Welcome to SupportMusic.com

Download the NEW SupportMusic Glossary

March 01, 2010: FOCUS ON ADVOCACY: Building Parental Support For Music Education
February 01, 2010: Advocacy for Arts Education Begins at Home
January 01, 2010: A Case for Middle School Arts
December 01, 2009: FOCUS ON ADVOCACY: When Is A Loss A Loss?
November 01, 2009: FOCUS ON ADVOCACY: Solid Advocacy Groundwork Saves Two School Music Programs in Nevada School District
October 01, 2009: FOCUS ON ADVOCACY: Three-Step Action Plan to Make ‘Music Education For All Students’ a Goal in Your School District
September 01, 2009: FOCUS ON COALITION-BUILDING: Back-to-School Inspiration: Elementary String Program Saved!
August 01, 2009: FOCUS ON STUDENTS: Award-winning Student Essays Highlight the Unifying Powers of Music
July 02, 2009: FOCUS ON STUDENTS: Music Education Advocacy for the Digital Generation
June 01, 2009: FOCUS ON ADVOCACY: Keeping Your Momentum, Even in Troubled Times
May 01, 2009: FOCUS ON ADVOCACY: Are YOU Ready to Write a Letter in Support of Music Education?
April 01, 2009: FOCUS ON STUDENTS: Research Study Links Music Making and Music Education with Improved Academic Performance
March 01, 2009: FOCUS ON ADVOCACY: Moving from Survival to Vision
February 02, 2009: FOCUS ON ADVOCACY: NOW MORE THAN EVER…
January 05, 2009: FOCUS ON ADVOCACY: Develop an Annual Report Featuring Your Music Education Program
December 01, 2008: ADVOCACY IN TIMES OF FISCAL CRISIS: Your Local Music Coalition
November 01, 2008: FOCUS ON STUDENTS: Research Study Indicates Teenagers’ Strong Commitment to Music & Music Making
October 01, 2008: FOCUS ON ADVOCACY: The Purpose of Arts Education
August 01, 2008: MUSIC ADVOCACY: Singing Through the Dark Times
July 01, 2008: FOCUS ON STUDENTS: Students Express Why Music is Important to Their Complete Education
June 01, 2008: Reflections on Advocacy as the SupportMusic Coalition Celebrates Five Years
May 01, 2008: FOCUS ON BUDGET: Reverse Economics – Developing a Fiscal Case for Your Music Program (Part 2 of 2)
April 02, 2008: FOCUS ON BUDGET: Reverse Economics - Developing a Fiscal Case for Your Music Program (Part 1 of 2)
March 01, 2008: Focus on Issues & Decision-making: Educational Reform Movements - Tax Vouchers and Their Impact on Music Education Programs
February 01, 2008: ARTS ADVOCACY LESSONS FROM THE 2008 IOWA PRESIDENTIAL CAUCUS: #1 Take-Away Ã± Let the Candidates Hear From You!
January 03, 2008: FOCUS ON STUDENTS: NJ Arts Education Census Project Offers Model for Other States
December 01, 2007: FOCUS ON COALITION BUILDING: Advocate for Music Education
October 30, 2007: FOCUS ON ISSUES & DECISION MAKING: Music Education Research 101, Part II
September 17, 2007: FOCUS ON ISSUES & DECISION MAKING: Music Education Research 101, Part 1
August 07, 2007: FOCUS ON ISSUES AND DECISIONMAKING: Do Your Elected Officials View Music Education as a National Priority?
July 13, 2007: FOCUS ON COALITION BUILDING: American Symphony Orchestra League Launches Historic Statement of Common Cause to Support In-School Music Education
June 03, 2007: FOCUS ON STUDENTS: Music & Arts Education is Essential to Development of Creative Economy & 21st Century Skills
June 03, 2007: FOCUS ON STUDENTS: Music & Arts Education is Essential to Development of Creative Economy & 21st Century Skills
May 03, 2007: FOCUS ON COALITION BUILDING: Think Globally, Act Locally Ã± and Why Reading This is NOT an Advocacy Action
March 21, 2007: FOFCUS ON BUDGET: FTE and the Staffing Ratio, Part 2 Ã± The Music Teacher
February 21, 2007: FOCUS ON COALITION BUILDING: From Anytown, USA to Washington, DC . . . All Music Advocacy Is Local
January 17, 2007: FOCUS ON COALITION BUILDING: How to Create School Board Support for Music Programs
January 07, 2007: FOCUS ON COALITION BUILDING: How to Create School Board Support for Music Programs
December 15, 2006: FOCUS ON STUDENTS: Why Music Technology Enhances Student Success
November 16, 2006: FOCUS ON COALITION BUILDING: These Parents Made A Difference Ã± You Can Too!
October 18, 2006: FOCUS ON STUDENTS: The Study Hall Game
September 27, 2006: FOCUS ON ISSUES & DECISION MAKING: The Music Administrator, Part 2 of 2
September 20, 2006: FOCUS ON ISSUES & DECISION MAKING: The Music Administrator, Part 1 of 2
September 08, 2006: Back-To-School Primer: The Local Music Coalition
August 30, 2006: Focus on Budget: FTE Ã± A Case Study on Teacher Seniority & The Fallacy of Average
August 24, 2006: Focus on Issues & Decision Making:Educational Reform Movements: Middle Schools, Part 3 of 3
August 15, 2006: Focus on Issues & Decision Making:Educational Reform Movements: Middle Schools, Part 2 of 3
August 08, 2006: Focus on Issues & Decision Making: Educational Reform Movements: Middle Schools, Part 1 of 3
August 08, 2006: Focus on Issues & Decision Making: Educational Reform Movements: Middle Schools, Part 1 of 3
August 01, 2006: Focus on Issues & Decision Making: Educational Reform Movements: Trimester System and Year-Round Schools
July 18, 2006: NEWS FLASH!! CA Advocates Secure Historic Funding for Arts Education
June 30, 2006: Focus on Issues & Decision Making: Educational Reform Movements: Part 10 of a series Decision Time!
June 22, 2006: Focus on Issues & Decision Making: Educational Reform Movements: Part 9 of a series Three Perspectives on Block Scheduling
June 18, 2006: NEWS FLASH!! CA Advocates Secure Historic Funding for Arts Education
June 13, 2006: Focus on Issues & Decision Making: Educational Reform Movements: Part 8 of a series Two Options for Four-Period Block Scheduling
June 06, 2006: Focus on Issues & Decision Making: Educational Reform Movements: Part 7 of a series Block Scheduling and the Music Student
May 30, 2006: Focus on Issues & Decision Making: Educational Reform Movements: Part 6 of a series Rotating Schedules
May 18, 2006: Focus on Issues & Decision Making: Educational Reform Movements: Part 5 of a series Two Options for 7-Period Scheduling
May 08, 2006: Focus on Issues & Decision Making: Educational Reform Movements: Part 4 of a series Scheduling Myths & the Grades 9-10 "Bottleneck"
April 27, 2006: Focus on Issues & Decision Making: Educational Reform movement: Part 3 of a series Scheduling & The Traditional Six-Day Period
April 19, 2006: Focus on Issues & Decision Making: Educational Reform: Part 2 of a series Scheduling
April 12, 2006: Focus on Issues & Decision Making: Educational Reform Movements: Part 1 of a series An Overview & Some Advice
April 04, 2006: FOCUS ON BUDGET: Actual FTE Value & Individual Student Load
March 27, 2006: PUBLIC OPINION SURVEYS: A Slippery Slope
March 15, 2006: Music Advocacy 101: Do YOU Have "The Right Stuff"?
March 01, 2006: Focus on Issues & Decision Making: Who Really Calls The Shots?
February 16, 2006: Focus on Budget: FTE and The Danger of Using Averages
February 07, 2006: Focus on Budget: Identifying Potential & "Hidden" Music Budget Cuts
January 24, 2006: Focus on Issues & Decision Making: Music - Curricular, Co-curricular or Extra-curricular?
January 10, 2006: Focus on Budget: FTE and the Staffing Ratio
January 04, 2006: Focus on Students: Advocacy and the Music Student
December 27, 2005: Focus on Budget: How to Develop & Use Impact Statements
December 20, 2005: FOCUS ON ISSUES & DECISION-MAKING: Central and Site-based Management
December 05, 2005: Focus on Budget: How "Average" FTE Value Creates Budget Problems
November 28, 2005: Focus on Coalition Building: The Public School Music Participation Survey
November 21, 2005: Focus on Coalition Building: 8 Strategic Errors in Music Advocacy & How to Correct Them
November 14, 2005: Focus on Issues & Decision Making: Is My Music Program Vulnerable to Cuts?
November 07, 2005: Focus on Budget: FTE & Staffing
October 31, 2005: FOCUS ON STUDENTS: Putting Students First
October 10, 2005: Decision Making: The Politics of Process
October 04, 2005: SCHOOL BUDGET PRIMER: UNDERSTANDING "FTE"
September 09, 2005: Back-To-School Primer: Creating a Local Music Coalition
August 12, 2005: The Public School Music Participation Survey
August 01, 2005: The Right Stuff?
July 19, 2005: Advocacy and the Music Student
June 29, 2005: The Danger of Public Opinion Surveys
June 22, 2005: Music: Curricular, Co-curricular, or Extra-curricular? (Part II)
June 16, 2005: Music: Curricular, Co-curricular, or Extra-curricular? (Part I)
June 09, 2005: Developing Impact Statements
May 25, 2005: News Flash: The Crisis in Minnesota
May 12, 2005: Identifying Potential Music Cuts-Part II: "Hidden" Cuts
May 12, 2005: Identifying Potential Music Cuts-Part II: "Hidden" Cuts
April 25, 2005: March 23, 2005
March 23, 2005: Decisions: Adult or Student-centered?
March 23, 2005: Decisions: Adult or Student-centered?
February 23, 2005: Case Study: "Block Schedule ? The Perils"
February 16, 2005: Educational Reform
February 09, 2005: The Public Survey Trap
February 02, 2005: Strategic Errors in Music Advocacy
January 27, 2005: Uncovering the Mystery of the School Budget: Glossary
January 19, 2005: A Glossary of Terms for the Music Advocate: The Art of "Educese."
December 28, 2004: Decision Making: The Politics of Process
December 22, 2004: Decision Makers: Who's really calling the shots?
December 15, 2004: Is My Music Program Vulnerable to Cuts?
December 08, 2004: What is the Single Most Important Isssue in Music Advocacy? YOU!
December 01, 2004: MUSIC ADVOCACY: Caring Enough to Put the Student First

January 1, 2009

(Editor’s Note: Successful public school music education program advocates continually highlight the positive impact these programs have on students. Now more than ever, consider presenting an annual report to administrators and school board members. When done on an annual basis, it offers an opportunity to highlight achievements and evaluate progress made. This article by Dr. John Benham elaborates.)

There are two primary reasons why your music education coalition should create an annual report about the music education programs in your school system:

       1. Marketing: Developing an Annual Report is simply the best way to keep your administration and school board informed about the importance and status of your music program. It can help establish the validity of music education as a core value in the community.

       2. Assessment: An Annual Report will give you a more accurate picture of what your music education program really is accomplishing. It will provide you with the information you need to move your program forward.

What Are The Key Elements of An Annual Report?

Your report should contain information on various components of the program, achievements, and any issues related to the current status of the program and its potential for growth. Some suggestions are categorized below.

Faculty

* List significant recognition of individual faculty such as awards, honors, publications, years-of-service milestones
* Identify the number of FTE in each area of the curriculum (See CounterPoint November 7, 2005) www.supportmusic.com/drjohn/archive/2005-11-07.mhtml
* Summarize the student-faculty ratios in each area of the curriculum (See CounterPoint April 2, 2008; May 1, 2008) www.supportmusic.com/drjohn/archive/2008-04-02.mhtml AND www.supportmusic.com/drjohn/archive/2008-05-01.mhtml

Curriculum (See CounterPoint January 24, 2006) www.supportmusic.com/drjohn/archive/2006-01-24.mhtml

* List significant accomplishments of performance groups: festivals, contests, tours
* List significant accomplishments of individual student performers: solo and ensemble contests, scholarships to graduating seniors
* Summarize general academic success of music students: honor roll, average G.P.A., SAT/ACT scores
* Summarize student completion of music curriculum competencies
* Summarize the performance events of the year: co-curricular, extra-curricular

Student Participation (See CounterPoint November 28, 2005) www.supportmusic.com/drjohn/archive/2005-11-28.mhtml

* Summarize student enrollments in music classes: general music, band, choir, orchestra
* Summarize the average class sizes in each area of the curriculum
* Identify percentages of student participation by grade and school
* Identify attrition rates that exceed 15% between any two grades as areas of concern
* Summarize results of exit interviews of student who drop music performance classes
* Summarize the average class sizes in each area of the curriculum

Economics (See CounterPoint April 2, 2008; May 1, 2008) www.supportmusic.com/drjohn/archive/2008-04-02.mhtml AND www.supportmusic.com/drjohn/archive/2008-05-01.mhtml

* Determine the FTE value of the average music performance teacher
* Summarize the expenditure of budgetary funds
* Demonstrate need for budgetary funds in the coming year

Music Coalition (See CounterPoint – December 1, 2008) www.supportmusic.com/drjohn/archive/2008-12-01.mhtml

* The Administrative Liaison Committee of the Music Coalition should prepare the report in cooperation with the music teachers.
* The Administrative Liaison Committee should present an abbreviated oral report at a public meeting of the school board, based on the formal written report.
* The report should summarize the activities of the Music Coalition and its contributions to the district, including fundraising.

Finally – don’t forget to express your appreciation to the administration, board and community for accepting the report and for their past support for the program!

-- Dr. John Benham is a leading music education advocate, consultant and teacher, who served two terms on a Minnesota school board of education.