National Association for Music Education Members and Nearly 300 Music Advocates Convene Annual Hill Day Fly-In on June 23
RESTON, VA (PRWEB) June 22, 2016 -- The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) kicks off its annual Collegiate Advocacy Summit and Hill Day event this Thursday, June 23. NAfME state leaders will present “asks” on music education access under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in meetings with senators and representatives. In addition to our state leaders from all 50 states, about 100 collegiate members who are pre-service music educators will advocate for music education when they visit legislators on Capitol Hill.
Last year NAfME members sent more than 20,000 letters and phone calls to Capitol Hill calling for the passage of ESSA, including the enumeration of “music” as a part of the “well-rounded education” provision. Now NAfME is leading in the regulatory process and preparing music educators and other stakeholders as ESSA begins implementation this August. (More here: http://bit.ly/NCLBends)
Joining NAfME will be the 2016 Stand for Music award winner, Crossroads Quartet. With Barbershop Harmony Society, Crossroads promotes the value of lifelong singing, and the necessity of ensuring all students have that opportunity to learn music to take advantage of those social, emotional, educational benefits of singing. CMA country artists Kristian Bush and Charlie Worsham and CMA Foundation board members will also join NAfME state delegations on Capitol Hill June 23.
The Hill Day events will begin at 8:30AM with a briefing in the Hart Senate Office Building room 902, where NAfME will present Stand for Music awards to Sen. Lamar Alexander (TN) and Sen. Patty Murray (WA), recognizing their leadership in passing ESSA and including music education as a stand-alone subject for the first time in history. 2016 GRAMMY Music EducatorTM of the Year Phillip Riggs, a NAfME member from North Carolina will also offer remarks along with Kristian Bush and Charlie Worsham. There will be opportunity for press to ask questions at the end.
NAfME has been on the forefront of advocacy for music education. The association is a founding member of the Title IV, Part A Coalition, and recently hosted an event on the Hill calling for full funding of the new block grant under ESSA: Sen. Baldwin, and Reps. Bonamici, Clark, and Roybal-Allard spoke, as well as arts administrator and NAfME member Brian Schneckenburger of Baltimore City Public Schools, and the Western High School Choir.
Last month, as the only arts education group that is a member of the Committee for Education Funding (CEF), NAfME co-sponsored the CEF Presidential Forum at the Newseum. This event was moderated by Candy Crowley. The CEF Presidential Forum was an opportunity for presidential candidates and their campaigns to highlight and discuss their education policy agendas––including but not limited to education funding matters. CEF is a coalition of more than 120 institutions and organizations representing early education through postsecondary education committed to advocating for increased federal investments in education programs. NAfME has been a member of CEF since 2010, and continues to maintain an active role as the only organization that represents the music and arts community within the coalition.
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National Association for Music Education, among the world’s largest arts education organizations, is the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. NAfME advocates at the local, state, and national levels; provides resources for teachers, parents, and administrators; hosts professional development events; and offers a variety of opportunities for students and teachers. The Association orchestrates success for millions of students nationwide and has supported music educators at all teaching levels for more than a century. With more than 60,000 members, the organization is the national voice of music education in the United States.
Follow NAfME on Twitter (twitter.com/nafme) and on Facebook (facebook.com/nafme).
For additional information, contact Catherina Hurlburt at catherinah(at)nafme(dot)org or 703-860-4000, ext. 216.
Catherina Hurlburt, National Association for Music Education, http://www.nafme.org, +1 703-860-4000 Ext: 216, [email protected]
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