Cecil Adderley Named President-Elect of the National Association for Music Education

Cecil Adderley, chair of the Music Education Department at Berklee, has been named president-elect of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). He will serve for two years, beginning his term as president-elect this June, ending in February 2026.

"From his visionary leadership as chair of music education at Berklee to his recent election as president-elect of the National Association for Music Education, Cecil Adderley's commitment to excellence, equity, and inclusion in music education is truly unmatched. His passion for empowering students and advocating for the importance of music as a source of individual and social development shines through in everything he does," said David Bogen, Berklee's interim president and provost. "We congratulate Cecil on this well-deserved honor and look forward to his leadership, and his advocacy for the transformative power of music and music education on a national level.”

Adderley is an accomplished leader and educator, with more than 35 years of experience teaching at the junior and senior high school and college levels. Before his presidency, he sat on the NAfME Music Teacher Profession Advisory Committee. Adderley received a bachelor’s degree in music education (instrumental) from Western Carolina University, a master’s degree in music education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and his Ph.D. in music education from the University of South Carolina. 

Adderley has chaired Berklee’s Music Education Department since 2004, teaching various seminars, directed studies, and thesis courses during that time. His work has been published in the Journal of Research in Music Education, Choral Journal, Contributions to Music Education, the Journal of Band Research, Southeastern Journal of Music Education, and Visions of Research in Music Education. 

“The major challenges music education will face during the upcoming years will focus around access, local cultural relevance, and providing tools for lifelong engagement with music,” said Adderley, following the announcement of his role as NAfME president-elect. “These changes need the support of all arts organizations, preschool through grade 12 educators, accreditation bodies, and institutions like Berklee and other colleges and universities. It's our job to work collaboratively to support continued arts education, and reach even more students and communities. We have to take the time to see those who are standing on the sidelines waiting for an opportunity to participate, and listen, plan, and explore options where these voices may provide their harmonic tones of inclusion, and not the dissonance of alarms and exclusion. We will need to engage with others through productive discussions, presentations with examples of effective teaching practices, and an emphasis on the importance of accountability in the teaching-learning process.”

About NAfME

The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) is a collaborative community that supports music educators and advocates for equitable access to music education. The only association that addresses all aspects of music education, NAfME, together with its affiliated state music education associations, advocates at the national, state, and local levels and provides resources and opportunities for teachers, students, parents, and administrators. Founded in 1907 and representing more than 57,000 members teaching millions of students, NAfME advances the music education profession and promotes lifelong experiences in music.