President’s Message

Josh Geddis

(2022 – 2024)

Dear OMEA members,

Welcome to our website. I am humbled and excited about my new role as president of our dynamic Board of Directors. We have a fantastic team of volunteer directors that bring their collective thoughts, skills and voices to the table as we work together on behalf of music educators across Ontario and beyond to support innovative, inclusive and quality music education. I am enthusiastic about the future possibilities as we continue to build on the amazing legacy of the directors that have preceded us. 

I believe in the importance of making space for new voices, new ideas, and new ways of musicking in all areas of our music education system. In a post-pandemic Ontario, the OMEA Board of Directors will continue to work tirelessly in an effort to support our educators as we all work to build strong and inclusive programs for our students. 

As an organization, we are committed to the goals of the OMEA Equity Action Plan

  1. Center equity, diversity, and inclusion in facets of decision making, planning, and policies of the organization. The OMEA’s current focus is on – but not limited to – anti-racism, decolonization, and accessibility.
  2. Build trusting relationships as the foundation of our work.
  3. Create space to listen and learn from each other (our members/non-members), and amplify marginalized voices.
  4. Center transparency, sustainability and accountability at the forefront of our work.

Over the past two years, a subcommittee has reviewed and updated our bylaws and related policies and procedures creating more transparency for our membership.

In an effort to provide resources for our members, we have dedicated immense amounts of time and energy toward improving our online resources and accessibility in our database. During the pandemic, we did what we do best as music teachers – we got creative. The collaboration that took place in the OMEA Facebook Potluck group was beautiful to watch, and it is amazing to see it continue. We can be each other’s best resources when we work as a community.

Along with the Canadian Music Industry Education Committee (CMIEC), our corporate and affiliate colleagues, I look forward to collaborating with our Board of Directors and membership so that we may continue to contribute to the success of this organization. The OMEA should be a place where ALL music educators can see themselves, just as we strive to make our classrooms a place where ALL learners can see themselves as contributing meaningfully to the musical community that surrounds them. 

Please do not hesitate to connect with me any time at president@omea.on.ca.  Thank you all for your passion, dedication, and hard work in support of high quality music education in Ontario.

With gratitude for all that you do,

Keep on rockin’

Josh Geddis 

M.A., M.S. Ed., OCT

OMEA President