Advocacy Legislative Overview

Welcome to the ASTA Legislative Overview, designed to provide news and information on key issues impacting music and arts.

Your Guide to  Voting in the Arts – provided by  Americans for the Arts.

Americans for the Arts just released the Congressional Arts Report Card 2008. To learn how your political leaders rate in support of the arts, click here.

If you would like to contact your representative to provide feedback on their voting records please go to Capwiz and follow the links to send your personalized email.

State Level Policy

To learn about arts education policy at the state level, visit the Arts Education Partnership website at www.aep-arts.org

Through their education state policy database you can learn about key issues impacting your community.  Through their custom reporting mechanism you can study a number of topics for each state.

ARTS Education Unified Statement  - ASTA is a national signatory of this important music advocacy document! 

Read More About No Child Left Behind

• No Subject Left Behind
  Learn what the No Child Left Behind Act means for music education

• The Arts are Vital to Young People’s Success in School and Life
  U.S. Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education Susan Sclafani talks about the arts’ important role in fulfilling NCLB’s goal of improved student achievement.
• Arts Programs and the No Child Left Behind Act
  U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige's July 2004 Letter to Supervisors supporting the arts

Funding Opportunities

To learn more about funding opportunities in the arts please visit the website of the National Endowment for the Arts at www.nea.gov

Orchestras Support of Music Education

In a 2005 League of American Orchestras survey of orchestras, the presence of music education in the schools ranked as a top national priority.  America’s adult and youth orchestras can help to improve access to the benefits of music learning by advocating locally for in-school music education. 

To learn how you can help go to www.americanorchestras.org   See the more than 180 orchestras that have endorsed the Statement of Common Cause!   If your community orchestra is not among the signatories, contact them today.   Click on, "Orchestras Support In-School Music Education to learn more.