Advocacy News From The President-Elect, Lisa Vartanian

Advocacy News From The President-Elect

Lisa Vartanian Paramus School District lvartanian@paramusschools.org

This 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

professional development opportunities for music teachers, including online classes and webinars. This resource is available to NAfME members for $20. https://nafme. org/community/elearning/

The Importance Of Community Partnerships - Where Do You Start?

Part of the success of any program revolves around solid community support. Below are some ideas and activities that we’ve tried in the Paramus Public Schools and found to be impactful. What’s more, they gave the Tri-M Music Honor Society students ways to join together with the Paramus community to form important partnerships.

Volunteer

If you can, volunteer to serve on a local community board or a town-wide foundation. Get to know your community in a more personal way by giving up a small portion of your time to help your neighbors. Besides the amazing opportunity to give back to the community and make a difference to the people around you, you will help make those positive, lasting connections with your community.

Host An Arts Festival

Pictured above: Student-created poster that was copied and distributed to local businesses to help advertise the Arts Festival

Host an Arts Festival in your school and invite your community to come out for an invigorating evening of arts and culture. The Paramus District Arts Festivals, that are free and open to the public, feature students in the music and arts programs from Kindergarten to Grade 12.

What we did… Its impact… Your turn… We proposed the idea to the administrative team. Early in the school year, we chose a date, time and location for the event and filled out the facility paperwork to secure the venue (school). This enabled teachers to plan ahead, collect art projects throughout the year, and decide on interactive activities and events for the festival. Speak to your administrative team and share your ideas and plans. Tell them why it is important. Discuss with your arts colleagues the possibility of having an arts festival at your school.

Students spent the year planning for the arts festival.

Arts students created posters for the event.

Students sent home personal invitations to their families and to the school community.

We advertised online and in the local papers. This caused a great deal of buzz and excitement within the school community about the arts.

It empowered students to learn the value and importance of advertising for an event.

Students stepped up their commitment to practice and prepare for the event, and art students created beautiful artwork to showcase to their families. Speak at the next PTA meeting about your music program and the upcoming arts festival to gain support for your students.

Invite students to the PTA meeting in order to provide a ‘sneak peek’ to parents of the performances and artwork students will showcase at the festival.

The entire school celebrated an evening of arts and culture at the District Arts Festival (no cost to attendees).

We included an Arts ED Now Campaign as part of an arts advocacy activity. It raised awareness of the importance of arts education for all children and enabled students to share their talents with the community. Everyone attending the arts festival had a chance to sign up to be an arts advocate. Figure out a performance- or servicebased event through which your students can bring music and art to life.

Go online and gather arts advocacy tools from Arts Ed Now (ArtsEdNow.org).

Have your art students take pictures of community members in front of the Arts ED Now sign.

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Pictured above: Former Tri-M Music Honor Society Member, Yana Brzovski, assisting students as they try an instrument at the ‘Instrument Test Drive’ event.

Two years ago, we hosted an ‘instrumental test drive’ activity during the Arts Festival where Tri-M Music students and our local music store, Music and Arts, partnered together to welcome all community members to try an instrument of interest to them. Not only was it a fun activity, but students, parents, school administrators, and teachers had a chance to try out musical instruments (some for the first time). That school year, we saw an increase in the number of students who enrolled in the instrumental program.

What we did… Its impact… Your turn… We partnered with the local music store. This enabled us to have all instruments represented at no cost to the school district. Call your local music stores to see how they can partner with your school district. Local music stores are more than happy to participate in school events. They may also be willing to provide free workshops for teachers (i.e. instrument repair clinics).

Tri-M music students volunteered to work at the event in order to demonstrate and model for younger students the correct way to play the instruments. This broadens our students’ ability to demonstrate correct technique on their instrument and be a role model for younger musicians. Borrow as many instruments as you can from feeder schools or ask the local music stores for help.

We sent out followup letters about the event, and shared with parents ways they can get their child started on a musical instrument. It forged new relationships and conversations with parents, the Tri-M students, and the music teachers. Send home letters to parents at least three times a year and talk about music related opportunities for your students.

One interactive service learning activity in which we participate is the “Senior Prom.” The “Senior Prom” takes place each spring. Jazz Band members interview the senior citizens (prior to the event) to find out what music was popular during the time of their prom. Students then learn and perform the music for the senior citizens at their annual “Senior Prom.”

What we did… Its impact… Your turn… Our students interviewed local senior citizens about the music from their youth. This opens up a music-based conversation with an important and valued segment of the community. It also teaches our students about musical genres. Name a segment of your community to whom you can reach out through music conversations.

Students studied the type of music that was prevalent in the youth of these seniors.

Students played music at the “Senior Prom.” This broadens our students’ music repertoire.

It forged a new relationship between our students, our program, and the senior citizens. Help your students find examples of music that may have been impactful in your own community. This may be based on era, on culture, or genre of music. Figure out a performance- or servicebased event through which your students can bring new music to life.

Start an Instrument “Give Back” program

How many people in your town own a musical instrument, but do not play it anymore? As part of a service project, members of the Tri-M Music Honor Society held an instrument drive by collecting gently used instruments during the winter holiday concert. After the instruments were collected, they were assessed by the local music store. Students then raised funds to repair the donated instruments. Now, thanks to the efforts of the Tri-M Honor Society, we have the ability to offer rental instruments to students that would like to play an instrument but are not able to do so because of financial constraints. This is the third year we are participating in the program, and I am happy to say that more and more students are able to join the band and orchestra programs due to the “instrument drive” and the efforts of the TriM Music students.

What we did… Its impact… Your turn… We advertised the need for used instruments within our community, and collected them. Formerly practicing musicians felt that their beloved instruments would be put to good use. Talk to your local community groups such as the Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club, the Elks to spread the word and join in on the efforts.

We raised funds to restore the instruments. Students were innovative and entrepreneurial, and they got to be that way about their passion of music!

We restored the instruments, and redistributed them to other musicians. Our students felt the value of their service, while we offered access to those who would love to make music, but couldn’t. Talk to people who are creative fundraisers. It will give you good resources while making them see the connection of their work to the arts.

If restoration is a challenge, seek out local community groups to see if they are willing to partner with you.

Pianos In The Parks Project

With March being the launch of “Music in Our Schools Month” and “Youth Art Month,” the Paramus Public School District partnered with the Mayor and the Paramus Municipal Council on a project called “Pianos in the Parks.” The project is similar to the “Play Me, I’m Yours” public art project that debuted in New York City. During the summer of 2019, three donated pianos were placed in parks and public spaces of Paramus for all to view, play, and enjoy.

To make the project even more special, young artists from the Paramus Public School District had an opportunity to study artists such as Cristo and Jeanne-Claude, Judy Chicago, and Jeff Coons who are known for their public art installations. Students then decided on a theme for their art installation, submitted the sketch to Mayor Richard LaBarbiera for approval, and then painted the pianos with assistance from the art teachers prior to plac-

ing them in the parks. Students were thrilled to participate in a project where their artwork will remain on display in Paramus for the next three years.

The vision for the program is to build community engagement in local parks, to provide students an opportunity to learn about and create public art installations, and to encourage everyone to play a musical instrument. Having “Music in the Air” in the Paramus Public Parks is a welcomed addition to the already pristine spaces.

What we did… Its impact… Your turn… We solicited the donation of gently used pianos. This puts the importance of music into the air of the community. Start with your students and their extended families. They might have old pianos they no longer use.

We found homes for the instruments in local parks. This further broadens the visibility of the arts within the community. Find a public space within your community that can be a safe, free, and engaging home for music and musical instruments, like parks, a library, or community center.

We had an event to launch the use of the pianos. It brought a celebratory nature to this service learning project for our students, while even further broadening the audience within the community. Invite students to play at “opening night,” and invite their family and friends.

These are a few examples of activities we’ve tried and found to be impactful in order to share our love of music and the arts with the Paramus community. Feel free to reach out if you would like further information on any of the projects mentioned above. Have a wonderful school year!