I would like to see our membership focus on the advocacy aspect of our stated purpose to "promote" school bands. Talk less and do more. I think we could make more of an impact on our profession by focusing on ways to advocate for music education on a national level. At the Milwaukee convention there seemed to be more concern (discussion) with the proposed changes submitted by the CRC than there was on the impact of new high school graduation requirements (American Diploma Project), "new" school schedules (trimesters, etc.), and other changes in schools that impact our students ability to study music. I understand and appreciate the importance of having our organizational "house in order", but I think if we focused more on how we can positively impact band directors and students in the classroom, the real survival of our profession and place in the school curriculum, we would be viewed as being more credible, and more valuable. We should (and need) to be THE leader on a national level in promoting school bands - we could be creating and publishing statements regarding the importance and impact of music education (through school bands) on students. We could make the convention focus to be about studying and discussing ways to become more influential on public policy (impacting local, state and national government) - we could work to find ways to make what we do in the classroom be more closely tied to public school funding, we could do more to create dialogue with college and university faculty, we could do more to create dialogue with music business and how what we do in the classroom impacts the economy. I am interested in what others think.
I would like to see our membership focus on the advocacy aspect of our stated purpose to "promote" school bands. Talk less and do more.
ReplyDeleteI think we could make more of an impact on our profession by focusing on ways to advocate for music education on a national level.
At the Milwaukee convention there seemed to be more concern (discussion) with the proposed changes submitted by the CRC than there was on the impact of new high school graduation requirements (American Diploma Project), "new" school schedules (trimesters, etc.), and other changes in schools that impact our students ability to study music.
I understand and appreciate the importance of having our organizational "house in order", but I think if we focused more on how we can positively impact band directors and students in the classroom, the real survival of our profession and place in the school curriculum, we would be viewed as being more credible, and more valuable.
We should (and need) to be THE leader on a national level in promoting school bands - we could be creating and publishing statements regarding the importance and impact of music education (through school bands) on students. We could make the convention focus to be about studying and discussing ways to become more influential on public policy (impacting local, state and national government) - we could work to find ways to make what we do in the classroom be more closely tied to public school funding, we could do more to create dialogue with college and university faculty, we could do more to create dialogue with music business and how what we do in the classroom impacts the economy.
I am interested in what others think.
I'D GOVE EVERBOD Y A BIF BIG BIG TROMBONER!
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