For Immediate Release
Contact: Robin L. Perry
202.331.7577 x243
Chorus America’s New Advocacy Guide
Makes the Case for School Choirs
Makes the Case for School Choirs
March 7, 2011, Washington, DC— Chorus America has released a comprehensive advocacy guide that makes a compelling case for the value of participating in school choir programs. Making the Case for Your School Choir: An Advocacy Guide is available free of charge at www.chorusamerica.org/choiradvocacyguide/freeand is intended for use by music teachers, school decisionmakers, parents, and other concerned citizens who want children to have the advantages that are delivered by choral music programs.
“Chorus America is devoted to sustaining and advancing the whole choral field and we are especially concerned about ensuring that generations of young people don’t miss out on the advantages that singing in a school choral program can deliver,” said Ann Meier Baker, President and CEO of Chorus America. “Multiple studies have shown that adults who are exposed to the arts at a young age are most likely to participate in the arts throughout their entire life. According to the National Endowment for the Arts and Chorus America’s own data, choral singing is by far the most popular form of participation in the performing arts and we need to act now to keep it that way.”
- The impact of school choirs from a wide variety of perspectives
- Strategies for building a strong network, including reaching out to community partners, especially independent choruses
- Ideas for working in partnership with school administrations
- Suggestions for making every performance an advocacy opportunity
- Data from notable, quotable sources that illustrate the value of singing for children and support these facts:
o Choral singing is an integral part of arts education, which is a necessary component of a comprehensive and competitive education. Singing in
choir promotes academic achievement and develops success skills.
o Choruses build community. Singing in choir provides a sense of real belonging, offers new opportunities for learning, encourages student engagement, and promotes civic engagement.
o Choral singing has intrinsic value. The collective expression of a chorus singing together has the power to lift spirits and transform lives.
This research shows and experience validates that singing in a choir helps students succeed not only in school, but in work and life as well. Yet, today school choral programs are under siege—competition for school dollars, time in the school day, and a narrow focus on just a few subjects covered on standardized tests all pose significant challenges to the future of school choirs, music programs, and arts education in general. The purpose of the guide is to put tools in the hands of advocates who can help educate decisionmakers about the importance of quality school choir programs.
In addition to the guide, Chorus America developed several additional tools for easy download to help advocates make their case:
- Choral Singing and Student Achievement, a one-page, data-driven summary handout that focuses on the benefits of singing in choir for students
- Comparative Advantages of Choruses,a ready-made case statement
- Choir Partnerships Between School and Independent Youth Choirs,examples of creative and mutually beneficial resource-sharing partnerships
- Arts Education and Student Achievement: Quotes from Influential Leaders,a collection of inspiring quotes about the value of arts education from government officials and others to help with case-making
- Making the Case for Your Child’s School Choir: A Parent’s Advocacy Guide,a brief, tailored version of the case for parents to use
- Making the Case for Your Choir: A PowerPoint Presentation,ready to customize with pictures and quotes, before presenting to the school board, PTA, or advocacy network
- A linked andannotated Bibliographywith complete citations for a wealth of resources related to arts education, research, and case-making materials, as well as the actual PDF versions of every study cited to save readers time and effort.
What others are saying about Making the Case:
“Making the Case is a very helpful resource for those who need persuasive data at their fingertips about the value of school choral music programs.” – Cheryl Scott Williams, Executive Director, Learning First Alliance
“Chorus America has created a useful and well-crafted advocacy tool.” – Christopher Woodside, Assistant Executive Director, Center for Advocacy and Public Affairs, MENC: The National Association for Music Education
“This is an arts service organization at its best. The work overall on Making the Caseand on each additional tool is clear, strong, inspiring, and immediately useful to make a practical difference for so many.” – Eric Booth, Senior Advisor, Music National Service Initiative (MusicianCorps); Senior Advisor, El Sistema USA; co-founder, Mentoring & Arts Education Program, The Juilliard School
###
About Chorus America
Chorus America’s mission is to build a dynamic and inclusive choral community so that more people are transformed by the beauty and power of choral singing. Chorus America (http://www.chorusamerica.org) strengthens choruses and provides their leaders with information, research, professional development, and advocacy to help them serve their communities and advance the choral art. Chorus America’s work is supported by membership dues and registration fees, and by generous gifts from individuals, private foundations, businesses, and government support. Members include choruses of every kind, individuals associated with choruses, and businesses that work with choruses. Chorus America is headquartered in Washington, DC and is governed by a board of directors from across North America.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.