2026 Maine Music Educators Association Conference

The root of equity is access. Traditionally, we view “access” as it would be outlined by legal definitions such as the ADA. What does it look like when we go beyond the basics and consider accessibility as an invitation to participate? This session explores real scenarios that you won’t find in music education texts, and offers solutions that foster a truly invitational atmosphere in your program and performances. Edwards will provide a practitioner perspective while Frazier will offer insights as a student who lives with a disability. Resources will be provided.

Transform your teaching! Discover how Critical Race Theory serves as a powerful analytical lens to create inclusive music classrooms. Learn practical strategies for diversifying repertoire, broadening auditions, and amplifying marginalized voices while fostering equity for ALL students across every musical tradition.

In this session, UMaine undergraduates present expanded versions of their final project for coursework in which they took a critical look at common practices in PK–12 music education. Situated in current research, the preservice teachers identify a variety of practices—including elementary students receiving general music instruction once a week and the experiences of students with disabilities in beginner band—which they then analyze and problematize through a lens of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access. The undergraduate students provide ideas to address the deficits in music education in order to create opportunities for all PK-12 students.