Marc E. Greene currently serves on the faculty of the Music Education Department of the Ithaca College School of Music. In his thirty-fourth year as a music educator, he has taught classroom, vocal, and choral music at all grade levels in New York’s Capital District, Central Region, Hudson Valley, and Long Island, and has served as a District Director of Music and the Arts in several school districts in the New York metropolitan area. He has developed highly successful string, choral, band, classroom, dance, theater, and visual arts programs in several school districts, and has been recognized multiple times as the curriculum leader in districts earmarked as a “Best Community for Music Education in America.”
Marc is honored to have this opportunity to further serve NAfME as Eastern Division President and member of the National Executive Board. He has been an active participant in Eastern Division functions for the past five years, and was part of the committee that facilitated the addition of the Women’s Chorus to the Honors Ensembles. He has also served on the advisory committee for the Music Educators Journal, as a reviewer for portions of the National Core Arts Standards, on the National Nominating Committee, and on the Grammy Foundation Music Educator Award Screening Committee. He has presented on various topics at NAfME conferences and functions, including Advocacy, Membership Development, Music Connections to the Common Core, and Choral Methods and Materials.
As a clinician and conductor, Marc has presented at numerous in-service conferences on topics including curriculum, assessment, personnel, finance practices and choral methods. He has sung with numerous choral groups throughout New York in which he has provided leadership including conducting, programming and strategic planning.
Marc serves the New York State School Music Association in many capacities including as a voice, vocal jazz, and choral adjudicator. He recently completed his term as NYSSMA President, where he distinguished himself as a strong advocate for music education during recent upheavals in teacher evaluation, education funding, and curriculum structures. He is a long-time member of NYSSMA’s Curriculum Committee, which has developed many resource materials for music educators, including the Sequential Guide to Music Instruction, the Music-Common Core Crosswalk, and most recently a screencast and documents to introduce the National Core Arts Standards to the field. These materials are all available for download at http://www.nyssma.org/committees/curriculum-committee/. He is also a Past-President of the New York State Council for Administrators of Music Education and the President-Elect of the New York State Council of Education Associations.
He is a product of the Paramus, New Jersey public schools, attended Hartwick College, Ithaca College, College of Saint Rose and Long Island University, and holds degrees in Music Education, Communications, Business Management and Educational Administration. He is the proud father of his daughter, Cassandra, who by day works as a biogenetic researcher, and by night is a fervent singer and arranger for the a cappella group Business Casual. More information about Marc is available at www.marcgreene.com, and he may be reached at PastPresident@nyssma.org.
“Music education continues to face major challenges in a world where our educational systems are slowly surrendering their souls to the interests of ill-conceived federal and state programs rooted in high stakes testing, school rating schemes and financial incentives. As we have become slaves to the sea of ever-changing acronyms – NCLB, RTTT, APPR, SLO, CCSS, to name a few – we have indentured our students and their education to the winds of political rhetoric in the quest for educational dollars.”
“In the on-going storm of educational upheaval, NAfME must keep its hand on the rudder of public opinion and perception of music education in our country. Our association must continue to strive to advocate effectively for the role of music in the education of every American child and the core concept of music as the heart and soul of our nation. NAfME needs to provide relevant and timely services for educators, students, and communities in order to maintain and expand its membership base. Our power of persuasion lies in the strength of our membership.”
“NAfME must seek to use its resources to continue to develop comprehensive marketing, lobbying and advocacy programs that will safeguard and cement the importance of music in the lives of all Americans. We are a remarkable network of music educators whose skills and input are vital as NAfME facilitates the development of meaningful outreach and professional services to support us as we all strive for excellence in our craft.”