Advocacy News From The President-Elect Lisa Vartanian Paramus School District lvartanian@paramusschools.org
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his article features Arts Advocacy Resources, Upcoming Professional Development Opportunities, and Ways You Can Connect Your Music Program to Your Communities. Greetings! I am very excited to serve as your president-elect this year! As I travel around the state, I am eager to get to know you, your music programs, and hear about all of the wonderful things you do on a daily basis. I’m here to support you, and serve as a resource and advocate for your music programs. To our NJMEA college students, I look forward to working with you this year; please invite me to your chapter meetings. My contact information is lvartanian@paramusschools.org and 201261-7800, ext. 3063. Arts Ed NOW
Pictured above: Members of the Tri-M Music Honor Society at Paramus High School
I’d like to share one of the most valuable arts advocacy tools that I use on a regular basis. Artsednow.org is a rich resource that I recommend to you as you prepare to speak about the importance of music education during your upcoming concerts and parent meetings. The
website not only contains the latest data on arts education, but also includes campaign tools, articles, and arts advocacy resources found in the Graphics and Gear section. Additionally, there is an interactive calendar where you can post information about advocacy activities of any kind taking place in your school district. Finally, I encourage you to find Arts Ed NJ on Facebook as they send out new articles and advocacy tools all year.
Spending time each year engaging in music education workshops will not only refresh and enhance your teaching practices, but also improve student learning. Here are a couple of upcoming professional development opportunities for you to explore, as well as information about how to enroll in the NAfME academy. Professional Development Opportunities From Arts Ed NJ In the fall, Arts Ed NJ will be offering two workshops: 1. Developing Impactful Arts Integration: from Planning to Practice on October 28th from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, and on March 2, 2020 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Register at www.njpsa.org/feacalendar 2. Social-Emotional Learning and the Arts: Exploring Connections and Implications on November 11, 2019 from 9:00 to 3:00 pm. Register at www.njpsa.org/feacalendar If you don’t have time to attend a workshop this year, please consider becoming a member of the NAfME Academy. The NAfME Academy offers a full range of
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