Resources > Acronyms and Terms

Listed below are some of the acronyms and terminology that are used in the field of music education.

AASA	American Association of School Administrators Organization of School Administrators
ACDA	American Choral Directors Association Organization whose central purpose is to promote excellence in choral music through performance, composition, publication, research, and teaching
ASBDA	American School Band Directors Association
ASTA	American String Teachers Association The American String Teachers Association promotes excellence in string and orchestra teaching and playing
CBMR	Center for Black Music Research
CMENC	Collegiate Music Educators' National Conference The Collegiate chapters of MENC across the nation
CMP	Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance A method developed in Wisconsin for teaching and lesson plans using the national standards
CMP	Contemporary Music Project
CRME	Council of Research in Music Education
JRMA	Journal of Research in Music Education Publication put out by MENC
Harvard's 'Project Zero'	Project researching the artistic and aesthetic development of children, applying cognitive development to arts education.
Housewright Declaration	A statement similar to the Tanglewood Symposium and Vision 2020, developed in September, 1999
ISME	International Society for Music Education International society that promotes music education in over 60 countries that was formed in 1953
MEJ	Music Educators Journal One of the magazines put out by MENC
MENC	Music Educators National Conference The Umbrella organization for all other music education groups. MENC provides support, resources, and networking for music educators at the national level
MIOSM	Music In Our Schools Month The MENC Sponsored Music Education Advocacy Month every March.
MMCP	Manhattanville Music Curriculum Project
MTNA	Music Teachers National Association
Multiple Intelligences'	Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, including music, which has strongly supported arts as basic education.
NAEP	Music Teachers National Association Conducts academic assessments regularly since 1970's. It restarted music assessments in 1997.
NAfME	National Association for Music Education The new name for MENC
NATS	National Association of Teachers of Singing Largest Organization of Singers in the world
NEA	National Education Association
NFAA	National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts
NFMC	National Federation of Music Clubs
NSOA	National School Orchestra Association The National School Orchestra Association promotes excellence in string and orchestra teaching and playing
St. Thomas Music Education Symposium	A research conference promoting research, scholarship, and dialogue within the fields of music teaching and learning
Standards of music education	Developed with the Consortium of National Arts Educations Associations, 1994.
Tanglewood Symposium	Symposium addressing the role of music education in contemporary society, faced with rapid social, cultural, and economic growth.
Tri-M	Modern Music Masters A High School Music honors society, comparable to National Honors Society, with membership open to students involved in music
Vision 2020	Focuses on the future of music education by the year 2020, as the Tanglewood Symposium did in the 1960's
WMEA	Wisconsin Music Educators' Association The Wisconsin State division of MENC
WSMA	Wisconsin School Music Association The organization that schools belong to that sponsors Solo/Ensemble
Yale Seminar	Seminar held at Yale in 1963 to identify and examine the problems facing music education