The National Association of Schools of Music and the National Association for Music Education are organizations working for schools, music colleges and universities that help establish standards for undergraduate and graduate degrees for two-year and four-year music programs. These organizations provide students, future students and their parents information regarding educational opportunities and professional development within the music community. They help identify a path for individual colleges to help students reach these standards. Each of these organizations pursues policy initiatives and lobbying events to promote favorable music education legislation.
Successful community colleges build programs on the strengths of individual instructors. For a music program, this means community colleges should seek relationships with music associations that are closely connected to an instructor's personal history. State, regional and individual associations thrive across the country. Some of these organizations serve the overall music education community, while others are focused on helping individual genres, and those seeking more specific degrees. Examples include the Blues Music Association in Memphis, Tennessee, and the Association for Recorded Sound Collections in Cleveland, Ohio. California, New Jersey, Florida, Texas and Virginia are a few of the states that have state-based music associations, and state chapters of national organizations that provide leadership for local community colleges.
Some students pursue degrees in music education in order to continue in the educational community, teaching music at middle school, high school and university levels. Community colleges can build relationships with professional music associations that prepare students for a career in continuing music education. For example, the mission of the College Music Society is to prepare students for an ongoing career in the music education industry and to provide students with a wider perspective on the changing world of music education.
Because community colleges are closely tied to geographic regions, and often music genres within a professional industry, community colleges are also served by music associations that are involved with individual music industries. For example, the International Bluegrass Music Association, affiliated with the larger College Music Society, seeks to bring together the bluegrass music industry performers and educators by working together for high standards, and for greater acceptance of bluegrass music worldwide. The Indiana State School Music Association focuses on raising the educational standards for performance music activities for Indiana students and teachers.