Hoffman, Mary E.

Mary E. Hoffman was born in 1927 and died in 1997. Throughout her life, Hoffman worked in the music profession as a teacher, composer, arranger, and guest conductor. She received her Bachelor of Science at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pennsylvania in 1948 and her Master's of Music at Columbia Teachers College in New York.

Hoffman taught music in many public schools in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut, and at colleges such as Columbia Teachers College and Temple University. She was also a supervisor of elementary and junior high music in Philadelphia and Milwaukee. From 1979-1997, Hoffman was a professor of music education at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

While perusing her teaching career, Hoffman also worked as an advocate for music education with the Music Educators National Conference (MENC), which later changed its name to the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). She served as president of the MENC North Central Division and as a member of the MENC Publications Planning Committee. In 1976, Hoffman served as chair of the MENC executive director search committee. Hoffman was elected President of MENC and served her term from 1980-1982. She was the only MENC national president to be responsible for two national conventions - 1981 in Miineapolis, and 1982 in Ssan Antonio.

Hoffman authored several important publications about music education including Teacher competency and the balanced music curriculum (1985) and Teaching music, what, how, why (1973), which she co-authored with Alice S. Beer. Hoffman was also the founder of the Mary Hoffman Award of Excellence which recognizes teaching excellence of music educators in Illinois.

Mary E. Hoffman died in 1997. She was inducted into the Music Educator's Hall of Fame at the Music Educator's National Conference in 1998.

From the guide to the Mary E. Hoffman Papers, 1977-1982, 1980-1982, (Special Collections in Performing Arts)

Mary E. Hoffman was known for her work as an elementary and junior high school music teacher, professor of music education, author of music textbooks and arranger of choral music. She was born on October 18, 1926 in Reading, PA, and received a B.S. in Music and Music Education from Lebanon Valley College in Annville, PA in 1948. She received her master's degree from Teachers College at Columbia University in 1951 and later pursued doctoral studies at Northwestern University.

During her early career as a music educator, she taught choral, instrumental and general music for ten years in Delaware, Pennsylvania and Connecticut public schools. She subsequently served as the elementary vocal music supervisor for the Philadelphia Public School System for five years, and later served as the junior high school music supervisor in Milwaukee, WI.

Hoffman joined the faculty of the University of Illinois' School of Music at Urbana-Champaign in 1972, where she remained until her retirement in May of 1996. She served as president of the Music Educators National Conference (MENC) from 1980-1982, and was renowned internationally as a leader in the field of education, specifically middle school music education. She authored five editions of the public school textbooks, World of Music and The Music Connection (Silver Burdett Co.) and several publications about music education including Teacher Competence and the Balanced Music Curriculum (MENC, 1985), and Teaching Music, What, How, Why (1973) which she co-authored with Alice S. Beer. She also wrote arrangements of choral music for junior high school students, and served as a guest conductor, speaker and clinician at nationwide and international engagements.

Hoffman received recognition for her contributions to music education through alumna citations from Lebanon Valley College and Teachers College, and the Distinguished Service Award from MENC. Hoffman died on March 18, 1997, and was inducted posthumously into the Music Educator's Hall of Fame during the annual meeting of the Music Educator's National Conference in 1998.

From the guide to the Mary E. Hoffman Papers, 1948-1995, (The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music)