1. Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy
Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy Ludwig van Beethoven
I am speaking on behalf of the Ontario Music Educators' Association, the recognized subject association for Ontario's elementary and secondary school music teachers; and for the Alliance for Music Education: Ontario, encompassing some of Ontario’s most influential music education advocates, music educators and members of the Ontario music education industry. Our main concern today focuses on the teacher qualifications in Music recognized by the College of teachers, specifically certification of elementary music teachers and elementary music specialist teachers. In order to provide context for our requests for action, we will also touch briefly on the key goals of our organizations, and on the roles that the Ministry of Education and provincial teachers’ federations will have in moving forward.

2. Key Messages
Every child has the right to a music education delivered by a qualified music teacher
A music teacher must meet minimum standards of musical literacy
Sufficient funding to bring quality music education to every child in Ontario must be allocated
Our key messages:
Every child has the right to a music education delivered by a qualified music teacher
A music teacher must meet minimum standards of musical literacy
Sufficient funding to bring quality music
Of these messages, it is point number two, standards of musical literacy for teachers, that is our concern here today.

3. Current Advocacy Priorities
Teacher Qualification
Establishment of a viable system of recognition for a qualified “music teacher” and “music specialist” in elementary schools
Requirement that qualified music teachers are responsible for teaching music.
Regulation 274: Necessity of hiring from the Occasional Teacher pool makes it hard for young teachers to apply for positions for which they’re qualified.
In secondary schools in areas of declining enrolment, principals/boards are permanently assigning teachers with no music background to music sections.(Teaching Assignment in Ontario, 2011)
Related to our goals, currently, we are working on a number of priorities, including the establishment of a more reasonable system of qualification for music teachers, and the introduction of requirements that music instruction be delivered by a qualified music teacher.

4. Moving forward requires cooperation and movement from the Ministry of Education, Teaching Federations, and the College of Teachers. The climate is right for progress…
While we realize that it beyond the prevue of the college to demand that all teachers responsible for music instruction have certification in music, we maintain that the parties who do have a role in this decision, the Ministry and teachers federations, require a clear and meaningful certification structure be in place prior to moving forward, and this is the role of the OCT.
In our work with both the Ministry and the federations, we find a increasing appetite for progress in this area.

5. The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1-8, The Arts
From:
The Ontario Curriculum
Grades 1-8, The Arts
Education in the arts is essential to students’ intellectual, social, physical, and emotional
growth and well-being. Page 3
High-quality instruction is a key to student success in arts education. It is based on the
belief that all students can be successful in arts learning. Page 36
In all four (Arts) disciplines, teachers should explicitly teach and model the use of the knowledge, skills, and strategies most relevant to the particular strand. Page 62
The revised Ontario Curriculum in the Arts, now well established in the province, recognizes both the importance of Music and Arts education to the development of the whole child, and the necessity that explicit, high-quality elemental instruction be part of a child’s education in Music and the Arts.

6. Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario Standing Committees
From:
Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario
Standing Committees
The Elementary Teacher’s Federation of Ontario, in support of its members, recently revised its policies on Arts and Culture and on Arts Education. The organization made significant moves towards recognising the need for Arts and music instruction to be offered by qualified OCT teachers who also have a breadth and depth of subject-specific knowledge. The establishment of clear and meaningful certification structure will support these goals.

7. Current Certification Structure
Changes in what the OCT recognizes as a certified music teacher would help achieve a higher standard of professional knowledge and practice in music.
Current Certification Structure
Teachers with extensive training are unrecognized and unprotected
Teachers with little or no training or experience in Music wind up teaching a subject which they are neither competent nor confident to deliver
To speak directly to our reason for coming to you today, we believe the changes we are suggesting today will also help the College of Teachers with its stated goal of achieving a high standard of professional knowledge and practice.

8. This is our current structure: (walk through chart)
As it stands,
(1)Teachers with extensive training are unrecognized and unprotected.
(2)Untrained teachers teach a subject which they themselves report being neither competent nor confident to deliver

9. Proposed Structure Creates Certification at two levels
Requires that music teachers have specific training
Recognizes that additional training leads to specialist designation

10. This is our proposed structure: (walk through chart)
CMEO/OMEA PROPOSAL,
STANDARDS OF PROFESSIONAL TEACHER EDUCATION IN ELEMENTARY MUSIC
(1) Creates certification at two levels.
(2) Requires that music teachers have specific training.
(3) Recognizes that additional training leads to specialist designation

11. Thank you.
These changes will help create the framework for a high standard of professional knowledge and practice, encouraging teachers’ professional development and certification.
Additionally, these changes will make it possible for the Ministry of Education and teachers federations to move forward with ensuring that all children on Ontario receive a quality education in Music and the Arts. The OMEA stands ready to assist the college in any way with the development and implementation of these proposed changes.