Digital Music Media Honors Program

Today, Digital Music Media is the dominant mode by which people engage with music.
Electronic music media is now a critical component of a 21st century vision for arts education.
This program will:

  • Promote the expansion of digital music courses in Minnesota
  • Promote the integration of digital music media into existing courses
  • Elevate project-based learning approaches in music education
  • Celebrate the artistic diversity possible through electronic music media production

Monday, January 26, 2026. A note from the Board of Directors:

After many hours of discussion by the Executive Board and MMEA Board of Directors, the decision has been made to cancel the in-person 2026 Midwinter Convention and MMEA’s associated in-person student events in Minneapolis. MMEA cannot uphold its mission to develop, promote, and support equitable and comprehensive music learning and teaching when the health and safety of many in our communities are at risk. Please click the LINK for a message from MMEA’s Board President, Dr. Christopher Rochester.  

Please know that this decision was very difficult. The safety of our students, presenters, performers, teachers, and exhibitors must be our first priority despite the large financial strain that will be put on the organization. MMEA is contractually obligated to all of the service contracts the MWC requires including the Hilton, Minneapolis Convention Center, Orchestra Hall, Dakota, and equipment rentals that make the in-person experience special. 

MMEA believes that music is core to the human experience and in order to support our Minnesota communities, we are diligently working on a way to create an online format to host sessions and performances as well as exhibitors and sponsors. We will miss being together in person, but we still want to offer the opportunity for Minnesota’s dedicated music educators and students to be able to connect with the wider community.

Please know that there will be a lot of replanning happening in the coming week to assess exactly what MMEA can offer digitally, and how to best offer refunds for those that have already invested in registration for convention and other student programming. We ask that you please hold your questions regarding refunds for now, as our capacity to respond to emails right now is limited. We will have an avenue to refunds available soon. 

Please stay tuned as we continue to work on ways to connect with our music community!

Thank you so much for your patience and understanding through this process. We will send further communication about an online event and refunds soon. We hope to see you there!

All the best,

MMEA Board of Directors and Staff

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Get all the details:

2026 Digital Music Media Honors Program Flyer

NEW! Intro PowerPoint Presentation Digital Music Media Honors Program

For Sponsoring Teachers:

2026 Digital Music Application Link

2026 Digital Music Pay Portal Link: MMEA is committed to offering this opportunity to every student regardless of ability to contribute money toward the full cost of the application. Please help us sustain this program by paying what you can. The cost of the program to MMEA is $30 per application. If $30 is not possible, MMEA is offering partial or full fee waivers, and will be granted with no questions asked. Please do not let the ability to pay the full fee impact your registration.

Midwinter Convention 2026 Guidelines:

NOTE: Each submission category requires a new form. Required: This form must be submitted by the sponsoring teacher. ALL communication will be sent to the sponsoring teacher who submits the application and is working with the student(s). NAfME/MMEA Membership is NOT required at this time. If you support MMEA and the programs it offers, your membership helps support MMEA as an organization. Please consider becoming a member of NAfME/MMEA.

  1. Any Minnesota student in grades 5-12 is eligible to participate. Required: All
    nominations for student projects must come from a sponsoring teacher.
  2. Students will enter through one of three age divisions: 5-8, 9-12, or College. Grade is
    determined by the grade of the creator when submission was completed, or if group
    submission, age division is determined by the grade of the OLDEST creator. Fall entries
    may include work completed during the previous academic year. For instance, a 9th grade student submitting in the Fall a project from the previous academic year would be
    considered a 5-8 entrant.
  3. Students may submit individually or as a group if the work represents more than one
    student artist.
  4. The submission deadline is December 15, 2025 – 11:59 p.m.
  5. If selected, both teacher and student agree to be present at the Digital Music Media
    Honors Showcase held at the Midwinter Convention on Friday morning, February 13, 2026.
  6. Applicants will be notified on or before January 15, 2026

Aaron Lohmeyer
Middle-Secondary Classroom VP
alohmeyer@mmea.org