ChoralNet

The professional networking site for the global online choral community.

advocacy

Best. Interview. Ever! “Doing whatever it takes” with Superstar Deke Sharon

by Leave a Comment

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 – yes!

While the above scenario may not be your challenge of choice or what you want to do in this choral career field, it is exactly what this month’s Advocacy & Collaboration (A&C) curated series guest, Deke Sharon, encountered when he walked on the “low budget” set of the first Pitch Perfect movie. And you know what happened . . . a major motion picture, a sequel, and so much more! How? That’s what this blog post will give insight into. Along the way you’ll gain some tangible tools you can use to, as Mr. Sharon says, simply “do whatever it takes.”

This content comes on purpose at this time of the year. It’s that post concert, post testing, the smell of summer is in the air time when things are getting even more challenging for most of us. In fact, just before writing this, an Instagram story flashed with a quote: “stop telling teachers to remember their why and start helping teachers figure out why to stay.” Perfect, that’s the point of this blog post and the central idea to this entire A&C podcast series: advocacy, endurance, motivation, and all the things needed to keep showing up and continue “doing whatever it takes” to keep choral music alive and thriving. Let’s dig in!

First, we have to get on the “Deke Sharon Soapbox” – yes, we are preaching to the choir, literally, but what really is the point of our day-to-day life? According to Mr. Sharon: “Get as many people singing and back to the way it was before recorded music.” What did that prerecorded music world look like and why should we care?

Before recorded music, everybody sang. People got together and sang, it was simply the way things were. If you wanted music, you made it. It was part of the culture; music was everywhere because we were making it.

Now, music is everywhere, but we aren’t the ones making it. Thus, the respect for and the importance of music education has been slipping ever since. Yes, we have the advocacy research as why people should participate and need music in their lives, but respect is still slipping. It’s why we are often the only music educator in our school or why districts cut music programs altogether.

Where’s the solace in this and the point of this seemly sad reality? When students come back to visit their schools, when they talk about growing up or memorable moments, who and what do they talk about? Music, theater, musicals . . . us! It’s in the music spaces where the holistic teaching happens. It’s that incredible life-long impact we get to have on our musicians; it’s the making music together that matters and changes lives. And it’s from this point that Mr. Sharon steps on his soapbox about the need to “get as many people singing and back to the way it was before recorded music.”

So how do we fight for our programs and advocate for getting more singers involved and invested and engaged? According to Mr. Sharon, stop thinking about the why music, and instead look at why should I stay?

Now that we understand Mr. Sharon’s soapbox, let’s explore ideas for “doing whatever it takes.” Mr. Sharon’s ideas can be organized into three big pieces: Build. Be Seen. Shift Focus.

1. Build – Connect and Teach

“Nobody listens to music because it is perfect. At the end of a long day you listen to it because of the way it makes you feel.” People run to technical precision because of our traditional training/schooling, and that’s important, but not to be obsessed over! If you want to change the world, if you want more people in your program, stop focusing simply on perfection. “Focus and energy should be on reaching your community and getting in front of people.”

Know what your singers and community need and make it happen. Stop teaching to the test and make it all about the outside world. “It’s not about avoiding the likes of Bach, there’s a time and place . . . You don’t teach people to read by reading Shakespeare,” instead, start from the beginning and connect with them where they are, meet them halfway and get them in, make them want to stay!

2. Be Seen – Connect and Perform

Pick songs that overlap something your group does well and something that connects with your community, make that meaningful music for people.

Change the metric. Move away from simply technical precision and instead think of your own value as an ensemble. How can we put music out there that gets more people excited? How can we use recordings, videos, social media, concerts, radio, TV, the list goes on. How can we get creative to get in front of more people. Again, the point: more people making music together (or enjoying live music) together.

3. Shift Focus – Connect and Transfer

“Music is not about perfection, but how it makes one feel.” We are connected to the arts through the story it tells and the meaning it has; the purpose behind the music should come first. Help your singers, your audience, your community feel and see that connection. Get them involved in it too!

No words can really express the power of this interview and full episode, but hopefully this blog post has offered you some ideas and some hope for why we are sincerely needed in our incredible profession. You are doing great things, and if you’re feeling like you can’t “do whatever it takes,” let your ACDA community help and support you! Just as it’s connecting and community that keeps our singers and audience coming back, you have a community and we would love to connect and help you figure out what you need to successfully and enjoyably, “do whatever it takes!”

Learn more about and connect with Mr. Deke Sharon: https://www.dekesharon.com/bio-2/ or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deke_Sharon.

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vUFgsfQl3Tc (or episode 103 on the “Music (ed) Matters” Podcast where ever you listen to pods).

Connect with your Advocacy and Collaboration Committee: .

Dr. Emily Williams Burch chairs ACDA’s Advocacy & Collaboration Committee. Dr. Burch has served in various positions for ACDA at the state, regional, and national level in a variety of roles, including co-programming chair and honor choir coordinator for the Southern Region ACDA conferences since 2014. You can subscribe to her podcast for music educators wherever you get your podcasts, or at EmilyBurch.org/podcast.

Legislative Update and Actions We Can Take Now Based on the Recent National Arts Action Summit

by Leave a Comment

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 its 35th year, the Americans for the Arts National Arts Action Summit (NAAS) provides a place for us to learn about current legislation, how it could impact arts educators like us, and ways we can support their work. But we all know it can be hard to find time at this point in the school year or choir season to step into a three-day virtual summit. That’s where your ACDA Advocacy & Collaboration (A&C) Committee comes in! We attended this year’s summit and are excited to present this overview to you.

In this blog post, you’ll get a quick overview of the summit (and how to access more information if you want to learn for yourself) but then the real focus will fall on the quick action and tangible things you can do right now to support arts education.

The summit featured a variety of speakers and clearly outlined a few objectives, some related to policy and others related to equity and access. Overall, we walked away from the sessions with answers to these questions:

  1. What arts-related bills are on the Hill right now?
  2. What can I do to support those bills and why is it important?
  3. How can I navigate funding opportunities (or earmarks) to support our projects?
  4. In what ways do we get involved and help?

Let’s focus in on #4, as that’s the extra hat we are considering wearing. Great news! It isn’t much different than what we already do – it’s all about building relationships. Phew! A hat we know very well. But with whom are we building relationships? For some of us, that will be our local administration or communities, for others that may be city or state governments, and for some, it could mean reaching out to national representatives and letting them know the actual ask. Let’s talk about these “ask” steps now:

  1. Connect with your state’s arts advocate to stay in the know about when things are happening in your state (https://www.americansforthearts.org/advocate provides a list by state (go to By Location in the navigation bar); send them an email and get on their newsletter for when things are happening in your state or area).
  2. Sign up for the newsletter from your state and national representatives and senators.
  3. Follow your state and national legislators on social media.
  4. Establish a positive relationship by regularly emailing them with updates about your work and the impact the arts are having in your community. Regular updates build trust, especially when you have a specific ask or action.

Not sure what to write? While there were many handouts collected from the sessions, the 2022 Facts and Figures document is our favorite. It gives us hard data to use in conversation. Broken down by state, each page provides figures and hard data we can use to advocate and support arts education. But – Who are we telling these stories to? Who do we need to advocate to and what do we say?

One of the summit sessions included a House representative who serves as the co-chair of the Arts Caucus. They gave us two clear steps when communicating with legislators:

  1. Keep the focus local – specifically how it impacts you and your community.

  2. Use the data on what arts education does for kids especially (attendance, outcomes, etc.) – these are good reminders.

Looking good in your new hat or feeling like you have built a relationship and want to be a part of the asking? NAAS Arts Education 2022 Asks includes specifically what to ask for and why, with data to support. Put on your hat and write that email or schedule that virtual meeting.

There are seven bills arts advocacy folks have been keeping their eyes on – this is the most we’ve ever had on the Hill at one time! Go follow your local representatives on social media, sign up for their newsletters, and if you feel comfortable, send them an email with the asks specifically for arts education outlined in this document.

Looking for more facts and figures to make your case? Here’s the best place to start.

Missed NAAS? It’s not too late to register for on-demand viewing of this year’s sessions. Visit the registration page.

Excited about these kinds of projects? The ACDA Advocacy & Collaboration Committee has a few openings as a few of our members are finishing up their tenure. You should apply to join us! More details: https://acda.org/about-us/leadership-opportunities.

Dr. Emily Williams Burch chairs ACDA’s Advocacy & Collaboration Committee. Dr. Burch has served in various positions for ACDA at the state, regional, and national level in a variety of roles, including co-programming chair and honor choir coordinator for the Southern Region ACDA conferences since 2014. You can subscribe to her podcast for music educators wherever you get your podcasts, or at EmilyBurch.org/podcast.

“Advocacy” = “A story”

by Leave a Comment

“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 experiences.

Demystifying “advocacy” is a big part of our job as your Advocacy and Collaboration Standing Committee. So, in today’s blog, we focus on creating the fun association of “a story” with “advocacy.” When you say the word “advocacy” out loud…with a little vowel modification and a slight emphasis on the right syllables, you can almost make it sound like “a story” (go ahead, say it,  try it…“Ah-dvoh-cah-see…..ah-stoh-ree”). In all seriousness, linguistically, the word “advocacy” stems from the Latin root meaning “to summon,” “ to voice,” or “to call to.” Let’s talk about summoning our stories and how to use them as a voice to call to those ears that need to hear – let’s tell “a story.”

You know you have that friend who tells the best stories – the ones that keep you interested every step of the way and you reach the end completely engrossed. What makes a good storyteller? It’s a lot of “just enough” but “not too much” combined with “engaging” but “not too pedantic.” A good story is a balance of facts, engagement, and purpose. Why this story? Why does it matter to the listener? Why should time be spent listening to it?

That’s the challenge. Figuring out what stories of our musical/choral/educator lives are worth storytelling. Which data is important and how can it be woven into a story to impact an administrator, donor, or other decision-makers? Let’s get specific on how to customize your story:

  1. Are you trying to convince a business to give you money? They may need some heartwarming stories, but stories also tied with facts and figures to show that you’re a solid bet with enough organizational capacity to do the job you’re asking them to invest into.

  2. Trying to recruit new singers?  Telling stories about the success of your existing or alumni singers and how they directly correlate their success to participating in your program is key. (For example, do you know how many of your singers use their choir experiences in their college applications or job interviews? That can be both good data and good stories)

  3. Trying to convince your community why they need a choral program?  Comparing data and/or cultural inventories with other cities of the same size could be a good starting point (and an excellent chance to collaborate with your colleagues in other areas).

Where do we find our stories? Start with yourself and your singers. That’s where this month’s A&C curated Series on the Music (ed) Matters Podcast (Episode 98) comes in. We welcome ACDA President-elect, Dr. Edith (Edie) Copley, to the show so she can share her story, encourage our individual journeys, and share historical knowledge of where our choral art has come from.

After listening to Dr. Copley’s story, there are really four big life lessons we can all take with us as we pursue our own unique choral journeys:

  • Trust the process.

  • Don’t be afraid of new things.

  • Be willing to try.

  • Ask the questions.

  • Enjoy every moment.

In case no one has told you today – your story matters! The path you are on, it’s exactly where you should be, and if you are feeling unsettled, try something new. If you are falling into comparison, stop, and trust your own individual process. And no matter what is going on, find something in this moment to be grateful for. We get this one musical life, create your story, save your favorite moments, and use these stories (the good, the bad, the interesting, the exhilarating) to advocate for your part of the choral world. We believe in you, and if we can help, don’t hesitate to ask. Let’s go tell a story!

Read Dr. Copley’s full bio here.

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/374m5aWlCp4

 (or episode 98 on the “Music (ed) Matters” Podcast wherever you listen to pods).

Dr. Emily Williams Burch chairs ACDA’s Advocacy & Collaboration Committee. Dr. Burch has served in various positions for ACDA at the state, regional, and national level in a variety of roles, including co-programming chair and honor choir coordinator for the Southern Region ACDA conferences since 2014. You can subscribe to her podcast for music educators wherever you get your podcasts, or at EmilyBurch.org/podcast.

Advocacy, Collaboration, and . . . moving from survival to vision

by Leave a Comment

It’s been an interesting start to the semester, yet again, but we are resilient and we keep showing up for choir and our singers. Go us! However, there is always that chance for budget cuts, restrictions, or worse, canceled programs. With decreasing numbers, uncertainty, and pandemic fatigue, how do we move from survival mode to creating a vision and sustainability?

 

According to music educator and advocacy consultant Dr. John Benham, regardless of your situation, there is always a solution and someone to help. His key recommendation and requirement aligns well with our hearts as choral leaders and educators: always keep the student at the center of any discussion.

 

In this month’s Advocacy & Collaboration (A&C) curated episode on the Music (ed) Matters podcast (episode 89), learn about key issues and strategies for building, saving, and restoring music programs. Teaser: you’re going to learn about known cuts, hidden cuts, and all the tips to help navigate the politics that come with keeping music education alive and thriving.

 

Learn more about Dr. Benham at http://www.save-music.org/ or find his book at https://www.giamusic.com/store/resource/music-advocacy-book-g9199.

 

Listen wherever you find your podcasts or watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zpoixZSjFzs.

 

Dr. Emily Williams Burch chairs ACDA’s Advocacy & Collaboration Committee. Dr. Burch has served in various positions for ACDA at the state, regional, and national level in a variety of roles, including co-programming chair and honor choir coordinator for the Southern Region ACDA conferences since 2014. You can subscribe to her podcast for music educators wherever you get your podcasts, or at EmilyBurch.org/podcast.

Advocacy, Collaboration, and … Podcasts!

by Leave a Comment

Finding yourself traveling this season? How about a podcast to keep you company on that long drive? The ACDA Advocacy and Collaboration (A&C) Committee has been curating advocacy and collaboration-focused episodes on the Music (ed) Matters podcast as a place for members to spark ideas, learn, and get invigorated. The A&C series kicked off with Bonus Episode #20 – Officially Introducing the Advocacy & Collaboration Series with Robyn Lana and Dr. Lynn Brinckmeyer, past chairs of the committee. The A&C committee wanted to use the podcast platform as a way to illuminate resources and opportunities for listeners to advocate or collaborate in new ways. To inaugurate the series, Robyn Lana and Dr. Lynn Brinckmeyer shared institutional history on where the committee came from, why it exists, and how members can find what they need to advocate and collaborate in their programs. Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts (Music [ed] Matters, Oct. 14, 2021) or click here for a direct link. You can also watch this episode on YouTube. 

Looking for more during your long holiday drive? Catch an audio-only replay of a recent ACDA webinar on advocacy in Episode 79 (video of webinar here). Hosted by Dr. Emily Williams Burch, the webinar description is as follows:

Challenge Accepted: Advocating for the Choral Arts –  A Panel Discussion with Tips, Tools, and Techniques for Advocating with Administrations and Legislation – This session addresses the most commonly asked advocacy questions by going right to the source – administration and legislative masterminds. Russ Sperling is the Director of Visual and Performing Arts for San Diego Unified School District, as well as excellent with legislation and getting things done. As a Chief Operating Officer for Fairfax County Public Schools, Marty K. Smith understands the inner workings of superintendents, district offices, and all the details of operating one of the largest school districts in the country. You will walk away from this panel with resources and answers you can use to advocate and amplify your program! 

In this episode, you learn specific ideas and tools for working with administration, solving problems, and tips for making things happen. Find the podcast episode wherever you get your podcasts (published Nov. 9, 2021) or use this direct link.

Dr. Emily Williams Burch chairs ACDA’s Advocacy & Collaboration Committee. Dr. Burch has served in various positions for ACDA at the state, regional, national level in a variety of roles, including co-programming chair and honor choir coordinator for the Southern Region ACDA conferences since 2014. You can subscribe to her podcast for music educators wherever you get your podcasts, or at EmilyBurch.org/podcast.

Everyday Advocacy for Your Choral Program

by Leave a Comment

By Karen Bruno

What is advocacy? Advocacy is an opportunity to share with other people, many of whom are decisionmakers in some way, why choral music matters—to us, to our singers, and to the world. Advocacy should not be a term that frightens us. It should be a term that inspires us to explain to others why choral music makes a difference for the better. There are many people who never had the opportunity to experience or understand the art form that is so important to us as choral conductors and music educators.

There are lots of ways to share the impact of music education, and many organizations have spent a good deal of time and energy compiling statistics, sharing research, and distributing creative tools for large- and small-scale advocacy. The National Association for Music Education (NAfME), Chorus America, Americans for the Arts, and National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) are some of the organizations who do this sort of work regularly, and we should all familiarize ourselves with the advocacy tools they provide. But statistics and studies tell only part of a story. They tell the larger story of why music or the choral art form is important and discuss the impact choral programs have in general, but these are probably not the primary reasons your principal, community foundation, or singers and their families support your choir. They are likely to be more interested in what you have to say than statistics provided by a national organization. Why are you a choral musician? Why do your singers show up to participate? When we tell our own story in conjunction with research about the impact of choral music writ large, we provide complete and compelling reasons to prioritize, staff, and fund choral music in our schools and our communities.

Part of the problem is that we know we should advocate for choral music, but we aren’t sure how to do it. What do we say? To whom do we say it? We have our hands full selecting repertoire, writing lesson plans, studying scores, teaching and conducting, and meeting the individual needs of our singers. We are busy! Isn’t a beautiful concert advocacy enough?

Simon Sinek’s 2009 TED talk and subsequent book, Start With Why, took the business and leadership worlds by storm. His thesis was that people are not as interested in a product as they are interested in why a business exists in the first place. The core belief, cause, or reason a business exists can be a compelling story. If a company sells its story, consumers are more likely to purchase its product, he claimed. He encourages CEOs to build a culture within their companies that is mission driven and to hire people aligned with the company’s core beliefs rather than those who are just excellent sales people. Identifying and prioritizing why a company exists, he argued, is foundational for success.

Although Sinek was speaking to business leaders, it is easy to see how his ideas are relevant to teaching and to advocacy. When we identify our core beliefs and values, we become better teachers, leaders, and storytellers. We can explain why it’s important for a student to schedule choir amid Advanced Placement (AP) classes, a foundation to award our program a grant, or an adult to attend a weekly Tuesday night rehearsal across town. While we may have spent time creating our own mission statements as undergraduates, for most of us it has been a very long time since we checked in with our own “why.” Consider:

  • Why do you teach and conduct choirs?
  • Why do your singers choose (and continue) to participate?
  • Why did you enter the profession?
  • Why do you stay in the profession?
  • Why does singing matter to you?
  • Why does singing matter to your choristers?

These are not easy questions, but the answers will help you shape your everyday advocacy stories.

If we want to tell our stories clearly and compellingly, we must identify our core values and guiding principles; these are the heart of everyday advocacy. Our stories become the message of everyday tools to engage and educate our communities. Go beyond the general research, beyond the beauty of the choir’s performance, and articulate the most profound reasons you and your singers are involved in your choral program.

Former U.S. Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill is remembered for saying, “All politics is local.” Whether or not this statement is true, we do well to remember that local issues are important to communities, and that sharing the value of choral music is an important part of our job. If we don’t advocate for the choral art, who will?

Excerpted from Karen L. Bruno’s “Everyday Advocacy For Your Choral Program” from Volume 60, Number 2 of Choral Journal (September 2019).

© 2022 American Choral Directors Association. All rights reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy