Membership of the Music Educators National Conference from 1912-1938: A Demographic and Economic Analysis

The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between the membership of the Music Supervisors National Conference/Music Educators National Conference (MENC) from 1912-1838 and selected demographic and economic variables. The results include the following:

1. MENC membership grew considerably more rapidly than the nation's general and teacher
    populations.
2. Membership and membership as a percentage of the population differed significantly between
    MENC divisions.
3. Membership correlated with mean teacher salaries and with per capita education spending by
    state.
4. Membership by state correlated only slightly with geographical distance to convention sites. 
5. Women comprised a significant majority of the membership in each division, but a smaller
    majority than in the nation's teaching profession as a whole.
6. Implementation of the MENC"s biennial convention plan did not affect membership totals
    significantly.

We speculate that MENC membership as a percentage of music education may have differed between MENC divisions, and that such membership differences may have resulted from regional identification or other cultural factors not examined in this study. We recommend further application of quantitative sociological research techniques and cultural research approaches to the study of past and present practices in music and music education.