you will NOT make friends with and influence all parents. Experienced teachers can testify to experiences of numerous attempts of contacting certain parents, trying to meet with certain parents, working with certain parents, all to no avail. But, connecting with those parents who WILL response is a great advocacy tool. Many administrators will not listen to the concerns of teachers (and to their credit, many do, but they don’t need the advocacy push!). Administrators DO tend to listen to parents. I have attended board meetings where music programs are saved due to parental concerns and input. You want parents on your side.


Another caveat: getting parents on your side does NOT mean catering to those important parents who can pull strings. Do NOT compromise your professional integrity by giving parts to the child of the PTA president just because Mom or Dad will run to the principal complaining. Do not back off from disciplining the son of a board member if discipline is warranted. Just make sure you document your reasons. If you cave in and play favorites, you might win the “important” people, but you will lose integrity and trust with the majority, and that defeats your purpose.


Do you have means to communicate with parents on a regular basis? If your district allows it, set up a blog, a webpage (there are many easy tools to use with this), a Moodle or Blackboard page, or a Facebook group for your music program. Following your district’s Internet privacy policy, post little video clips or pictures of your kids in action. Despite being decades away from the old singing schools, many parents still consider music class as the “singing only” class. Many parents have bad memories of their


Fall 2013


own musical experiences, such as being told to mouth “watermelon” instead of being allowed to sing. With the Internet at your disposal, you can dispel some of those preconceived notions. Parents love to see what their children are doing during the school day, for the most part. It doesn’t have to be perfect. I will often post videos on my school’s Facebook page of the students in action, in the process of creating. Make sure you feature students who do not often get attention. They will love it, and their parents will love it (provided they gave the permission to have pictures posted). Just remember: no last names. On the Internet, particularly with elementary students, I would avoid names altogether.


Plan parent participation activities. During Open House, set up a drum circle and let parents sit in. Invite parents to sit in during a class session and let them create and improvise with their children. (Remember that districts probably require a background check to allow anyone to come in during the school day to visit). Invite parents to volunteer so they can see what is going on during the day. Present “Informances.” When you order recorders, invite parents to order one for themselves and have their children teach THEM how to play. When you make those connections with those parents, it is easier to call on them when you need help with Donors Choose, when you need fundraising help, or when you need support if your class contact minutes are in danger of being cut.


Secret Weapon Number Three: Your Colleagues Unfortunately, the trends in education make it too easy for teachers to become on edge, protective of their areas, and a little isolated. Professional Learning


Communities are great tools for communication, but they can tend to isolate teachers in their own little worlds without opportunities to collaborate laterally with other areas. But, generalists, often more than anyone else, realize the benefits of music and other specialists beyond the classes that provide them plan time.


Respect classroom teachers’ predicaments and situations. They are having a tough time right now. Their very jobs can depend on test scores. They have multiple schedules to develop: specials, pull-outs for reading, pull-outs for English Language Learners, pull- outs for tutoring, pull-outs for Read 180…the list goes on. They might “lose” plan time to PLC meetings. They spend countless hours each night grading, writing lesson plans, collaborating….understanding what these teachers experience help open our eyes to the fact that, yes, these teachers need some advocacy help as well, as does education in general. I have learned not to get too upset (and believe me, I used to get VERY upset) when a child is pulled for testing or counseling, as long as the teacher in question was respectful and contacted and consulted with me. So, if you need special privileges from a classroom teacher, remember to give them plenty of notice. Give the respect you would want from them.


Offer your teachers some fun music downtime. My district occasionally offers Wellness Days as a morning of professional development. One year, I led drum circles for teachers. Many of them were terrified, thinking they were not musical. But once I processed the routines based on ideas from Chris Judah-Lauder, Will Schmidt, and Kalani, the


see STAFFORD, pg 19 17


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