PAN PIPES
Spring 2020
5
MUSIC EDUCATION
Attending a session during the Collegiate Advocacy Summit
well, which is always powerful. While we had positive experiences, not every
meeting with every policy maker on the hill goes well. at is why we need
music education advocacy! It is important to show others why music education
should be included and well supported in a well rounded education.
e results of Hill Day overall were a success, with 60% of offices saying
they would support the increase of federal funding for education, almost three-
fourths supporting full funding of Title IV-A, and almost two-thirds saying
they would consider co-sponsoring the GAAME Act. While statistics such as
these are rewarding, the truly beneficial work was rallying with music educators
from all over the nation, combining as a unified whole, despite political
differences, to support a cause that we truly believed in. I know that our voices
made a difference in the lives of the men and women we met with that day, and
I know that I am different now because of it. I believe in myself as a qualified
advocate for music education.
is experience was the perfect catalyst for my teaching career. What better
way to start my first year of t
eaching than to learn about the impact of
music education and how to advocate to my local policy makers about
that truth? If it were not for the gracious donations from Sigma Alpha
Iota Philanthropies, this experience would not have been possible. I
have found so much joy in this sisterhood, and I love that it enables me
to continue to pursue my passion of spreading music around America
and the world even aer college. I am very grateful to the Fraternity for
this opportunity.
1. Labuga,, K. (2019, July 24). NAf ME Hill Day 2019 Recap.
Retrieved from https://nafme.org/nafme-hill-day-2019-
recap/
2-4. Ibid
Rebekah Mansfield, an initiate of Epsilon Iota Chapter at
the University of Tennessee at Martin, teaches elementary general music at
Westside Elementary School in Spring field, Tennessee.
SAI sisters at
the Collegiate
Advocacy Summit
show their pride.
Looking for ideas to continue teaching
your music students during school closures?
Try one of these for online resources:
National Association for Music Education: nafme.org
American Choral Directors Association: acda.org
American String Teachers Association: www.astastrings.org
Music Teachers National Association: www.mtna.org
Save the Music Foundation: www.savethemusic.org
On Facebook - "Music Educators Creating Online Learning":
www.facebook.com/groups/242289003466971
Online Music Education Resources
