members to serve. The council will meet several times throughout the year and disseminate information for coordinated advocacy efforts. Our second goal will be to
establish a Hill Day in Montgomery during the legislative session. The 2019 legislative session is scheduled to begin March 5 and run through June 17. The advocacy council will examine each division’s calendar to pick a date that does not conflict with All-State and Music Performance Assessment times. The hope is that Hill Day will include student performances, a rally for music education, and visits to individual representatives. Hill Day will be an opportunity to show that support for music education is wide reaching and strong in Alabama. Our primary goal for this event is to highlight a well-rounded education is essential for Alabama’s growth and future success.
A third goal of the Advocacy Council will be to train others to use their voice. Advocacy is a double-edged sword for music educators because often our efforts are viewed as serving only our personal interests.
It is
important that all of our advocacy efforts remain student and community focused. We need to enable all involved with music education – students, parents, community members, administrators, and lawmakers to tell their stories and use their voice. Helping others make personal and impassioned appeals about the importance of music education will be vital to our success. A fourth goal of the Advocacy Council will be to evaluate our partnerships with other Arts Education organizations and the Alabama State Department of Education. When there are discussions about Arts Education in Alabama, we must have an active voice at the table. We can never waiver from our commitment to provide a comprehensive music education for all
ala breve
students taught by certified music educators. The idea that some Arts Education is better than no Arts Education is a noble call, but in reality, this thinking only provides students with a small taste of music education. Alabama students deserve to feast on the richness of a comprehensive music education. Moving forward, we must ensure our partnerships provide more than mere lip service to vague goals about Arts Education. In order to reach our advocacy
goals, we must develop a comprehensive and well-articulated advocacy plan.
A paramount
component of our plan will be communication. We must project our voices using various means including social media. Please use social media to highlight your success, students, community, and advocacy stories using the hashtag #Ala4MusicEd. Your stories will serve as the backbone of our advocacy work and will highlight the importance of music education more effectively than any other indicator. I look forward to hearing all of
your stories and sharing good news about music education in Alabama. In the coming months, the Music
Dr. Rob Lyda is the music teacher at Cary Woods Elementary School in Auburn. He earned degrees in music education from Troy and Auburn University. Dr. Lyda is a frequent presenter at music conferences and workshops throughout the country. He is the Advocacy Chair and Secretary of the Elementary Division of AMEA. Currently, Dr. Lyda is serving as the national Chair of
NAfME’s Council for General Music Education.
Education Advocacy Council will be working to gather resources and formulate our advocacy plan. We will share our efforts in the Ala Breve and at the Professional Development Conference.
If I can answer any
questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at
lydarob@me.com. I hope you all have a productive start to your school year. Remember not to hide the light of music education in your classrooms or even a bushel. Let your light of your stories dispel the darkness and shine for all to see!
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