Launch the Congressional Associates for Music
Education. This will involve offering complimentary ASTA
memberships to Congressmen and Senators who are part of the
Congressional Arts Caucus and the Senate Cultural Caucus, as well as
leaders who are on the appropriate subcommittees that make budget and
policy decisions that impact education. Associates will have their
photos and bios placed on our website, along with a brief statement on
why music education is important. They will be kept up to date on the
work ASTA is doing. The idea is to get our name in front of
policy-makers on a regular basis and to keep them apprised of our
work.
Launch the “Arts Advocacy Award” to
recognize policy makers who make significant contributions to the
field.
Prepare and deliver appropriate comments on the
reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind(NCLB) Act
to ensure that it benefits string and music education. This will be
achieved in collaboration with other organizations over the course of
next 18 months. Publicize the results of our NCLB survey.
Meet with staff leaders from both the
Congressional Arts Caucus and the Senate Cultural Congress to be sure
they know about ASTA.
Develop a list of priorities for NCLB and music
education.
Meet with appropriate leaders of Congress
regarding our concerns regarding No Child LeftBehind.
Attend appropriate hearings and/or meetings on
No Child Left Behind reauthorization.
Research and include appropriate legislative
briefs on education and music education in ASTA eNEWS and
American String Teacher with “calls to action” via
Capwiz software when appropriate.
Continue our participation in “Americans for
the Arts” by attending its national conference and taking part in
monthly conference calls.
Media Relations:
Release a white paper on the Status of String
Programs in America to national, regional, and local press contacts
in the fall of 2006. (Paper will also be mailed to Congressional
Associates.) The paper will include a two-page news release that
summarizes the salient points from the paper. We will also ask members
to send a PDF of the paper to their own press contacts via Capwiz, along
with some “local facts and figures” on strings in their
communities. We will develop a template for members to use.
Work to get the white paper on the agenda of the
national conference of the Education Writers Association.
Host an event on Capitol Hill during which a
summary of the findings is presented to the Congressional Arts Caucus
and Senate Cultural Caucus. This will include a performance by a
high-profile artist (fall of 2006).
Feature a monthly quote on the homepage of our
website from a high-profile string teacher/player on how strings have
changed his/her life.
Collaborative Partnerships:
Present information on Careers in String
Teaching at Midwest Band & Orchestra Clinic in December
2006.
Continue participation in the Support Music
Coalition and attend Coalition meetings called by NAMM.
Visit with the National School Board Association,
American Association of School Superintendents, Council of Great City
Schools, and other education associations in an attempt to get string
education featured in their publications and at their conferences.
Continue ongoing partnerships with NASM, ASOL,
IAJE, CMA, SAA, MENC, and MTNA.
State and Local Advocacy:
Create a PowerPoint presentation on “why
strings” are important with relevant data that can be downloaded
from our website for use by teachers whose programs are in trouble.
Create templates, information sheets, and talking
points for ASTA members to download from the website for specific
audiences (i.e. school board members, policy-makers, parents).
Create success stories of high-profile individuals
who have benefited from strings on the website and in our promotional
materials.
Profile some programs that have been successful in
keeping their string programs alive/strong.
Include a monthly tip on advocacy in the state
newsletter.
Fine tune the Capwiz site to make it
“strings specific.”
Feature sessions on local advocacy at our national
conference.
Long-Term Projects:
Explore the possibility of a small summit of
school superintendents on the importance of school orchestra programs to
be held prior to our 2008 national conference in New Mexico. Formulate a
possible agenda for such a meeting. Explore partnerships with
organizations like NAMM.
Explore the possibility of doing a public service
announcement with the Ad Council.
Explore the possibility of a children’s book
and television series to promote strings.
Design and carry out a research study to gather
relevant data on the value of strings.
American String Teachers Association
4153 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, VA 22030
Phone: (703) 279-2113 · Fax: (703) 279-2114 ·
asta@astaweb.com
Advocacy Highlights
NEW! "Advocating for Strings" Advocacy DVD Available
now!
Visit with John Benham, advocacy expert, at the ASTA
National Conference
