advocacy alert! Support Music is Redesigned

I hope that you are aware of the redesign of the Support m usic Make Your Case database, now housed on www.menc.org. this powerful advocacy tool will help music education advocates build a case for their music programs when they are threatened. there are research studies indicating that music education may enhance academic performance. But I believe music is something much more powerful than that -something that is important for its own sake. music can make us laugh or cry or think -- sometimes all at once. music has the power to rock the house, raise the roof, and bring down the walls that divide us. music liberates us, mind and spirit. that’s why we must dedicate ourselves to supporting music programs in our schools in every way possible... Let your school boards know how much you value music. tell your principals and teachers, too, and ask them what you can do to support music in the classroom. Reach out to the community. Get involved by donating instruments, giving music lessons, whatever it takes to support the arts in our schools...

I thought about how important it is to make sure that our children learn music. How vital it is to their development to teach them to play and sing music, and to appreciate m ozart and charlie Parker and, yes, the Beatles.

When we cut music in our schools, we’re cutting children off from the things music represents -- beauty and self-expression and freedom.

We cannot stand by and say that music is only for some children, that we cannot afford music education for all children.

For aLL our schools, and aLL our children.

Barbara Geer meNc President

advocates can use the facts, statistics, research and anecdotes on specific topics for presentations, speeches and other communications with school board members, administrators and legislators.