SMEI Chairperson’s Report for AGM 29th November 2024 Dr Gwen Moore, Chair, SMEI
Before outlining my report, I would like to begin by paying our respects to our very dear honorary member, Dr Ita Beausang who passed away this month. Ita epitomised genuine academic citizenship. Not only was Ita a stellar academic but she was unstintingly supportive to scholars and practitioners alike. I am sure anyone who knew Ita can attest to her generosity of spirit and thoughtful gestures. Ita was so supportive of SMEI and to all those involved in music education. She wrote personal letters of thanks to me and to SMEI over the years and even sent us a donation in our early days when our funds were almost non-existent. Last month, Ita offered to engage with another SMEI member who had sought advice from her and couldn’t locate her contact details. I am sure you will agree that Ita epitomised genuine collegiality and what we might call citizenship in music education, in academia and in scholarship. May I ask that we take a minute silence to remember our dear friend, Dr Ita Beausang. Colleagues, friends and distinguished guests, I am delighted to welcome you to our 12th Annual Conference hosted by the Department of Music at UCC. First, I want to thank the all at UCC for graciously hosting the conference. Thank you in particular to Conference Chair Dr Michelle Finnerty and to all at the Department of Music who have assisted us in organising such a comprehensive programme and made us feel so welcome. Thanks to Jack Talty and Alex Khalil, Joint-acting heads, Department of Music, UCC, Mary Mitchell-Ingoldsby, Kelly Boyle and Eva-McMullan-Glossop and all staff at the Department of Music, UCC Iona Richie and all students of the Irish Traditional Music Society, UCC, Cork University Press, Postgraduate student helpers from UCC, Facilities staff at UCC. We were delighted to welcome Prof. John O’Flynn and Prof. Helen Phelan this year and on your behalf, I want to thank them for such inspirational keynote presentations. Their topics were at once timely and provocative and have given us much to think about. I would also like to thank Mel Mercier for chairing the lively panel discussion on Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin: A Life in Music and to thank the contributors Jean Downey, Niall Vallely, Helen Phelan, John O’Flynn and Mary Mitchell Ingoldsby. I would also like to thank Dr Maria O’Donovan and Sinead Neville at Cork University Press (CUP) for attending and facilitating the members purchasing discount. This year we submitted a written response to the NCCA Draft Primary Arts Education Specification regarding the initial consultation document. I’d like to thank Marie-Louise, Edmond and June in particular for assisting me in leading the contribution to the submission. It is vital that we maintain an advocacy role for music education and draw from the expertise within our membership and our committee for this purpose. We have also had an active role in engaging with partner organisations in Music Education. Two students from Mary Immaculate College were selected to attend the European Association Music in Schools (EAS) Conference in TU Dublin in June 2024. We also have an active role in the International Society for Music Education (ISME). SMEI is a member of ISME’s Council of Professional Associations (COPA). This year the ISME conference was held in Helsinki, Finland and a strong contingent of SMEI members presented and attended the proceedings. As you may already know, I served as a member of the Executive Board from 2020-2024 and I chaired the publications committee. As current Co-Editor of the International Journal of Music Education (IJME), I would encourage you to consider submitting a book review or an academic article to IJME. The next world conference will be held in Montreal in 2026 and we look forward to supporting performing groups from Ireland to attend this important event. Last year we began the process of developing a brand new Strategic Plan for SMEI. Guided by our mission and vision, we collectively drew up core principles, values and goals to underpin our work. The SMEI Strategic Plan (2024-2028) provides a pathway and direction for SMEI to share governance principles, core values and to its vision for the future. The Plan increases the transparency and accountability of the Society’s commitments and ensures priorities align with SMEI’s core values and can be sustained into the future. The Plan also serves as a vehicle for communication of SMEI’s mission to members and beyond. The aim is for the SMEI Strategic Plan to be both operational and aspirational — to build on past success while being grounded in the present, and to leave space for visionary and inspirational growth into the future. We are delighted to unveil our Strategic Plan and launch it today. I would like to pay a special word of thanks to members of our outgoing Executive Committee for 2024: Dr Simeon Smith and Dr Andrew Jordan, thank you for your commitment to SMEI. The next year for SMEI will be another busy year as we look forward to more collaboration, innovation and advocacy in music education. Please let us know if you wish to collaborate with us for an event or indeed feed into the work we do to serve our members. I look forward to meeting you again soon and hope that we continue to have many fruitful discussions.
Dr Gwen Moore, Chair, SMEI 30th November 2024
