The Business Side of OMEA - Adamson

Britt Beil
MUSIC 23241
February 1, 2011

The Business Side of OMEA

               Adamson starts the article off by describing the relationship between the exhibitors and the teachers who attend the conference. The Ohio Music Educators Association ranks second to Texas as far as size of the conference. Exhibitors go to the conference to make money by offering and explaining their products and services and they also depend on members' input. The role of a member is to walk through the exhibit hall and interact with the exhibitors. He then gives several suggestions for shopping while at OMEA such as reviewing the TRIAD/website lists of exhibitors, visiting the conference frequently, plan for future and current needs, and shop for service as well as products.

               I feel that this article does give many hints to help while attending the exhibit. It can be overwhelming to go into the conference without having any idea as to what you need or want to gain from the exhibitors and clinics. I have participated in OMEA once and felt completely dumbfounded when I started to explore the exhibit because I was so unprepared for what was to come. 

               OMEA is very important for future, current, and past music educators to attend because we never stop learning. The exhibitors are there to share new ideas and get teachers to improve their teaching habits. Each year, over 1,200 potential and past companies are invited to share their products and services and it would be wrong for teachers to not take advantage of the wonderful experience. You can walk away from the exhibit feeling more positive and prepared to go teach students what you have learned.

Adamson, David N. (2005). The business side of OMEA. TRIAD, 74 (2), 63-65.