Call For Papers

Southwestern Musician: Essay Contest for College Students

All TMEA member college students are invited to enter the Southwestern Musician Essay Contest for College Students. The contest will have two divisions: undergraduate and graduate. Applicants must be full- or part-time students during the fall semester, must be a music major, and must hold College Student Section membership in TMEA (or Active membership if currently teaching and enrolled as a graduate student).

Contest Update! TMEA has revised our annual contest by presenting a specific, relevant subject on which to write. Read the essay context below carefully and respond to one or both questions. Winning essay writers not only earn cash prizes, but also have the opportunity to have their essay published in a future issue of this magazine.

Essay context: Increasing demands on public school students cause some to drop out of music because of the time commitment required for individual practice and group rehearsal. Additionally, reaching students who grew up in a quickly evolving information age offers music educators unique challenges and opportunities.

Essay Questions (Essay writers can focus either on a single question below or on both):

How can music educators inspire and motivate today’s generation of young music students to continue their participation in school music programs?
What skills should be developed during teacher training to equip teachers to inspire and motivate in this way?

Length: Essays should not exceed 2,000 words and should contain no references to the author by name.

Cover Page Requirements: Essays should be submitted with a separate cover page listing the author’s name, address, college or university attending, indication of undergraduate or graduate status and current TMEA number.
Note: References to the author by name should appear only on the cover page.

Format and Delivery instructions: The essay must be sent as an attached MS Word document via email and received in the TMEA office no later than December 15. Email the essay to Robert Floyd at rfloyd@tmea.org and Karen Kneten at kkneten@tmea.org.

Judging: Southwestern Musician Article Review Committee will judge the essays and will award first, second, and third places in each division. Winning essays will be considered for publication in Southwestern Musician based on space availability. All articles become the property of TMEA.

Awards: First-place winners receive $200. Second-place winners receive $100, and third place winners receive $50.

Submissions must be received by December 15.