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Like the best teachers in any subject, Dana Hamant is a consummate student. In his 31 years as a music instructor, he has attended every single annual Music Educators Association conference in his home state of Kansas and missed only two Kansas Bandmasters Association conferences. (He is also a frequent attendee at NAfME and other professional gatherings.) The reason for his near-perfect attendance record is simple: "You get to listen to people who know more about what you're doing than you do." Those are humble words, coming from the recipient of the 2012-13 National Federation of State High School Associations' National Citation Outstanding Music Educator Award. The distinction, awarded thus far to only 25 music teachers, came just as Hamant was retiring from his 16-year stint as band director at Wichita East High School, overseeing the school's symphonic winds, concert band, marching band, and jazz band. Hamant, who is now back in the classroom with middle schoolers, will be honored in a ceremony in June.

Career counselor. Life coach. Holder of the occasional tissue box. It is all part of being a National Association for Music Education (NAfME) Collegiate advisor. Carla Jo Maltas, collegiate chapter advisor for the University of Central Missouri, would not have it any other way. Although the duties of an advisor vary depending on the institution and student body, Maltas--an associate professor of music education at UCM and a 23-year NAfME member who is also the Missouri state collegiate advisor--is a glowing example of what the job requires: someone who is in touch with both the book smarts and emotional intelligence that are needed as students travel down the path toward becoming music educators.

The author profiles Kasey Dallman, a Wisconsin college junior who has overcome major obstacles and made even greater strides as she works to become a music educator. Skilled musician, published novelist, secretary of a NAfME collegiate chapter--this Wisconsin music educator-to-be is already making a name for herself. To scan Kasey Dallman's resume is to presume that this young woman has been out of school and in the working world for some time. The realization that she's actually only a college junior, who published her first novel before she flipped her high school Class of 2010 tassel, is both surprising and inspiring. A closer read reveals someone who excelled in music growing up in De Pere, Wisconsin, while also finding the time to finish a book about a 14-year-old foster child searching for her family (the book is purely fiction) when she was not much older than the protagonist.

For the Tower-Tannerts of Texas, music education runs in the family, and that's been the case for more than 100 years. Matriarch Mollie Gregory Tower is a lecturer at Texas State University and a former elementary school teacher, textbook writer, music supervisor, and president of the Texas Music Educators Conference (TMEC). Her daughter Debbie Tannert is also a former TMEC president and currently teaches music at Mills Elementary School in Austin. And "her" daughter Christina Tannert, holder of a new bachelor's degree in choral music education, is now working on her master's; in her spare time, she's the director of internal operations and finance for the Collegiate Texas Music Educators. These three women of the Lone Star State, each representing a different generation, have both an endemic love of music and lifelong exposure to a symphony of inspiration. And they stand as a testament to the little that's changed and the lot that's stayed consistent about music education through the decades.

If there's one message that Joan Hillsman wants to get across to music directors, it's this: Teaching is a lifetime commitment. Hillsman is a longtime music educator, African-American music historian, author, consultant, music producer, clinician, radio show host, and current member of the Academic Board of the James Cleveland Gospel Music Workshop of America. She says that she always tried to instill the value of hard work. Hillsman--who began her distinguished career as a classroom teacher and worked her way up to become supervising director of the District of Columbia Public Schools in the 1990s--went on to teach music education at Bowie State University in Bowie, Maryland, where she also directed the school's gospel choir. Although she has since retired from teaching, through her various roles today she continues to emphasize the importance of students finding their place in the rich music arena. Noted for training and developing fledgling talents in music and other areas, Hillsman has consistently helped to nurture programs through which students could find such resources.

When music lessons really jell for Marilyn Hostetler's students, there's an unmistakable energy that literally sizzles in the air. "Whether you're in the classroom, or even working with adults at a conference or workshop, when real learning happens, it becomes addictive," she says. It was that addiction that first propelled Hostetler down the path of music education. But she soon learned that the key to success in the music classroom, as with so much in life, is flexibility. That succinct yet sage advice has helped Hostetler soar through nearly 30 years of teaching music, 22 of them in Jamestown, Rhode Island, where she currently teaches general music in grades K-8 at Lawn Avenue and Melrose Avenue Schools. Getting to kids right away, particularly kids in the early grades, can be a challenge. In connection with this, Hostetler has found that all work and no play does, indeed make for a dull lesson. Her antidote? Games-based learning. Creating learning-based games became a specialty, and Hostetler honed her own skills developing game-based lessons that allow not only for kids to learn better but also for the teacher to better evaluate the students' skill level.

After getting her master's degree from UCLA, Nancy Wills dreamed of starting a school-based guitar program so she could teach students to make music on the instrument she'd loved since she was a kid growing up outside of Yosemite, California. She had a strong belief that guitar was perfect for schools, ideal for individualized playing but also capable of jibing with a band or orchestra. She landed a job at Lindsay High School in Lindsay, California, which had been struggling with an unsuccessful music program and whose administrators thought that perhaps adding guitar to the repertoire would liven up things. They didn't get the signups for guitar they thought they would, so Wills ended up teaching all over the district. But something interesting happened during that first difficult year. This article describes how Wills created a top-notch high school guitar program with help from her students. It also includes a Q&A with Wills.

After nearly a decade as band director at St. James High School in St. James, Missouri, Derek Limback knows that the key to building a successful program is putting the program itself above everything else. Limback strives to augment not only his students' musical prowess, but also their leadership skills. Key to his philosophy is instilling a strong spirit of inclusion. If a student expresses interest in being in the music program, and is willing to put in the time, he or she is always welcome. This article profiles Limback and includes a Q&A with him.

At the end of "Glee's" most recent season finale, Will Schuester--show choir director, student role model, and all-around good guy despite an impending midlife crisis--abandons his long-time Broadway dream so he can continue to foster a love of music among his adoring students. In the real world, of course, real music teachers are continually doing their best to foster a love of music among their real students. And one of the major factors with which they're contending along the way is the influence of "Glee" itself. Like most phenomena, the hit Fox TV drama series is neither all good nor all bad. It has drawn a landslide of media attention and assorted studies, not to mention throngs of vocal supporters and detractors who speak up in a gamut of forums, including those on the MENC website. Supporters maintain that "Glee" has given choral groups a new level of cool. They also claim that the show has elevated choir group numbers, expanded choral repertoire, and indirectly aided the fight against cuts to school arts programs. Those who are less enamored say that "Glee" sets unrealistic expectations for music students, provides an inaccurate barometer for teachers, is too heavy on drama and too light on musical substance. But love it or hate it, many teachers have noted an uptick in participation in existing school choral programs since the show--inspired in part by creator Ryan Murphy's own choir experiences growing up in Indiana--debuted in 2009.

A growing number of students in Blue Springs, Missouri, are joining the band, drawn by a band director who emphasizes caring and inclusiveness. In the four years since Melissia Goff arrived at Blue Springs High School, the school's extensive band program has swelled. The marching band alone has gone from 100 to 185 participants. Also under Goff's purview are freshman band, concert band, symphonic band, and pep band, plus a winter guard and winter drum line that she co-directs with her husband. This rise in band participation is as much a testament to Goff's philosophy of inclusiveness as it is to her music education skills.

Don DeVito's arrival at the Sidney Lanier Center, a public school for students with special needs in Gainesville, Florida, 10 years ago was fortuitous. He'd been teaching in a traditional school nearby while earning his master's and working on his doctorate at the University of Florida. As part of his degree requirement, he went to Sidney Lanier for an observation. He ended up covering for the music teacher when she went on maternity leave, became a regular sub, and then he got the job. This article describes how DeVito has literally opened up a world of music education for the students through out-of-the-box thinking, global outreach, and unbridled energy.

Every city, town, and village in America has been affected by the Great Recession, but of course some have felt a bigger impact than others. In Port Angeles, Washington, on the northern edge of the Olympic Peninsula, the latest downturn is just one more twist of the economic vise that's been tightening steadily since at least the mid-'90s. During the past 15 years, industries have departed the area, many businesses have been forced to close their doors, and Port Angeles High School's population has dropped from 1,800 to just over 1,000 students. This article describes how an award-winning husband-and-wife team of music teachers is raising kids' spirits by taking its high school music program to new heights, both in and out of the classroom.

It's true that each school and each classroom presents its own unique challenges. But Kevin Mixon--who in October traded his instrumental music instructor duties at Blodgett School on the west side of Syracuse, New York, for a job as fine arts coordinator for Syracuse City Schools--knows from experience that some schools are far more challenging than others. "When you teach in an underserved area, there are no private lessons, not a lot of those things more affluent schools take for granted. It's all up to you," he says. In 2004, when Mixon first arrived at Blodgett, the school lacked a formal band program. Today, the school has a dedicated band room, all classes are during the school day, and Blodgett employs a full-time instrumental instructor and band director. The west side of Syracuse, New York, may be one of the poorest neighborhoods in the country, but it's home to a concert band that's pure gold--thanks to the efforts of a devoted music teacher.

Even given the countless hours clocked in class and rehearsal time, there's nothing that compares to a road trip to seal the bond among band, orchestra, and vocal music students. "Nothing can replace travel," says Peter Markes, orchestra director at Edmond North High School in Oklahoma. "It's safe, well-structured and, for many of the kids, it's the first time to make a trip." One of the best things one does to educate one's kids is to show them new things. The author has been even considered going on a trip and not having them play, just going somewhere for the cultural experience. However, the logistics involved in organizing a trip can easily drain a lot of fun from the experience. And so "Teaching Music" offers tips as a navigational chart of sorts, to help teachers get around the many obstacles and ensure smooth sailing.

When a music teacher is named Teacher of the Year for an entire state, one just know a special story awaits. The narrative of Heidi Welch, director of music at Hillsboro-Deering High School in New Hampshire, does not disappoint. Welch, who grew up in abject poverty and was often homeless, developed her love of music through memorizing and singing song lyrics in the family car. When the Welches finally settled in Manchester, New Hampshire, in time for Heidi's high school years, her experience in the music program at Central High School changed the course of her life. This year, almost a quarter of the students in the 400-strong high school are chorus members. Welch also teaches a cappella choir, concert band, musical theatre, music theory, and American history through music. And that doesn't include the work she does as music director at her church, or the leading role she plays in local theatre. Music "had never been a priority around here, so I basically built the program, and always felt tremendously supported," she says about her early days at Hillsboro. "It really only took two years. I knew in my gut it would work for this school." With her designation as New Hampshire's candidate for 2013 national Teacher of the Year, Welch is in a position to share her wisdom with educators around the country.

This article profiles James Sewrey, founder of the Percussive Arts Society. A passionate percussionist who's spent more than 60 years teaching at all levels from kindergarten through university, Sewrey was called out of retirement in 2007 to serve as adjunct professor of percussive studies at Wisconsin Lutheran College. As a founding member of the Percussive Arts Society, he remains active in furthering the cause of percussion, and he has received more awards, most recently the Wisconsin MEA's Michael George Distinguished Service Award in 2011. Today, he's still making a difference in students' lives.

The most ambitious of music teachers seek not only to educate their students about notes and chords, but also to instill in them the transcendent joy of making music. That joy is abundant in Venezuela, where the El Sistema national music education program has been a boon to the country's cultural growth and has created a climate of positive social change. It is this same lofty goal that drew teacher Aisha Bowden to become an Abreu Fellow--the Fellowship is named after El Sistema founder Jose Abreu--at the New England Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts. Bowden began her 10-month fellowship last fall, and as she nears its end, her enthusiasm for the El Sistema movement and its potential in the U.S. is infectious. In this article, Bowden describes the concepts of El Sistema. A Q&A with Bowden is included.

Many school bands organize their year around competitions, but Freedom High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the only contest is topping the previous season's performances for the student body and surrounding community. That is just how Michael Moran--Freedom's busy band and orchestra director, fine and practical arts department chair, and wind ensemble/pit orchestra director--likes it. "We don't compete like most traditional high school bands," says Moran. "It's an interesting situation. Usually it's the competitions high school bands participate in that motivate the students." Moran came from competitive programs at Spring-Ford and Elizabeth and he used to be very competitive. When he came here, this was a situation he inherited. "And to be quite honest, I enjoy having weekends off to do outside community things and get a chance to perform with other bands," he says. Having those weekends off, in fact, has allowed Moran for the past several years to perform with the Macungie Band, a local ensemble that named him director in January 2010. Being able to keep up with performing is important to this self-professed "band geek," who grew up in Northampton, Pennsylvania, playing trombone not only through high school but in regional orchestras, as well as the Young People's Philharmonic and the Pennsylvania Youth Honors Concert Band.