Advocacy—How do You Play the game?

iview advocacy as a combination of effective practice in the classroom, preventative maintenance, and negotiation.

Former OMEA Board President Dave Becker consistently maintains the position that the best advocacy we do for our programs is what happens every day in our classrooms. At the school and district level this is most certainly a “Truth to Remember.” As in all classes, students who are “being fed” take that home to their parents—the movers and shakers in most districts. Signs of students getting fed are 1) that your brightest students continue to be challenged by something musical and plague you with insightful questions, 2) that your lowest achieving students are feeling and being successful, and 3) that students on both ends of the spectrum have appreciation and respect for each other. (If you “pass go,” collect $200.) I have become aware of the painful truth that not all programs that are cut are innocent victims—rather, they suffered the reverse Darwinian fate (demise of the weakest) of ineffective teaching. Careful introspection is a prerequisite to advocacy.

Preventative maintenance could be described as tastefully disseminating the right information to the right people. You can run the best program in the state, but unless you inform them about what is really taking place, you still will have people viewing it as just a good time with a charismatic teacher. Most people have not had a high-quality music experience and need extensive explanation as to why it is important.

Teacher evaluation sessions are a good example. Rather than just putting up with the process, try your best to educate administrators about the specific learning in your classroom and the complexity of that learning.

• Take as much time as you can get for preand post-observation meetings to discuss what the learning really is, on what levels