The Music Department is an alternate universe where pupils are often unrecognizable from who they are outside of it. The shy become confident. The agitated become calm. The lonely become included. The quiet become heard. And the lost become found. Music reveals the real child. Vaughan Fleischfresser You probably recognize this colleague just by looking at him […]
advocacy
Choral Music Advocacy is Changing! with Myles Finn and Tom Metzger
As we put the pandemic further and further in our rearview, many of us are confronted with new realities related to how, when and WHY we need to advocate for our programs, our profession and our art form. For example, I have found myself needing to have more conversations with school board members, administrators, parents and even colleagues about the value of a robust and rigorous music education. In this posting, I am going to direct you to TWO recent Choralosophy conversations which approach the topic of Advocacy.
Using Values-Based Messaging in Your Advocacy with Liza Beth of Chorus America
Have you heard of MasterClass, an online collection of classes featuring an amazing line-up of famous folks? They hooked me when I saw they had a class by Bill Nye (the science guy) and Amanda Gorman. Months later, who knew I needed to know how to become a ninja or learn how to make electronic […]
Best. Interview. Ever! “Doing whatever it takes” with Superstar Deke Sharon
Imagine walking onto the set of a potentially epic movie with a seemingly large task ahead of you: create an “award winning” choir out of a collection of humans, none of which have ever sung in choir, in one month, with one hour of rehearsal a day. Go! Daunting? Fun? A bit intimidating? But possible […]
Legislative Update and Actions We Can Take Now Based on the Recent National Arts Action Summit
Teachers. Choir director. Singer. Manager. Stage crew. These are just a few of the many hats we all learn to wear as choral educators. The thought of adding another task to our list often seems daunting, and a little intimidating, especially when it includes words like “legislation,” “Capitol Hill,” “lobbyist,” or other congressional lingo. In […]
“Advocacy” = “A story”
“Advocacy.” Sometimes it is an intimidating word. It’s not too fancy, not too hard to spell, but it can feel a bit daunting. We’ve all heard situations where colleagues had to advocate to keep to their programs or where larger communities had to find the data to fight for the arts. Those can be intimidating […]