Counterpoint: Articles & News

March 18, 2022
More to Start, Fewer to Quit (MSFQ) Tips for March from the Music Achievement Council

Standing for "More to Start, Fewer to Quit," MSFQ is an open-source, monthly newsletter brought to you by the Music Achievement Council. Each month, this free resource will feature a recruiting idea, retention idea, and tip for success for music educators. The goal is to provide timely and impactful ideas that allow educators to grow their programs by recruiting new students and retaining current students.
October 26, 2021
Celebrating School Music Programs: Application Period for the Best Communities for Music Education Awards Program Deadline Extended Until Feb. 6

Awards celebrate commitment, resilience of school music across the nation
October 23, 2021
Best Communities for Music Education Designation an Important Reminder that #MusicIsLife

"In essence, music and music education have been a source of positivity and an outlet for many before, during, and will continue to be after we have gotten past the Covid-19 Pandemic.” Matthew Becker, Director of Bands, Lansing School District #158
October 23, 2019
FOCUS ON ISSUES & DECISION MAKING: Music Education Research 101, Part II

When music education advocates first sought “scientific” evidence to help protect programs, very little was known about how the brain works when making music. Today, the challenge of finding quality research is further complicated by the complexity of brain research, which covers a broad range of fields (e.g., cognitive, behavioral, developmental and neuropsychology). As a result, well-meaning advocates may grasp onto any research about music education, especially if it demonstrates a positive correlation between music and improvements in other academic areas. Inadvertently, many research results have been over-stated, over-generalized or over-promoted, causing skepticism about the motives of the advocates and relevance of the research.
April 08, 2014
FOCUS ON ISSUES & DECISIONMAKING: Candidate Surveys Make the Arts Matter

In fall 2010, the California Alliance for Arts Education surveyed school board candidates running for office in November in over forty California school districts.
April 08, 2014
FOCUS ON ADVOCACY: Using No Music to Create an Awareness Campaign on “The Day the Music Died”

Now more than ever before it is vital for all music teachers and community members to be proactive about promoting the benefits of having a music program in their schools. In Pennsylvania, as in many other states, any subject not currently being tested and assessed through Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) or a similar body may be cut or even eliminated from the school curriculum during times of budget constraint.
February 06, 2013
Arts” (FOCUS ON ADVOCACY: How “Save Upper Darby ASUDA) Gave Voice to a Pennsylvania Community’s Passion for the Arts

On April 10, 2012, at the monthly Upper Darby School District (UDSD) board meeting, the school district's assistant superintendent proposed an Academic Realignment Plan for the 2012-13 school year
October 31, 2012
FOCUS ON ADVOCACY: Music (and arts) for All in the 21st Century

“So what does this have to do about the 21st Century workforce? For me, it’s about the 21st Century ‘Life Force’.”
October 02, 2012
FOCUS ON ADVOCACY: “Citizen Advocates” Talk About How to Get – and Keep – Elected Officials’ Support for Music Education Programs

It’s Election Season, and now is the time to find out where candidates and incumbent elected officials stand on music education in our schools. Four community advocates from around the United States offer their advice and perspectives in this recent conversation with Debra Bresnan.
August 01, 2012
FOCUS ON ADVOCACY: One Man’s Vision and ‘It Takes A Village’ Focus Create Statewide Model for Music Education Program Rebuild in West Virginia

When the late Lyell Clay learned that his state, West Virginia, was ranked 47th in the nation for music and arts education, he decided to do something about it. In 1996, he contacted Mike Bates, Institutional Solutions Group, Keyboard Division, Yamaha Corporation of America, and enlisted his help to turn things around.

Counterpoint: Articles & News

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