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• Music is art. levels. Provide a handout and/or digital access to talk-
ing points for parents to use when they contact their
• Music is social emotional. local, state, and national leaders. Include contact infor-
mation for local legislators in programs to make it easy
• Music is collaboration and teamwork. for parents to engage in advocacy.

• Music fosters a growth mindset. • Engage Decision Makers: Invite school board
members, administrators, and community leaders to
performances and events, fostering a deeper under-
Starting Point: standing of the value of music education. Send them
Where and How to Begin complimentary tickets, VIP seating, and invite them to
How do I start advocating for the importance a reception following the performance or event.
of choral music? One effective strategy is storytell-
ing. By sharing the narratives of students’ journeys • Invite Special Guests: Have special guests deliver
and achievements—their triumphs, struggles, and the opening welcome to the audience before concerts
growth—we humanize the justification and vital need and other public events. Examples: The mayor, local
for music learning. Each of us can begin an advocacy or state legislators, school board president, university
journey in our personal comfort zones. Listed below leadership, ACDA and state Music Education Associa-
are actionable steps that any educator, administrator, tion (MEA) leadership.
professional musician, parent, or supporter of music
learning can take. Consider implementing a few of the • State and National Standards: Print your state
following suggestions: music standards and the National Standards for Music
Education in written and/or digital programs. High-
• Highlight Student Success: Showcase examples of light the standards that the students learned as they
everyday student achievement in concert programs and prepared for that specific concert.
presentations to demonstrate the tangible outcomes of
studying and making music. Display examples of pho- • Rehearsal Process and Progress: Before a per-
tos and student’s successes on a rolling PowerPoint as formance, play thirty-second video clips of the first
the audience arrives before a performance. Draw at- week of rehearsal, a rehearsal midway during prepara-
tention to Word Clouds comprising students’ descrip- tion, and the dress rehearsal to bring awareness to the
tive words of selected songs. Show students’ responses progress and work ethic required of the students.
to sentence stems used for reflection and analysis in the
choral rehearsal. • Bring a Parent Day: Organize parent music class-
es where they come to class and learn alongside their
• Share an Informance: Have students present an children/adolescents to gain a better understanding of
“informance” rather than a polished performance. what and how their students are absorbing new ideas
Showcase the process of how they learn. Walk the and concepts. During class, have parents sit with sing-
audience through a rehearsal, step-by-step, including ers in the ensemble. Teach them solfège and simple
solfège/sight singing, historical context, assessment, rhythm patterns. Guide the singers to track the music
and student self-reflection. notation with their finger while singing to help the par-
ent follow along and demonstrate that singing music
• Call to Action for Parents: Encourage parents to notation is similar to learning a foreign language.
reach out to local decision makers. Equip parents with
talking points and relevant information to advocate ef- • School Boards: Bring an ensemble to perform one
fectively for music learning at local, state, and national to two songs for a school board meeting or other im-

CHORAL JOURNAL October 2024 Volume 65 Number 3 25