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November 1, 2009 FOCUS ON ADVOCACY: 1 In tight economic times, public school music education programs may attract some unwanted attention as school board members and site administrators face the challenges of balancing their budgets. A recent success story from Clark County, Nevada shows that active, visible and well-organized music education advocacy makes all the difference – before, during and after any proposals are made to cut the music program. If you think that your district may not need a music education advocacy organization, think bigger thoughts. Today, tomorrow, next week, next year . . . . your school leaders may decide that music education programs may have to be cut to balance a budget. Will you be ready to make the case that music education offers multiple benefits for students? Will the answer to “can this program be saved?” be YES? Laying The Groundwork: “Advocates for Music Education in From 1984 through 2008, student enrollment in the Clark County School District (CCSD) headquartered in Yes, over the years there were several “bumps in the road” as economic times threatened district-wide cuts. But strong arts advocacy involving parents and arts advocates from all walks of life made sure, through organized efforts, that those cuts were never made. Whenever the CCSD Board of School Trustees held district-wide meetings, a well-organized and energetic local coalition of a statewide group called Advocates for Music Education in Looking back now, it seems so easy but the fact is, by showing up to the meetings, every time, trustees were equipped with the needed input from the community that district-wide cuts in the arts would not be acceptable to their constituents. Any proposals to cut arts programs were stopped dead in their tracks. Declining Enrollment Poses a Brief, But Dramatic, Threat to Music Education Programs Fast-forward to 2009. The CCSD – still the nation’s 5th largest school district – had projected an enrollment of 313,600 for this year, but the actual number of students came in at just under 310,000. This was the first enrollment decline in over 25 years. With The principal at However, within just 24 hours, this same principal made an announcement that was music to the ears of choir students at Durango High: he told the school he managed to retain three teachers and save classes in choral music and art that were on their way to being eliminated or reduced. This principal stood up for arts education. And, he not only saved the school’s full-time choir program, he was also able to offer additional vocal classes to the schedule. Once it became clear how important the programs were to students, resources were found to keep the programs. How did this turn-about happen? Magic? Math errors? NO! Strong advocacy is what turned the tide and saved the programs! Support for Music Education Remains Strong, Despite Budget Cuts Another CCSD high school principal, at The district’s Fine Arts Coordinator says, “there’s a lot of horse trading going on right now. Principals are also looking for ways to save staff by appealing for extra funding from their area supervisors and reorganizing classes in the least disruptive way possible.” These pro-arts responses to proposed cuts occurred because a solid foundation of pro-arts advocacy has been in place in Let this be a lesson to all of us that advocacy can NEVER stop. During times like these, having a strong foundation of advocacy groundwork really pays off. Do you want to be sure that your school district offers quality Arts Education Programs in 20 years? Start today! These two principals ‘did the right thing’ – will yours? -- Marcia Neel, is president of Music Education Consultants, Inc., a consortium of music education professionals who work to foster the growth and breadth of school-based music education programs for all PreK-12 children. She is a consultant, presenter, author and arts advocate, and served as Coordinator of Secondary Fine Arts in CCSD from 1994-2007.
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Artists:
Scott Brady |
