Advocacy/Leadership

Attitude Oliver C. Boone, Ph.D. If anyone were to ask me what I believed to be the greatest single factor that would determine the success of any individual, I would reply without a moment's hesitation, attitude. To clarify this…
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With the reduction of funding for educational programs on many levels, and with the unprecedented pressures put on schools, districts and states by the No Child Left Behind Act, responsibility for retaining arts programs rests with every…
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Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development finds that the arts provide critical links for students to develop crucial thinking skills and motivations they need to achieve at higher levels. The research studies further…
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To better inform the community about the purpose, structure, and achievements of the school’s music program, provide an annual written report to the appropriate supervisor and, with appropriate permissions, share with parents and the…
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Students should be able to describe the distinguishing characteristics of genres and styles from a number of cultures and use these characteristics to classify standard or familiar musical works into the appropriate category.
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Opera and ballet are both excellent (if not obvious) places to start when it comes to understanding relationships between music and the other arts because these complex art forms incorporate elements of dance, theater, and even visual art…
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The first step in learning to effectively evaluate performances and compositions is to develop a set of criteria with which to determine the quality of music that students either listen to or perform. Students can easily come up with a…
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Listening sessions can be set up in a number of different ways. Some directors may want to devote the last five minutes of class to listening two or three times a week, while others may want to devote an entire class period to the activity…
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The Fifth Standard, reading and notating music, is a crucial skill yet one that is fundamental to instrumentalists. Because of the way instrumental music classes are designed, the focus on reading music notation is more intensive in bands…
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Standard Four, composing and arranging music within specified guidelines, was designed to make teaching composition to primary- and secondary-school students easy. However, this nearly foolproof approach can still be difficult to implement…
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The Third Standard, “Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments”, is often overlooked in a concert band setting. The reasons for this are as wide and as varied as the technique itself.
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As you begin preparations for a new school year and marching season, it seems to be the perfect time to reflect on what we do and why we do it. Before the pains and pressures of performance take hold of our psyche, and the ego, rather than…
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Music advocacy, by definition, means we are "vocal" about our various thoughts and beliefs concerning the importance of music education for everyone. We continue to gather positive data concerning the impact of music learning; the ongoing…
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The MENC national standards are based on the national content and achievement standards in music. While compliance with these standards is entirely voluntary, schools across the nation have either adopted these guidelines and expectations…
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In discussing music advocacy we often look at the "big picture," that is, how we communicate and what we say about music and music education. In moving from the "macro" to the "micro", it's easy to miss a step in building our advocacy…
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