THE NEW JERSEY MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION a federated state association of NATIONAL ASSOCIATION for MUSIC EDUCATION News From Our Division Chairs


Webmaster Patricia Rowe, Supervisor of Arts and Technology for the Moorsetown Township Public Schools; and Ronald Dolce, retired Music Supervisor for the Rahway Public Schools. We are all encouraged by the commitment from our growing membership! We are continually in- spired by our colleagues around the state as we share our thoughts, ideas and solutions to the challenges of being music educators. If you are a new administrator and are looking for a group with which to collaborate for information, ideas and networking, you are encouraged to join us! For more information, please visit our website at www.njmaa.org and/or reach out to our Board members with any questions or concerns you may have. We look forward to seeing you all soon!


Advocacy I can find no better blueprint for Music Advocacy than Nicholas Santoro’s article in the January 2017 TEMPO entitled: Dig the Well


Before You Need the Water: Advocacy and You! In the article, Santoro offers salient advice on how to advocate for our programs at the school, district and community levels. Those of us who have enjoyed an education in music are aware of its many benefits. Besides musical abilities and a lifelong appreciation of music, music education develops creativity, responsibility, discipline, perseverance, dependability, composure, pride in results, group coopera- tion, confidence, social and communications skills, emotional maturity, and many other valuable traits and skills. In short, music education provides excellent preparation for life. Since the days of Lowell Mason, music educators have been faced with challenges such as budget constraints, scheduling trends, and


public apathy. In many districts music educator positions are being reduced or eliminated. Music budgets, always inadequate, are being cut or allowed to diminish in real value. Scheduling changes in many schools are forcing students to drop music, or relegate music to extracurricular status. We all know the perils of standardized testing and the opinions of some, of the need for a rigorous curriculum to prepare our children for college and career readiness. How can our music programs, with such proven benefits be allowed to wither? Evidently, it’s not what the residents of NJ want. Ac-


cording to Arts Ed Now, 95% of NJ residents believe arts education is important for students in grades K through 12 and only 54% believe students receive enough arts opportunities in school. Politicians, administrators, and school officials find the funding and resources to provide the programs the public values, so why the disconnect? Perhaps the most telling number from Arts Ed Now is that only 30% of those polled have taken action to support arts education, The


problem is that we are not consolidating this community support and expressing our views. We have to remind the decision-makers that we feel music education is important, and that the people in the community want their children to have the opportunity of a music education. So where do we start? How do we make certain the invested time and energy produces the needed results? Every individual will discover


his or her particular style as time goes on, but there are many tried-and-true road signs that will be of aid along the advocacy journey. Coexistence - Never promote the music program at the expense of another organization. Music advocacy is a benefit to the entire school and community; it must live in harmony with the existing curriculum. It’s About the Students - Music education is centered on students. A music advocate’s platform must be focused on the academic impor-


tance of arts education. Everyone Is a Musician - Every student, faculty, staff, administrator and community member of the school is a potential music maker.


Bringing this attitude to advocacy makes the message very potent. Relationships - Developing trusting relationships is the basis for group support. Listen to what your students, colleagues, administration and community members have to say and prepare information to share with them about the benefits of music education. Share Music with Everyone – Produce high quality musical events and invite everyone to attend. Everyone should be aware of the inher-


ent values that music offers the performer as well as the listener. Be a Life-Long Learner - Attend workshops, read professional journals and magazines and above all, listen to outstanding music per-


formed by the finest musicians of the day…..and then share the lessons with your students, colleagues, administrators and community mem- bers. Communication is the answer. Patience and Persistence – These are not new challenges we face. We are still here facing them because of all the others who have come


this way before. Stay patient and continue to be persistent in your advocacy for music education. As we address the challenges we face day to day as music educators, let us remember what brought us here, what sparked the passion for the craft and what keeps us going each day. Let’s be sure to advocate for our craft, our programs, and most importantly, for our students.


continued on page 14 TEMPO 12 OCTOBER 2017


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