Music Education Advocacy
In This SectionThe status of music education in our nation’s schools has short- and long-term consequences for both student achievement and the future of orchestras. Research has proven that arts education, including music education, uniquely provides academic and social benefits, preparing students for success in school, work, and life. As civic-minded, community-based organizations, America’s adult and youth orchestras can help to improve access to the benefits of music learning by advocating for school systems to close gaps in access to a complete education. Find resources here on the importance of music education and how your orchestra can advocate for it on the local, state, and federal level.
Advocacy
Orchestras Support In-School Music Education
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Music Education Advocacy Tools
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U.S. Department of Education Funding Opportunities
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Take Action: Music Education
Music Education Advocacy News
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March 2, 2021
Tune in to Music Advocacy this Month and Beyond
Given the extremely challenging learning circumstances amid the COVID-19 crisis, our collective commitment to improving music education opportunities in school for all children is stronger than ever.
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September 25, 2020
Arts in Education Week, All Year Long
While last week officially marked National Arts in Education Week, dedicated advocates know that school-based music education requires advocacy throughout the year. COVID-19 is disrupting how, where, and what students are learning in unprecedented ways, but the value of arts education remains high: Arts Education Is Essential.
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August 26, 2020
Data Drives Decisions: Explore New Arts Education Data Toolkit
For far too long, inadequate data about the state of arts education in schools has allowed structural inequities to persist, which has prevented many students from experiencing, learning about, and becoming practitioners of the arts in their schools. Earlier this month, the National Endowment for the Arts and Education Commission of the States released a new suite of resources that has been two years in the making–the Arts Education Data Toolkit.
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August 6, 2020
Music Education is Essential
The League joined more than fifty national organizations issuing the statement, Arts Education Is Essential (PDF), which succinctly reminds school administrators and the public that — especially in the context of COVID-19 — arts education contributes to the social and emotional well-being of students, encourages student expression, and is essential to a well-rounded education for all students.
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August 6, 2020
U.S. House Recommends NEA and Arts Education Increases for FY21
Last month, the Appropriations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives advanced all twelve of its funding bills for FY21, followed shortly by passage by the full House of a package containing nearly all of them.
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June 17, 2020
Arts Education Is Essential – Take Local Action
Late last month, the League joined a group of more than 50 national organizations that collaborated to issue a statement of support for arts education particularly in the context of COVID-19.
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April 24, 2020
Arts Education and Teaching Artistry Amid the COVID-19 Crisis
Federal emergency funding provided in the CARES Act is now available to states through block grants and emergency relief resources intended to support the new costs of adapting to learning needs amid the COVID-19 crisis. Funds are primarily targeted to Title I schools, and state and local education policy leaders are given opportunities to choose how to direct these COVID-19 relief resources.
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February 12, 2020
Federal budget repeats recent history, proposing elimination of NEA
With bipartisan support from Congress, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) received an increase for fiscal year 2020 for a total funding level of $162.25 million, while the Assistance for Arts Education (AAE) program fund at the U.S. Department of Education actually received a $1 million increase for a total funding level of $30 million.
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August 5, 2019
Assessment Board Announces Plan to Eliminate Nation's Arts Report Card
In late July, the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) announced its intention to narrow the breadth of subjects assessed by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), eliminating the next Nation's Arts Report Card, the only nationally-reported measurement of what students know and are able to do in the arts.
Banner: 2018 Essentials of Orchestra Management Seminar. Photo: Agibail R. Collins Photography
Contact Congress
Raising your voice about key issues before Congress is essential. Contacting Congress is easy to do, and your communication with elected officials will ensure that communities nationwide continue to benefit from orchestral music.
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