Tools to promote arts advocacy - Music in the Community - Brief Article

American Music Teacher, August-Sept, 2002 by Gayla Foster

We are living in a remarkable era right now, especially related to the arts! People care about the arts. I don't know about your state, but in Oklahoma the economic future is a little bleak because of the September attack, and budget cuts are necessary. However, through the advocacy efforts of many people to inform and educate our legislature, the budget cuts for public education and the Oklahoma Arts Council were held to a minimum. People realize that funding to those two entities alone are critical as new companies and families look for life-enriching educational and cultural opportunities before they move to Oklahoma. The arts are important. Arts education is essential to each young American student.

MTNA promotes that philosophy. The June/July issue of American Music Teacher is filled with articles concerning the love of music and the importance of music education, exemplified by the quotes of many influential members of Congress. MTNA President Dr. R. Wayme Gibson, NCTM, wrote that the organization should focus on the music education of "everyday music students ... not just the super talented ..." and yet continue to support and be proud of our excellence in the training of these national MTNA winners. In other words, everyone deserves to receive education in music: and the other arts.

This philosophy is not new, nor did it just happen. Caring, committed people work very hard to promote it wherever they are: in business, in legislature and in Congress, on school boards, in life! Gone are the days when a music teacher could just teach and not be involved in self-promotion and advocacy. Today, music teachers constantly must be aware of politics, the economic climate of their community and the administration of public schools and colleges. The arts always are threatened, but more and more people who are policy makers and purse string holders have realized (or been made aware of) the essential nature of education in the arts.

The MTNA national Community Outreach and Education Committee was created for this focus. The Board of Directors recently decided to change the committee's name to Arts Awareness and Advocacy beginning in 2003. During the 2002 MTNA National Conference in Cincinnati, the committee met and asked Gibson and Executive Director Dr. Gary L. Ingle to request of the Board that we use the new name now so that we could begin to direct our attention to arts advocacy. The Board agreed.

Many MTNA members attended the committee's advocacy session at the 2002 National Conference. It was a forum-type session with shared ideas. Everyone emphasized the need to be vocal, visible and advocate for arts education in our communities; to set examples for our students' parents of what to say and how to say it when we are speaking about music education; and to be involved in civic dubs and school boards. Now we have some tools to help each other be arts advocates.

Some tools available to MTNA members are:

1. A handbook for advocacy with sample letters, what to say in telephone calls and talks to civic clubs, how to contact state and federal senators and representatives ... and much more. It is titled Community Outreach and Education for the Arts, and every local and state association can purchase it through MTNA for only $6. We all should have a copy.

2. A new brochure was introduced by NAMM titled Learning to Play! Can music really make your child smarter? Brian Chung and the Kawai America Corporation graciously purchased 25,000 copies for MTNA. They were available at the committee's table and the session in Cincinnati. We should give brochures to our students' parents to distribute to important people in their school administration and government, to civic clubs, doctors' offices ... anywhere there are lots of people. You can order these and the Einstein advocacy tool kit by calling NAMM at (800) 767-6266. Find more information on their website, www.namm.org; click on "The Einstein Kit."

3. Here are important websites to help inspire us and give us facts about the essence of music/arts education:

* www.menc.org (There are many other links and lots of information on this site.)

* www.amc-music.com (American Music Conference)

* www.collegeboard.org (This site has information relating arts study to improved SAT scores.)

* www.aep-arts.org (Contact the Arts Education Partnership for copies of Champions of Change and Gaining the Arts Advantage.)

Each division has a representative on the new Arts Awareness and Advocacy Committee who will help you. We all must make our voices heard. We must stand up and speak for what we believe in ... that every child needs to have education in music and the other arts. You can do it!

--Gayla Foster, NCTM, National Arts
Awareness and Advocacy Committee Chair
Stillwater, Oklahoma

She is director of fine arts for the Oklahoma State Board of Education.