Advocacy News From The President-Elect Lisa Vartanian Paramus School District lvartanian@paramusschools.org
D
ear Colleagues, It's hard to believe the year is half over. By now, your winter concerts are fond memories, and you are gearing up for the second half of the year. As I reflect on the past six months serving as the NJMEA president-elect, the word "grateful" comes to mind. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with an outstanding NJMEA Board and meet amazing music educators around the state and nation. I am also grateful to learn from music partners such as Save the Music, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Arts Ed NJ, and Arts Ed Newark as they tirelessly work to create new and innovative music opportunities for our urban school districts. This month's report features arts advocacy news, an overview of the NAfME National Convention topics, a recap of the fall NJSO side-by-side concert, and information on how to connect with NJSMA Urban/Rural Committee members. ADVOCACY REPORT
The 2019 New Jersey Arts Education Annual Summary Report from Arts Ed NOW confirmed what a lot of us already knew: music and arts education is thriving in New Jersey! In September, Paramus High School had the honor of welcoming Governor Phil Murphy to celebrate National Arts in Education Week. During his visit, Gov-
ernor Murphy got an up-close look at the school's arts programming and facilities. Following the tour, he remarked that New Jersey has reached a milestone of 100% of our public schools offering arts programs. "And, by the way," he added proudly, "when I say we've achieved 100% universal access to arts programs, we are the only state in the U.S. to do that." Joining Governor Murphy was Robert Morrison, director of Arts Ed NJ, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting arts education in New Jersey. Morrison noted that participation in arts education among students has climbed from 65% in 2006 to 81% today. "That means 250,000 more students are engaged in the arts this year than a decade ago," said Morrison, calling the gains "incredible." He said, however, “Our work remains unfinished. To improve quality, we must address inequities that are present in our less affluent schools. This is an equity issue of great importance.” He said, “In a world where imagination, creativity and innovation are sculpting our future- ensuring we provide the inspiration for these skills for all students must be our goal.” Governor Murphy made note of the fact that a recent ranking of public schools by Education Week put New Jersey ahead of all other states. The Governor recalled his reaction to learning about New Jersey's #1 ranking. "There was no doubt in my mind that our arts programs are a major contributor to our students' success," he said. It was a great day for music and arts education in New Jersey, and a sign of even greater days to come! Information about the event taken from https://www.njtvonline. org/ Michael Aron, Chief Political Correspondent.
TEMPO 60
JANUARY 2020
