President-Elect Updates - Lisa Vartanian

Lisa Vartanian Paramus School District lvartanian@paramusschools.org

During March, the leadership team of NJMEA participated in Virtual Hill Month. While we could not be together to travel to Capitol Hill and meet with our representatives in person, NAfME coordinated this program to assist music educators from all across the nation to be more active music education advocates at the local, state, and federal levels during Music In Our Schools Month®. Patrick O'Keefe, Jeff Santoro, Diana May, Dennis Argul, Hope Knight, and I attended meetings with the offices of Senator Bob Menendez, Senator Cory Booker, Representatives Donald Norcross, Donald Payne, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Andy Kim, Christopher Smith, Josh Gottheimer, and Albio Sires. During our meetings, we shared the mission of the NJMEA and talked about our concerns and interest regarding music education, including the need for more education funding in a covid relief package, continuing support in the appropriations process, and support for the Reopen and Rebuild America's School Act.

Our team did an outstanding job advocating for you, our schools, and our students. Thank you to our NJMEA leadership team for working with me to ensure our teachers and students receive the funding and support they need to be successful now and in the future.

On March 10, Bob Morrison from Arts Ed NJ and I had an opportunity to meet with Governor Murphy's office to encourage further public guidance for Performing Arts. We talked specifically about the interpretation of EO220 for performing arts and how it applies to inschool performances. Playing music, dancing, acting with an audience is allowed under the proper safety and health guidelines. We also thanked the office for putting out a statement to Support Arts Education during "Arts in our Schools Month." Governor Murphy's office supports arts education and is eager to continue to support our mission.

The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CARES II) was signed into law on December 27, 2020. This new COVID relief bill extends or modifies several provisions in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES I) Act passed in March 2020.

Most districts will receive FOUR TIMES the amount of money than what they received in the first round last summer! These funds may be used to support arts education!

The new relief bill authorizes $81.9 billion for the Education Stabilization Fund. The bulk of that funding falls under Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief. For this document, we will refer to this generically as CARES II Funding. CARES II will receive an additional $54 billion on top of the $13 billion allocated under CARES I last year.

With additional help on the way, now is the time to plan with school administrators about how this funding can support arts education. Reach out to your building principal to discuss the necessary resources to conduct art classes safely in-person. The principal will either have spending authority on the funds or will be able to help submit a request for artsrelated purchases at the district level.

Be prepared to suggest some ways these funds may

be used to support arts education. There are fifteen (15) numbered categories of allowable use from the statute. The following includes several ideas and the corresponding category number for each.

Instruments, Supplies, and Materials to Help Ensure Health and Safety

• Individual instruments for each student to eliminate sharing (3,5) • Individual mouthpieces for each student (3,5) • Rental programs so that each student will have their instrument (3,5)

PPE, Cleaning Supplies and Sanitation

• Appropriate cleaning and sanitizing materials (7) • Sonic instrument cleaners • Mouthpiece cleaner

• Ensuring Health and Safety (3,5) • Additional instruments/mouthpieces, so students are not required to share • Addressing the NFHS research studies' recommendations. • Performer masks • Choral masks • Instrument masks and bell covers • Appropriate airflow upgrades in arts classrooms (13,14) • Headsets and amplifiers for educators and others • Plastic Brackets • Ear Guards

• Supplies to sanitize and clean facilities (7) • Hand sanitizer • Disinfectant wipes • Disinfectant spray

Facility Considerations

• Appropriate airflow upgrades in art classrooms, including ventilation improvements with a particular focus on rooms without windows (13,14) • Ensure proper ventilation for all arts classrooms (13,14) • Supplies and materials to make instructional environment meet recommended standards (barrier tape, portable carts, tents/pop-up canopies for outdoor instruction, platforms/mobile stages, pipes & drapes, folding chairs/folding tables related materials) (15) • Tools and resources for distance education/learning (9) • Training for arts educators to create virtual ensemble performances/productions/exhibitions. • Software programs to assist students with guided practice and self-assessment while learning how to play their instruments in a virtual learning environment • Software programs to help students with arts learning • Software programs for video editing and music editing • Music licensing for virtual productions • Online memberships to virtual libraries, streaming platforms, and virtual performances/field trips

• Supporting low-income students with resources to help them with online learning (4,9) • Instruments and Instrument supplies such as reeds, rosin, trumpet grease, etc. • Online private or group lessons with master teaching artists in partnership with local arts organizations

• Provide tutoring programs outside regular school hours to address student needs. (11) • Group instruction in various arts disciplines • Fund out of school time arts training programs with local arts organizations • Activities to address the unique needs of low-income children or students, children with disabilities, English

Language Learners, racial and ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness, and foster care youth, including how outreach and services delivery will meet the needs of each population (4) • Development of a peer coaching program • Establishment of partnerships with local, regional, and statewide arts, culture, and historical organizations to utilize current or develop programming

• Provide internet access for students struggling to learn remotely (9) • Provide additional staffing to expand beginner programs to reach students who were unable to participate in art instruction during the 20/21 school year

Summer Programs

• Planning and implementing activities related to summer learning and supplemental after-school programs, including providing classroom instruction or online learning during the summer months and addressing the needs of low-income students, students with disabilities, English Language Learners, migrant

students, students experiencing homelessness, and children in foster care. (11,12) • Enrichment activities including those relating to dance, music, theatre, and visual art (music example: guitar, keyboard, mariachi, music technology, ukulele, melodica, drum circles, steel drum band,etc.) • Delivery of services during extended school year programs and summer enrichment programs for all students (11) • Band, Music, Theatre, Dance, Visual Art camps • Parks and Rec programs • Big Brother, Big Sister programs • School district summer enrichment programs • Fund in-district summer arts programs/Saturday programs

• Deliver extension activities outside regular school hours to support a successful return to school (11) • Fund arts enrichment summer camps and preprofessional summer training programs • Supplement tuition for out-of-district pre-college summer programs. • Fund student internships with local arts organizations/ companies

Planning

• Developing and implementing plans for the next school year. (1,2,5, 8) • Professional development time to plan for return to school • Professional development time to plan and coordinate performances

Excerpted from a borrowed article entitled “Rigged Listening”:

“After having spent a lifetime of teaching boys and girls to listen to good music, then discovering that they would select the rock ‘n roll type of “musical garbage” for listening, was discouraging. How could children who play the music of the great masters in our fine school bands and orchestras turn to a 3-minute progression of I, IV, V chords being sung by some “backyard singer” who knows absolutely nothing about singing? Is it possible that in our generation more than a century’s worth of music education aimed at improving our American Cultural Standards shall be lost? “

Interview question to NJ Orchestra Director – “What do you think of Rock and Roll, the Twist, Shindig, and the Beatles?”

Response – “Personally I do not care for this so-called music, but it seems to be a part of the young ‘Pepsi Cola Generation.’ In addition to the dances you mention we might add the Jerk, Swim, Frug, and the Freddie. As I understand the Twist is out and no doubt many of the above will give way to new creations. Divest the Beatles of their wigs and wiggles and what have you left? For the good of our very young let’s hope they bow out as quickly as they came in.”