Marcia Neel

A music educator for 22 years and Coordinator of Secondary Fine Arts in the Clark County School District (Las Vegas) for an additional 14 years, Marcia now serves as president of Music Education Consultants, Inc. This consortium of music education professionals works with educational organizations, arts associations, and school districts to foster the growth and breadth of standards-based, articulated music education programs.

Highly regarded for her commitment to program expansion and innovation, Marcia is recognized as a leader for her creative approaches to curriculum design and implementation. One of the most successful is the CCSD’s standards-based Mariachi Program which was instituted in 2002 with four (4) instructors teaching 250 students and is now staffed by over thirty-five (35) full-time, licensed mariachi educators teaching nearly 7,000 students daily.

Marcia is the lead author of ¡Simplemente Mariachi!, an entry level instrumental and vocal method series for mariachi students and educators. In addition, she and Grammy nominated mariachi performer, José Hernández, produced ¡Canta mariachi canta!, a Hal Leonard publication for elementary mariachi programs. Over the years, she has become a leader in assessment-driven curriculum for mariachi education and as a result of her National Mariachi Workshops for Educators®, she has been instrumental in starting or further developing over 200 mariachi programs across the nation.

Marcia is tireless in her endeavor to bring more students to music-making through hands-on, high quality experiences provided by a sequential curriculum that focuses on achievement. Her greatest joy is to see young people excelling as a result of becoming engaged in these types of life-changing music education programs. The pride displayed by these young musicians and their families is the ultimate reward! Marcia sees mariachi as yet another opportunity for students to find meaningful experiences at school and over the years, many young people have relayed the similar story that they stayed in school solely because of the connections they made – some within their own families – through participation in their mariachi ensemble. Due to her prominence in this particular field, she was called upon by the White House Initiatives for Educational Excellence for Hispanics to serve as a presenter for the National Policy Forum on Music and the Arts hosted by Pixar Studios.

Marcia is highly regarded for her advocacy acumen at the local, state, and national levels. She has participated repeatedly in the NAMM Foundation’s D.C. Fly-in to meet with Members of Congress to garner their support for increased funding for Music and Arts Education within the provisions of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

In 2016, Marcia was named Senior Director of Education for Yamaha Corporation of America and subsequently, a Yamaha Master Educator. She also serves as Education Advisor to the Music Achievement Council, a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization whose purpose is to assist directors in recruiting and retaining students in instrumental music programs through effective professional development programs. Neel also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Percussive Arts Society and contributing author to the NFHS Music Association.