Take Note: In Memoriam

President of NAfME/MENC, 1984 to 1986

Paul Robert Lehman, a beloved president of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), passed away at age 92 on March 24, 2024, in Austin, Texas. Dr. Lehman was a dedicated and distinguished teacher, scholar, leader, and advocate in the field of music education.

After earning a bachelor’s degree from Ohio University, Lehman taught instrumental and vocal music in the public schools of Ohio and served in the US Air Force in Libya. He earned his MM and PhD degrees in music from the University of Michigan. He then taught at the University of Colorado, the University of Kentucky, and the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, before returning to the University of Michigan as a professor and senior associate dean of the School of Music, Theater, and Dance.

For more than 45 years Dr. Lehman served NAfME (formerly the Music Educators National Conference, MENC) in a wide variety of roles in addition to national president. He chaired the committee that developed the first voluntary national standards for K–12 music as well as the groups that created NAfME’s first performance standards and first opportunity-to-learn standards. He also provided leadership in various capacities for the College Music Society, the International Society for Music Education, and other professional groups.

Lehman believed that teaching is “the most important job in the world because teachers change kids’ lives and, through their students, teachers change the world.” In his keynote address at the 2022 NAfME National Conference, he expressed that the purpose of education is “to prepare kids for lives that are satisfying and fulfilling and productive. What the schools should focus on is the pursuit of truth and beauty, the development of human capacities, and the improvement of the quality of life. And there’s nothing taught in the schools that contributes more to those goals than music.” In his words, “music exalts the human spirit.”

During his extraordinarily active professional career, he served as a consultant to a wide range of education institutions and organizations, and he took special pleasure in his role as a major contributor to the music programs of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the Advanced Placement program of the College Board, and the National Teacher Examinations program of the Educational Testing Service. He also served as project director for the three sessions of the National Symposium on the Teaching and Learning of Music (the Ann Arbor Symposium) and as music specialist with the US Department of Education in Washington, DC.

Dr. Lehman authored more than 200 publications on education reform, music teacher education, and the assessment of learning in music, including works translated into German, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. He delivered more than 300 lectures on education in nearly every state in the United States and more than a dozen foreign countries. He was a member of the Music Educators Hall of Fame and an honorary life member of the International Society for Music Education.

In addition to performing as a bassoonist in various orchestras, his hobby was travel, and he and his wife, Ruth, traveled widely. Following his retirement, he lectured extensively and, together with Ruth, offered a variety of continuing-education presentations in music and travel.

NAfME President Scott Sheehan shared the following:

Dr. Paul Lehman was a tremendous leader and stalwart advocate for music education, and it is nearly impossible to capture the impact and influence he has made on our profession and association. Paul was truly one of the giants on whose shoulders we stand today. He championed many initiatives that moved music education forward through times of great education reform and his unwavering dedication to ensuring every child had the opportunity to make music (vitamin M as he called it) in school is aspirational. Paul will be greatly missed, and we know his legacy will live on through all who were fortunate to know him as a teacher, colleague, mentor, and friend.

President of NAfME, 2012 to 2014

Nancy Elaine Ditmer, another beloved president of NAfME, passed away after a sudden illness at age 74 on May 1, 2024, in Wooster, Ohio. She was an accomplished, devoted, and deeply impactful music educator and a leading advocate for music education and performance at all levels across the country.

Ditmer earned a bachelor’s degree from Capital University and a master’s in music education from the University of Iowa, where she also completed all coursework for a PhD in music education. She taught in the Arcanum Butler Local Schools and the Versailles Exempted Village Schools in Ohio for several years. In 1984 she joined the faculty at the College of Wooster. Over the next 35 years there, she taught music education courses, conducting, and flute performance; directed the marching and symphonic bands and the jazz ensemble; supervised student teachers; and served as chair of the music department.

Known for her kindness, love of music, and enthusiasm for her field, Ditmer’s profound legacy lives on through the many lives she impacted. In her words, “the more you give, the more you get. The more you give, the more you enjoy it. The more you give, the more you get out of it. I just can’t even imagine having had a career in anything else.” Her students, many of whom also became music educators, have expressed sentiments such as this one: “She showed me that being a music teacher was more than just working with students; it was about opening minds, and working and advocating for arts education at the local, state, and national level.” Another student described Ms. Ditmer as a mentor who “help[ed] her students become not only better musicians, but better people.”

Ditmer served the Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA) throughout her career in a variety of roles, including as president and as editor of TRIAD, the official publication of OMEA. She served as the president of NAfME from 2012 to 2014. In addition, she founded and directed the Wooster Music Camp, a summer music instructional experience for middle and high school students. During her long career, she gave workshops and served as a guest conductor and festival adjudicator throughout the United States as well as presented papers at dozens of state and national conferences.

In recognition of her remarkable accomplishments and contributions within the field of music education and her devoted service to humanity, Ditmer was honored with the Alumni Achievement Award from Capital University, received the Distinguished Service Award from OMEA, and was designated a Lowell Mason Fellow by NAfME. After her retirement in 2019, she enjoyed helping local school music programs, remaining active in the various musical groups at Zion Lutheran Church, and playing in the Ashland Community Band.

In a 2021 NAfME/Society for Music Teacher Education webinar called “Building a Legacy: Recruiting Future Music Educators,” Ms. Ditmer reflected on her career as a music educator: “Teaching is always something I thought I’d do. But teaching something like music . . . it connects so much with the human soul that it is, I think, different. Not that other teachers don’t have the experiences we have, but we tend to have our students over longer periods of time and we have an opportunity to connect with them in different ways. And we’re dealing with a subject matter that’s emotional. I just think that if you love music and you love people, I can’t think of a better thing to do.”

“Nancy was one of a kind! She was a selfless leader who fiercely advocated for students and for music education. She exemplified the best in our profession as an educator, mentor, colleague, leader, and friend. Nancy’s contributions to OMEA and NAfME will resonate for many years to come, and we will be forever grateful for her thoughtfulness, care, and great sense of humor,” said Scott Sheehan, NAfME president.

NAfME President-Elect Deb Confredo shared, “Nancy was a world-class leader, a powerhouse teacher, and an exceptional human being. Her life stands as an exemplar of conviction for and love of music teaching and learning. Over her lifetime, she touched the lives of countless people, from those who were closest to her to those who were influenced from a distance. Her legacy will live on and we are all better for her having been a part of our lives.”