March 15, 2006
What’s the most important part of music advocacy?
YOU!!!
There is no place where you can have more immediate impact than in your school district. In fact, I have never seen a music program cut when there was a well organized and cohesive local music coalition. Your participation is vital to the health of your music program.
Educational institutions are, by nature and legal formation, political entities that are governed by officials who are elected to federal, state and local office. From Washington, D.C. to your local school board, the single most significant influence on educational policy is the individual voting citizen……YOU!
Yes or No, It’s All Up to YOU
By participating, you cast a “YES” vote for providing music making opportunities for students in your district. Your failure to participate is a "NO" vote.
YOU must make the decision to become an active member of your local Music Coalition. The choice is yours:
* YOU are the public.
* YOU own the local public school district.
* YOU fund the local school district with your tax dollars.
* YOU elect local, state and federal decision-makers.
* YOU elect local school boards.
* YOU have the legal right and responsibility to determine educational policy.
* YOU attend meetings in the school district that establish educational policy.
* YOU hold office in the district as members of PTA and School Board.
* YOU volunteer your services to ensure quality education for your children.
* YOU hold decision-makers accountable for quality education that includes music.
* YOU, and other active members of your local music coalition, are the ones who make sure that all decisions made by your local school district are driven by student-centered motives.
If your district doesn't have a local music coalition, it’s time for YOU to become a founding organizer…and the sooner, the better! Read my Back to School Primer: Creating a Local Music Coalition.
The Right Data = ‘The Right Stuff’
Now, assuming you have a coalition in place, do you have ‘the Right Stuff’ to be effective? You’ll have the most strategic power if you collect, interpret and correctly use the right data to support your case for music.
‘The Right Stuff’ is useful for more than just defending your program. Having the right information allows you to:
* Develop annual reports on the status of the music program
* Identify issues that may be detrimental to the program
* Be specific about issues related to faculty, curriculum, student participation and economic viability
* Identify levels of student participation and attrition
* Expand opportunities for student participation
* Justify current or new faculty positions
* Improve facilities and equipment
* Develop data related to the academic success of music students.
I recommend that each local coalition have a Statistics and Finance Committee because this information is often technical and maybe a bit complex. But, once you collect and start to use this data, you’ll soon realize why it’s so important. And, being an active participant will give you a deeper understanding of the vocabulary of the educator Glossary of Terms, the process of budget development, and how decisions are made. Many of the Counterpoint articles in our archives get into quite a bit of detail about school budgets, staffing ratios, decision making and related financial issues.
The Right Stuff Adds Credibility to Your Advocacy Efforts
Approximately 35-40% of the districts with whom I have worked over the past two decades have used the right data to save their programs without further outside assistance. Using the correct data in the right way gives music advocates more credibility with decision makers. Using ‘the Right Stuff’ has even helped to convince decision makers of the educational and economic viability of the music program. The Public School Music Participation Survey takes you step-by-step through the process of collecting this basic data.
What are YOU waiting for? It’s time to gather ‘the Right Stuff’ and get started!
Until Next Time,
John Benham
