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Collaboration: Working Together to Promote Music At the beginning of the 2011-12 school year, 12.30 FTE licensed music educators were providing general music, instrumen- tal (winds, percussion and strings) and choral instruction to students across three K-4 elementary schools, a 5-6 intermedi- ate school, a 7-8 middle school and our 9-12 high school. (Sept. 2011 K-12 enroll- ment = 3,655.)


To accomplish this, the K-12 department meets four times a year on the clock, enabling us to discuss curricular topics and develop unified strategies, plans and goals. Our department chair represents music on a district system-wide committee where our superintendent and curriculum director discuss district level issues and departments share initiatives with one another. This ensures the voice of music is heard and part of the entire district education dialog.


Figure 1 illustrates our K-12 music department collaboration efforts and a few examples. There’s a culture and pro- fessional expectation that when you’re hired in Waunakee, you become part of a music staff family and you advocate for one another. Not only do we support one another at events, we will work with other departments and functions across the district when music will add value to the educational experience (i.e. high school music ambassadors visit and perform at elementary schools).


Community engagement and outreach is an ongoing strategy that yields great ben- efits: increased awareness of and support for music in our schools and community. We find opportunities for students to perform at area businesses, organizations and events and let our local newspaper photographer know when these will hap- pen. (The local paper wants good content as much as we do the exposure!) We welcome and support the efforts of music boosters and community non-profits that promote music and the arts. Waunakee Community Band enables student and adult musicians to continue playing music and prepares a free summer concert series


Wisconsin School Musician


for the public. The districts’ music depart- ment provides rehearsal and storage space and occasional musical support for this all-volunteer organization. Our relatively new community organization – Friends of Waunakee Performing Arts – focuses on sponsoring events that bring the com- munity into our schools and support the performing arts center.


Communication


While collaboration provides a way to capture the attention and increase aware- ness of music in our schools, these efforts are effective only when we successfully communicate our message(s) about the value of music. As a department, we re- mind ourselves:


• Messages should be constant and consistent.


• Recognize the importance of compromise as well as collaboration.


• It is important to be involved in the community and schools as a whole … not just our own department.


• Promoting music is part of our value system. We don’t turn it off when school bells ring. Much of this is on our own time.


Figure 2 highlights some major com- munication strategies and sample tools. Reflected in the list is recognition we need to take care of ourselves … to stay


Figure 2


Communicate Strategies


• Inform, educate others on the benefits of music & student accomplishments


• Participate on district committees – represent music, be a team player


• Involve and inform others who want to help


• Find ways to keep yourself “charged” and informed!


“Sustainable support for music requires a department that works


well together, supports one another and recognizes the importance of building relationships with other district entities and our communities.”


“charged” as well as informed. That is one reason almost everyone on our staff makes it a priority to attend much, if not all, of the annual Wisconsin State Music Conference. [Note: Recently the calendar committee was considering what to do with the former Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) conference days. Board approval in February of the 2012-13 and 2013-14 calendars maintains the last Friday in October as a day off. Key to achieving this compromise goal was a music department representative on the calendar committee advocating for the unique professional development opportunities provided staff and students who attend or participate in this confer- ence and related events.]


Continued on page 30


Sample Tools • Informative and useful web sites • Music performances • Waunakee Tribune


• Present at board and administration mtgs.


• Ongoing communication (i.e., parent newsletters, district-wide e-mails):


what’s going on, coming up and why it’s important


• Wisconsin State Music Conference! 29


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