About NJCMENC
What is NJCMENC?
NJCMENC is New Jersey's own collegiate division of MENC and is affiliated with the New Jersey Music Education Association. Member schools include eight of New Jersey's finest: The College of New Jersey, Georgian Court University, Kean University, Montclair State University, Rowan University, Rutgers: The State University, Westminster Choir College at Rider University and William Patterson University. Students at member schools work particularly closely in workshops with each other and educators throughout the state. An annual highlight is the Collegiate Convention, hosted at a different school each year, organized and attended exclusively by the state's collegiate membership.
About MENC: The National Association for Music Education
It is the stated belief of MENC: The National Association for Music Education that "music allows us to celebrate and preserve our cultural heritages, and also to explore the realms of expression, imagination, and creation resulting in new knowledge. Therefore, every individual should be guaranteed the opportunity to learn music and to share in musical experiences." To that end, it is the mission of MENC to advance music education by encouraging the study and making of music by all. Music educators nationwide come together under MENC and work for the betterment of their profession and music education. They exchange knowledge and ideas such that all have the opportunity to experience music.
MENC has affiliate organizations in every state, at both the professional and collegiate levels. New Jersey's MENC affiliate is the New Jersey Music Education Association, or NJMEA. NJMEA brings New Jersey's music educators into close contact at conventions and workshops, as well as coordinating events and honors ensembles statewide and through its four affiliates: the North Jersey School Music Association (NJSMA), the Central Jersey Music Education Association (CJMEA), the South Jersey Band and Orchestra Director's Association and its counterpart the South Jersey Choral Director's Association (SJBODA and SJCDA).