Music Advocacy

Hello, and welcome to the Music Advocacy Resource Center! Let me ask you a few questions to get a handle on what kinds of resources might help you. Are you currently facing a problem you need help with? [[Yes]] [[No]]

How would you best describe the size of your problem? [[Huge. It's life or death.]] [[There's something big that I want to do, but I don't know how to do it.]] [[I'd say it's a pretty routine thing.]] [[Maybe I don't have a problem after all.|No]]

What brings you to the Resource Center? [[I'm hoarding resources for the Future >:)]] [[(print: "I want to advocate for my program //before// it becomes life or death.")|proactive]] [[I just want to talk to someone :(]] [[I'm the Resource Center creator's professor and I'm surveying their work.]] [[Please just give me a master list of your external resources.]] [[Maybe I do have a problem.|Yes]]

Ooh, buddy, I'm so sorry. I'm just a fictional narrator written into the website, but I can direct you to some places where you can talk to other humans! If you are a NAfME member, they have forums that can be found [here]<nafme|(click: ?nafme)[(open-url: "https://community.nafme.org/home")]! If you're a new teacher in Wisconsin, WMEA has a [new teacher mentoring program]<WMEA|(click: ?WMEA)[(open-url: "https://wmeamusic.org/pro-development/mentoring/")] you can try. (You might be able to find similar programs near you, if you're not in Wisconsin!) Outside of professional organizations, there are also other online communities where you might be able to find people to talk to, like [Reddit]<reddit|(click: ?reddit)[(open-url: "https://www.reddit.com/r/MusicEd/")]. But hey, uh, bud, if you clicked on this option because you're really struggling with mental health and stuff right now, //please// reach out to someone IRL—a friend, a family member, a counsellor, a therapist, even a [crisis line]<crisis|(click: ?crisis)[(openurl: "https://dhs.wisconsin.gov/crisis/talk.htm")] if you really need it. [[Thanks, I guess. I'm all done here.|Finish]]

Excellent! This is a good starting place if you're not sure what to Google! Feel free to peruse our hypothetical situation pages and external resources! [[Big-Picture Advocacy (a.k.a. the Please Don't Cut Music Resources)|Huge. It's life or death.]] [[Big-Picture Advocacy but It's Not Dire And I Don't Want it to Be|proactive]] [[The "I Want to Do/Buy/Change Something Big" Worksheet|Big Thing Worksheet]] [[The "I Need This Smallish Thing and Need Help Talking About It" Worksheet|Small Thing Worksheet]] [[Recruitment and Retention|Something related to recruitment/retention.]] [[I Really Need to Talk to Another Human|I just want to talk to someone :(]] [[External Resource Master List|Please just give me a master list of your external resources.]]

Oh. Hello! I don't have any specific resources for you, so feel free to click through some of the pages of resources: [[Big-Picture Advocacy (a.k.a. the Please Don't Cut Music Resources)|Huge. It's life or death.]] [[Big-Picture Advocacy but It's Not Dire And I Don't Want it to Be|proactive]] [[The "I Want to Do/Buy/Change Something Big" Worksheet|Big Thing Worksheet]] [[The "I Need This Smallish Thing and Need Help Talking About It" Worksheet|Small Thing Worksheet]] [[Recruitment and Retention|Something related to recruitment/retention.]] [[I Really Need to Talk to Another Human|I just want to talk to someone :(]] [[External Resource Master List|Please just give me a master list of your external resources.]]

**NAfME** * [Main Advocacy Page]<advpage|(click: ?advpage)[(open-url: "https://nafme.org/advocacy/nafme-music-education-advocacy-resource-kit/")]. * [Parental Support Page]<par|(click: ?par)[(open-url: "https://nafme.org/advocacy/5-ways-to-support-your-music-program/")] * The [Recruitment]<recruit|(click: ?recruit)[(open-url: "https://nafme.org/tag/recruitment/")] and [Retention]<retain|(click: ?retain)[(open-url: "https://nafme.org/tag/retention/")] tags * [Advocate Leader Force]<adv|(click: ?adv)[(open-url: "https://nafme.org/advocacy/advocacy-leadership-force/")] * [Advocacy Action Plan]<5|(click: ?5)[(open-url: "https://nafme.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Local-Advocacy-Action-Plan-2022.pdf")] * [Civic Action Field Guide]<6|(click: ?6)[(open-url: "https://nafme.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Civic-Action-Field-Guide-November-2022.pdf")] * [Music Benefits 1]<1|(click: ?1)[(open-url: "https://nafme.org/why-music-education-actually-matters/")] * [Music Benefits 2]<2|(click: ?2)[(open-url: "https://nafme.org/important-benefits-of-music-in-our-schools/")] * [Music Benefits 3]<3|(click: ?3)[(open-url: "https://nafme.org/music-education-benefits/")] * [Music Benefits 4]<4|(click: ?4)[(open-url: "https://nafme.org/about/position-statements/the-value-and-quality-of-arts-education-position-statement/the-value-and-quality-of-arts-education/")] **Other Stuff** * [Arts Are Education]<aae|(click: ?aae)[(open-url: "https://www.artsareeducation.org/about")] * [State Arts Action Network]<7|(click: ?7)[(open-url: "https://www.americansforthearts.org/by-program/networks-and-councils/state-arts-action-network/people-projects")] * [Arts Education Research Search Portal]<8|(click: ?8)[(open-url: "https://www.artsedsearch.org/")] * [Arts Education Partnership]<9|(click: ?9)[(open-url: "https://www.aep-arts.org/")] * [ESSA Info]<10|(click: ?10)[(open-url: "https://www.arteducators.org/advocacy-policy/essa-every-student-succeeds-act/essa-implementation-and-online-resources")] * [Title IV-A Coalition]<11|(click: ?11)[(open-url: "https://www.titleiva.org/")] * [Comittee for Education Funding]<12|(click: ?12)[(open-url: "https://cef.org/")] * [An article about recruitment and retention from NFHS]<13|(click: ?13)[(open-url: "https://www.nfhs.org/articles/how-to-schedule-recruit-retain-advocate-perform-and-evaluate/")] * [An article about recruitment and retention from NAMM]<14|(click: ?14)[(open-url: "https://www.nammfoundation.org/educator-tips/focusing-classroom-recruiting-and-retaining-students")] [[Cool, I'm done here.|Finish]]

Oh boy. That's a tough one, and the person who made this Resource Center is just a college student, but we can certainly point you in the direction of some helpful resources! The Resource Center is pretty much just a glorified filing cabinet, anyway. Your best bet is to look at what NAfME has to offer: * Each [state has an advocate under them]<adv| who you could reach out to. (click: ?adv)[(open-url: "https://nafme.org/advocacy/advocacy-leadership-force/")] * They also do a lot of work with the [Arts Are Education]<aae| movement, which may be helpful to you depending on how imminent/dire your situation is. (click: ?aae)[(open-url: "https://www.artsareeducation.org/about")] * They generally have a lot of resources explaining why arts education is vital—which you'll probably want for your discussions: ** [https://nafme.org/why-music-education-actually-matters/]<1|(click: ?1)[(open-url: "https://nafme.org/why-music-education-actually-matters/")] ** [https://nafme.org/important-benefits-of-music-in-our-schools/]<2|(click: ?2)[(open-url: "https://nafme.org/important-benefits-of-music-in-our-schools/")] ** [https://nafme.org/music-education-benefits/]<3|(click: ?3)[(open-url: "https://nafme.org/music-education-benefits/")] ** [https://nafme.org/about/position-statements/the-value-and-quality-of-arts-education-position-statement/the-value-and-quality-of-arts-education/]<4|(click: ?4)[(open-url: "https://nafme.org/about/position-statements/the-value-and-quality-of-arts-education-position-statement/the-value-and-quality-of-arts-education/")] * You can also find a few advocacy guides and worksheets that—while not necessarily intended for dire situations like the one it sounds like you're in—could help you solidify your points. ** [https://nafme.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Local-Advocacy-Action-Plan-2022.pdf]<5|(click: ?5)[(open-url: "https://nafme.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Local-Advocacy-Action-Plan-2022.pdf")] ** [https://nafme.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Civic-Action-Field-Guide-November-2022.pdf]<6|(click: ?6)[(open-url: "https://nafme.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Civic-Action-Field-Guide-November-2022.pdf")] -- this one has the following links at the bottom, which may also be helpful: *** [https://www.americansforthearts.org/by-program/networks-and-councils/state-arts-action-network/people-projects]<7|(click: ?7)[(open-url: "https://www.americansforthearts.org/by-program/networks-and-councils/state-arts-action-network/people-projects")] (for finding state-specific help) *** [https://www.artsedsearch.org/]<8|(click: ?8)[(open-url: "https://www.artsedsearch.org/")] (for finding research) *** [https://www.aep-arts.org/]<9|(click: ?9)[(open-url: "https://www.aep-arts.org/")] (another arts education-focused organization) *** [https://www.arteducators.org/advocacy-policy/essa-every-student-succeeds-act/essa-implementation-and-online-resources]<10|(click: ?10)[(open-url: "https://www.arteducators.org/advocacy-policy/essa-every-student-succeeds-act/essa-implementation-and-online-resources")] (info about ESSA) *** [https://www.titleiva.org/]<11|(click: ?11)[(open-url: "https://www.titleiva.org/")] and [https://cef.org/]<12|(click: ?12)[(open-url: "https://cef.org/")] for funding-related info Good luck to you, from a disembodied voice to a teacher trying to remind everyone that music and the arts are an important part of a well-rounded education! [[Thanks. I'm all done.|Finish]]

That's a pretty broad category of things, so instead of directing you to specific resources (because every situation is different), I'm going to lead you through a little guided exercise to get you thinking about the specifics of your idea. You'll be able to bring the things you write about here to whoever you need to, but by going through this you'll have a more specific handle on your idea. Sound good? [[Ok.|Big Thing Worksheet]]

What kind of a routine thing? [[Something related to recruitment/retention.]] [[Something else, like wanting to schedule a dress rehearsal or lesson times or something.]]

Here's a few resources you might find helpful! Most of them are from NAfME. * The [Arts Are Education]<aae| movement focuses on the importance of the arts (music, art, theatre, etc.) in schools. (click: ?aae)[(open-url: "https://www.artsareeducation.org/about")] * NAfME has a lot of resources explaining why arts education is vital, which you can use in discussions: ** [https://nafme.org/why-music-education-actually-matters/]<1|(click: ?1)[(open-url: "https://nafme.org/why-music-education-actually-matters/")] ** [https://nafme.org/important-benefits-of-music-in-our-schools/]<2|(click: ?2)[(open-url: "https://nafme.org/important-benefits-of-music-in-our-schools/")] ** [https://nafme.org/music-education-benefits/]<3|(click: ?3)[(open-url: "https://nafme.org/music-education-benefits/")] ** [https://nafme.org/about/position-statements/the-value-and-quality-of-arts-education-position-statement/the-value-and-quality-of-arts-education/]<4|(click: ?4)[(open-url: "https://nafme.org/about/position-statements/the-value-and-quality-of-arts-education-position-statement/the-value-and-quality-of-arts-education/")] * For more of their resources, you can also check out their [main advocacy page]<advpage|(click: ?advpage)[(open-url: "https://nafme.org/advocacy/nafme-music-education-advocacy-resource-kit/")]. * They also have some helpful guides/worksheets that you might find helpful! ** [https://nafme.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Local-Advocacy-Action-Plan-2022.pdf]<5|(click: ?5)[(open-url: "https://nafme.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Local-Advocacy-Action-Plan-2022.pdf")] ** [https://nafme.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Civic-Action-Field-Guide-November-2022.pdf]<6|(click: ?6)[(open-url: "https://nafme.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Civic-Action-Field-Guide-November-2022.pdf")] -- this one has the following links at the bottom, which may also be helpful: *** [https://www.americansforthearts.org/by-program/networks-and-councils/state-arts-action-network/people-projects]<7|(click: ?7)[(open-url: "https://www.americansforthearts.org/by-program/networks-and-councils/state-arts-action-network/people-projects")] (for finding state-specific help) *** [https://www.artsedsearch.org/]<8|(click: ?8)[(open-url: "https://www.artsedsearch.org/")] (for finding research) *** [https://www.aep-arts.org/]<9|(click: ?9)[(open-url: "https://www.aep-arts.org/")] (another arts education-focused organization) *** [https://www.arteducators.org/advocacy-policy/essa-every-student-succeeds-act/essa-implementation-and-online-resources]<10|(click: ?10)[(open-url: "https://www.arteducators.org/advocacy-policy/essa-every-student-succeeds-act/essa-implementation-and-online-resources")] (info about ESSA) *** [https://www.titleiva.org/]<11|(click: ?11)[(open-url: "https://www.titleiva.org/")] and [https://cef.org/]<12|(click: ?12)[(open-url: "https://cef.org/")] for funding-related info * They also have [this page]<par|(click: ?par)[(open-url: "https://nafme.org/advocacy/5-ways-to-support-your-music-program/")], which is aimed towards parents and other people who are helping you!

To start out, what is your idea? Are you wanting to offer a new course? Make a schedule change? Buy a new instrument? Be as specific as possible. (input-box: bind $idea, "X", 5) [OK]<q2|(click-replace: ?q2)[(t8n: "dissolve")[Ok, cool. Here's a really important question: how will this thing benefit your students? (input-box: bind $reason, "X", 5) [OK]<q3|](click-replace: ?q3)[(t8n: "dissolve")[That's probably a good reason. I don't know, this text is static and won't change no matter what you put in that box. Anyway, what does this thing require? Time? Money? Materials? Permission from someone specific? How much of each of these things? (input-box: bind $materials, "X", 5) [OK]<q4|](click-replace: ?q4)[(t8n: "dissolve")[Ok, sweet. How are you going to get those things? List a couple of ideas here that you could propose to whoever you're bringing this idea to. (input-box: bind $gettingthings, "X", 5) [OK]<q5|](click-replace: ?q5)[(t8n: "dissolve")[Excellent! Real quickly, think about how doing this thing might impact others (not just your students, but their other teachers, your school as a whole, etc.). Are there any conflicts or issues you can think of here, and if so what do you suggest be done about them? Remember to not attack others! You should all be on the side of your students. (input-box: bind $issues, "X", 5) [OK]<q6|](click-replace: ?q6)[(t8n: "dissolve")[Speaking of other people, use this box to write down a list of people you can talk to about this idea—not just the people you have to bring it to, but some friends that you can bounce this idea off of (since I'm just disembodied text). (input-box: bind $people, "X", 5) [OK]<q7|](click-replace: ?q7)[(t8n: "dissolve")[Great! Here's one last box—write down any other notes you might have on how to get this thing done. (input-box: bind $notes, "X", 5) [[OK!|Print Worksheet A]] ]]]]]]]

Here's all the information you gave me—copy and paste this somewhere safe! The Thing You Want to Do: $idea Why This Thing Will Benefit Students: $reason Things Needed to Do The Thing: $materials How You'll Get Those Things: $gettingthings Potential Issues: $issues People You Can Talk To: $people Other Notes: $notes [[I'm all done! Thanks!|Finish]]

[Is there anything else you'd like to see? [[Yes|Untitled Passage]] [Nah.]<no|]<finished|(click: ?no)[(replace: ?finished)[(t8n: "dissolve")[In that case, I hope you enjoyed your visit to the Music Advocacy Resource Center! Please come again some time! //The Music Advocacy Resource Center is a school project by a student at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. Dr. Budde, if you're reading this—hi!// //Made in Twine 2.// [[Restart|Untitled Passage]]]]]

That's cool! Thankfully, this is something that is talked about a LOT. Here's a few resources for you! * The NAfME [Recruitment]<recruit|(click: ?recruit)[(open-url: "https://nafme.org/tag/recruitment/")] and [Retention]<retain|(click: ?retain)[(open-url: "https://nafme.org/tag/retention/")] tags * Some other articles by other organizations: ** [https://www.nfhs.org/articles/how-to-schedule-recruit-retain-advocate-perform-and-evaluate/]<1|(click: ?1)[(open-url: "https://www.nfhs.org/articles/how-to-schedule-recruit-retain-advocate-perform-and-evaluate/")] ** [https://www.nammfoundation.org/educator-tips/focusing-classroom-recruiting-and-retaining-students]<2|(click: ?2)[(open-url: "https://www.nammfoundation.org/educator-tips/focusing-classroom-recruiting-and-retaining-students")] * Some advice I picked up from our guest speaker, Matt Lamb: ** If you're bridging the gap between schools, communicate with those students and their teachers/school early on, if possible! Collaborate with them so you're more familiar by the time they reach you. ** Display the results of your work in the classroom early and often—music is something that is easily publicized through things like performance, but you can also display student work around your room and stuff, depending on what you teach. ** Talk to the students' grown ups—particularly about positive things! ** Create excitment, but be realistic about expectations—you want people to want to be in your classroom, but you also have to acknowledge that good results will take work. [[Ok, cool. I'm done here.|Finish]]

Since you could be wanting a lot of different of things, I'm going to lead you through a little guided exercise to get you thinking about the specifics of what you need (since every situation is different). You'll be able to bring the things you write about here to whoever you need to, but by going through this you'll have a more specific handle on what exactly you need (and what exactly to say about it). Sound good? [[Ok.|Small Thing Worksheet]]

To start out, what exactly do you need? Be as specific as possible. (input-box: bind $need, "X", 5) [OK]<q2|(click-replace: ?q2)[(t8n: "dissolve")[Ok, cool. Here's a really important question: how will this thing benefit your students? (input-box: bind $rationale, "X", 5) [OK]<q3|](click-replace: ?q3)[(t8n: "dissolve")[That's probably a good reason. I don't know, this text is static and won't change no matter what you put in that box. Anyway, what exactly do you require? For example, do you need a certain amount of time? Does this thing require money? (input-box: bind $things, "X", 5) [OK]<q4|](click-replace: ?q4)[(t8n: "dissolve")[Ok, sweet. How are you going to get those things? For example, if you need to schedule a dress rehearsal or lessons, will you ask to use time during the school day? Are there any periods you know a lot of your students have free? Do you have a designated study hall period you could use? Can you do it outside of the school day? If you need money, do you have some readily available and who do you need to go through to use it? (input-box: bind $gettingstuff, "X", 5) [OK]<q5|](click-replace: ?q5)[(t8n: "dissolve")[Are there any conflicts you think you might need to navigate? What are some possible solutions? (input-box: bind $conflict, "X", 5) [OK]<q6|](click-replace: ?q6)[(t8n: "dissolve")[Speaking of other people, use this box to write down a list of people you'll need to talk to about this thing. Also write down when/how you will talk to them. (input-box: bind $who, "X", 5) [OK]<q7|](click-replace: ?q7)[(t8n: "dissolve")[Great! Here's one last box—use it to write down three sentences you could say to whoever you need to talk to about this. Make sure to be polite and include your reasoning for doing this thing (i.e. why it will benefit your students). You can also type any other notes in this box. (input-box: bind $script, "X", 5) [[OK!|Print Worksheet B]] ]]]]]]]

Here's all the information you gave me—copy and paste this somewhere safe! The Thing You Want to Do: $need Why This Thing Will Benefit Students: $rationale Things Needed to Do The Thing: $things How You'll Get Those Things: $gettingstuff Potential Conflicts: $conflict People To Talk To (and how!): $who What You'll Say and Other Notes: $script [[I'm all done! Thanks!|Finish]]