the classroom, depending on their seniority as a teacher.]

Department Chair of Music

These positions are under the authority of any position(s) above, if they exist. It is probably more normal that they exist as part-time positions within an individual school, or related to specific areas of the curriculum (e.g., Chair of Instrumental Music, Choral Music, etc.).

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, there are many school districts that now exist with no Music Administrator positions whatsoever. This can lead to competition within areas of the music curriculum and conflict. Deterioration of program quality and levels of student participation are often, if not usually, the result.

Your Music Coalition Can Help Make The Case for a Music Administrator

What can your Music Coalition do to help protect music leadership in your school district? Use the influence of your Administrative Liaison Committee of the Music Coalition to:

* Insist on specific assignment of the administrative or supervisory duties to someone at the administrative level, preferably to someone with music skill.  (Where the administrator is a "non-musician," I suggest the district purchase Robert Culver's Master Teacher Profile, a 3 hour, 32 minute video available at http://www.reallygoodmusic.com/rgm.jsp?page=cdsvideosdetail&iid=123665 .)
* Insist on qualified (education and experience) music supervisory personnel, with the allocation of FTE appropriate to the size of the district.
* Hold your school administrators responsible for excellence in student achievement in music.

In Part 2, you’ll read about the basic – yet immense, varied and very important – duties that could or should be the responsibility of one person, the Music Administrator for your school or district.

Until then,

John Benham