The Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, more commonly known as PMEA, is the

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

state-level affiliate of the

National Association for Music Education The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) is an organization of American music educators dedicated to advancing and preserving music education as part of the core curriculum of schools in the United States. Founded in 1907 as the Mus ...

. PMEA is a statewide

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

of over 5,000 members reaching thousands of students, dedicated to promoting the musical development of all Pennsylvanians, especially through

music education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do origina ...

. PMEA specializes in providing competitive venues for musical performance, and in adjudicating middle and high school bands. They are the second-largest state music educators association in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. They have been active since 1933.PMEA official website
/ref> PMEA has two stated objectives. First, they wish to "promote and support quality music education, learning and performance." Second, they wish to "promote and support music education in schools and communities." The organization wishes to improve and further develop music education in schools in Pennsylvania by encouraging excellence in the study, teaching and making of music. PMEA includes music instructors at all levels, from preschool through college, as well as those within the music industry. They promote quality music education and performance, and they support music education in schools and communities. PMEA events take place on county, district, regional, and statewide levels, within different types of

concert band A concert band, also called a wind band, wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind orchestra, symphonic band, the symphonic winds, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind, brass, and percussion famil ...

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

ensembles. PMEA is also affiliated with the

, so many participants have a chance to compete at a national level. The organization hosts various festivals throughout the state, within six distinct regions and 12 districts.Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 12/18/2008
/ref> PMEA is headquartered in

Hamburg, Pennsylvania Hamburg (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania German: ''Hambarig'') is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,270 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 ...

References

{{Authority control Music education organizations Education in Pennsylvania National Association for Music Education Organizations established in 1933 1933 establishments in Pennsylvania