November 21, 2005

Focus on Coalition Building: 8 Strategic Errors in Music Advocacy & How to Correct Them

I have observed a variety of parent support groups for music throughout my consulting career and have noticed eight common mistakes made by well-meaning music advocates. While these strategic errors or misconceptions greatly limit the potential beneficial role of "booster" organizations, they can be corrected. All it takes is a commitment to reach out to others interested in our cause, some time to learn about the issues in your district, and a goal-oriented approach – in other words, all the elements of constructive, pro-active music advocacy!

OK, let’s look at these errors one by one and put the focus where it belongs – on taking positive action to keep music in our schools.

Strategic Error #1: Limiting your support organization to a single local school or a single curricular component or even a single year.

The typical music advocacy coalition tends to be limited to parents of students currently involved in one school’s music programming, for example, Smithtown Elementary School Band Booster’s Club. Parents in a group such as this tend to concentrate on the needs in a single school while losing sight of district-wide music curriculum issues that may have negative effects on their children as they progress through the system. For example, what happens when your child, who loves to play clarinet in fourth grade, cannot continue making music in high school, because block scheduling has been adopted in a way that makes it impossible for her to continue taking band?

This shortsighted focus can create a lack of unified support for district-wide music programs and make members competitive and divisive, while losing sight of equal access for all students. Once infighting takes hold, your goals can become muddied and music becomes an easier target for elimination.

Unfortunately, music teachers often prefer the single site format because it seems easier and more convenient, in the short term. Teachers who think this way may be operating out of fear and may want to discourage parents from “interfering” or micro-managing the whole program.

Solution: Invite parents in other schools to join with you to create a district-wide music coalition. Make sure you focus attention on all areas of and levels of the music curriculum. Join your efforts with your music teachers and others in the community. Look ahead a few years, creating a system of support for music education that will last long after your children graduate. Start the ball rolling toward creating a comprehensive vision for music education in your district. Remember: you can’t strategize if you don’t have a plan!

Strategic Error #2: Limiting your support organization to fund-raising activities.

Music booster organizations are a favorite of school administrations and boards. They can be very effective at raising additional "tax support" for the district. Unfortunately, overemphasis on fund-raising (to the exclusion of other objectives) has three major disadvantages:

1. It weakens music programs as a curricular entity, philosophically placing music in the same category as extra-curricular activities like sports.
2. It provides motivation to the administration and school board to reduce the music budget accordingly.
3. It "burns out" parents. I have actually observed several districts in which parents were told they could continue the music program - but only if they raised all the money for it. In one program, the music teacher even suggested this idea!

Solution: As a first step, coalition members need to know WHY they’re raising funds. Education about music program policy issues and budgetary concerns should be on every mailing or meeting agenda. To preserve your integrity as a curricular and co-curricular entity, you should limit your fund raising to extra-curricular components of the music program. (See <curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular>).


Strategic Error #3: Limiting your advocacy activities to music teachers or control by music teachers.

Music teachers often prefer to handle advocacy efforts themselves. This may be because they sometimes see "needing" parent support as a sign of personal weakness. Teachers may also fear reprisals if they anger the administration and board; in some cases, teachers have even been ordered not to involve the parents. If advocacy is limited to teachers, the administration can simply "order" the teachers to be quiet, or be faced with job loss due to insubordination.

Solution: By law, local, state and federal public education departments give the public the right and responsibility for educational advocacy. The legal voice of the school board is the most visible expression of this responsibility. Music advocacy, especially in times of impending cuts, must have broad community support to be most successful. Make sure parents, teachers, administrators, school board members and yes, even students, are involved in your community’s music advocacy efforts.

Strategic Error #4: Limiting your advocacy efforts to reactive strategies.

Limiting advocacy to reactive strategies may give the music coalition a public reputation as a "voice of conflict." People with "conflict avoidance" personalities may steer clear of participation in music advocacy because of that. Being reactive, rather than pro-active, means you’ll always feel - and be - “behind the eight-ball.”

Solution: Make sure your coalition stays “on message,” and presents any issues in a non-confrontational, pro-active way. Pro-active strategies can help create and solidify a positive reputation for your organization, one that’s collaborative, supportive and cooperative. But, in order to be pro-active, you’ve got to educate and inform coalition members about issues, potential threats to music program funding, staff changes and other policy and decision-making concerns BEFORE music program cuts are on the table. Attend meetings, ask questions, learn to speak the language of the school board/administration and keep your focus on building and maintaining a positive relationship.

Once you’ve developed a positive reputation, it’s more difficult for a district to make cuts in music because they’ll want to avoid offending your group. Your music coalition is simply a parent-community-teacher organization in support of music. Administrations are very aware of the need to maintain an ongoing, positive relationship with music coalitions. Remember: your music coalition is vital to them. Once a positive relationship is forged, your coalition may even be able to offer much-needed support for other proposals under district consideration.

Strategic Error #5: Procrastination.

Procrastination is another form of reactive advocacy. Uninformed music advocates leave themselves no choice but to make their (often flimsy and definitely reactive) case in a moment of crisis, for instance, when they learn – too late – of a potential cut or change in music programming.

Solution: Get involved before your music programs are in crisis! Monitor information on a continual basis. Once again, it’s important to attend school board meetings, get to know the decision-makers, and organize your coalition. But, more than that, your coalition’s case for justifying music in the curriculum must always be ready, at least in the form of annual reports on the status of the music program.

In the presence of financial crisis or educational reform, you must act immediately to make sure that students who want to participate in music are not negatively impacted by any potential cut or change. Do NOT wait until after the referendum vote or final proposal for cuts or change to make your case. It may be too late!

Strategic Error #6: Suggesting alternate cuts or compromise.

No one from the music coalition or teaching staff should ever make any suggestion for alternate cuts or compromise. If you do, then you become responsible for them!

Solution: You must learn to develop <impact statements> that demonstrate "if the district takes the (specified) action, the following will happen to the music program."

Strategic Error #7: Becoming involved in a battle of music versus athletics.

Flag on the field - this is a huge mistake! It identifies you with those who philosophically characterize the music program as extra-curricular.

Solution: Politely, but firmly, refuse to engage in this type of exchange. Keep your focus on music as curriculum and co-curricular (vs. extra-curricular), and on the importance of music within the school curriculum. Resist the mighty temptation to compare and contrast what really amounts to apples and oranges. Some like music, others prefer sports, but both have high value to students – and often, to the same students.

Strategic Error #8: Resorting to personal attacks.

Personal attacks (name-calling, threats, demands for resignations, etc.) are a desperate strategy of last resort and a glaring sign of weakness in your case. Worse, such tactics tend to establish revenge cycles that place the music curriculum on an annual review cycle for continued attacks.

Solution: Make a commitment to NOT use name-calling, threats or calls for resignations in your interactions with school board members, teachers or school administrators, even in response to those who may attack you. Instead, take the high road and keep your focus on the issues at hand and the needs of the students. If you see that music programs are in danger of being cut or, worse, eliminated, study the issues, offer your help in problem solving discussions, and present reasonable, goal-oriented solutions and suggestions.

Community Ownership = Keeping Music in Your Schools

As a final reminder, I recommend that your support group be organized as a music coalition that includes all schools in the district and the community at large. The structure of your coalition and its operating procedures should encourage, not limit, participation. Your aim should be to present a unified voice for music education - for all students in each school in the district. This approach will establish your music advocacy program as a positive and proactive entity, give your community ownership of both music advocacy efforts and, ultimately, of the music programs you’re trying to protect for students. For more information on creating an effective music advocacy coalition, please read <The Local Music Coalition>.



Until next time,

John Benham