NAMM Advocacy Summit Encourages Members to 'Get Involved'
May signifies the end of the school year for educators across the country and also hosts The NAMM Music Education Advocacy D.C. Fly-In, where a group of NAMM Members gather in Washington D.C. to serve as advocates for the right of every child to learn and grow with music by visiting with their elected representatives on Capitol Hill. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the traditional programming of the Fly-In has been adjusted to a safe and focused alternative, the NAMM Advocacy Summit.
The half-day of advocacy training and policy updates takes place on June 16 from 10 am-2 pm PT and will prepare participants to contact Members of Congress as well as state and local officials about the essential role music learning plays in every child’s education. Participants in the first NAMM Advocacy Summit will urge Congress to assure the needed support for state education funding and appropriations for The ESSA Title IV, Part A Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant. A range of informative sessions will be held including:
Plenary: Supporting Music Education – Past, Present and Future: “A retrospective about efforts to assure music education is part of national education policy and an exploration of our important ongoing work as champions for music and arts education in all times and circumstances.”
Real-Time Advocacy for Music Education in Unprecedented Times: The “Ask:" "This session will outline the ‘ask’ to federal elected officials that delegates will advance via phone calls and emails (templates provided) in the weeks following the Summit. We will urge Congress to assure needed support for state education funding and appropriations for The ESSA Title IV, Part A Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant.”
Be a Champion: Contacting Your Member of Congress and Other Elected Officials: “The ‘how-to’s’ of contacting your Members of Congress and/or Governor with the ‘ask,’ outlined in the session before. You will learn how to find out Members of Congress; how and when to contact them; and when to include education or music and arts legislative assistants in your virtual meetings and calls.”
Build a Case for Access to Music Education for All Students: “Explore state-level advocacy activities that have been initiated by NAMM Members, including music education advocacy drive-ins to state capitols as well as results from a survey of school districts on the use of Title IV funds for music and arts education.”
The Future of K-12 and Higher Ed Music Education: “Explore with national experts the FUTURE of music education in our nation’s K-12 and higher education teaching and learning environments; how will music learning and teaching continue as a creative, cultural, and human force that is available to all.”
Ready, Set, Go!: “Review and Q&A”
We sat down with David Jewell, partnerships and alliances manager for Yamaha Corporation of America and a six-year veteran of the Fly-In. This year, Jewell will present a session at the virtual NAMM Advocacy Summit.
What successes have you observed as a direct result of the advocacy efforts of the NAMM Music Advocacy D.C. Fly-In?
The biggest victory was the passing of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) [in 2015]. With the support of NAMM and our advocacy efforts, I believe we were instrumental in getting language in the bill to include that every child is entitled to a ‘well-rounded’ education, along with support from key Members of Congress. Having music and arts as part of that well-rounded education was a gigantic success for our advocacy efforts.
How have you seen the Fly-In change over time?
Most noticeably, more industry members attend, many of them caught the advocacy bug as I did in 2013.
How important is access to music education for all students?
Music education and creativity go hand in hand, and that is why the United States is in the top five countries over the last five years in issued patents. I firmly believe that while you don’t have to make a living making music, having music as part of your K-12 education is priceless in the positive contributions you will make towards society in your lifetime.
How do you predict the COVID-19 pandemic will impact music education?
COVID-19 will result in a massive shift in education. As Mary Grace from the Anaheim Elementary School District remarked, “Children will have ‘limited seat time’ at school, and this will impact their participation in the arts.” However, we all know that music will help more than any other subject to enhance the social and emotional impact of this seismic change in our public-school education. This is the message that we, as advocates, must continue to echo to school board members and superintendents.
What do you predict will be the biggest takeaways from your session, “Be a Champion: Contacting Your Member of Congress and Other Elected Officials?”
Become involved and get a seat at the table. Just one person can make a huge difference in music advocacy. For me, it started in 2013, and since then I have enlisted many others to share in this vision. I will be joined by producer and recording artist, J. Dash, a great addition to the NAMM advocacy team. J.Dash is passionate about music and music advocacy and has stepped forward to sit at the table. He has made a large impact on music advocacy, not only in Austin, Texas, but across the entire country.
If a NAMM Member is on the fence about joining this year’s summit, what piece of advice would you give them?
Simply put, do the right thing, and get involved. Talk is talk, but until you step off that fence, you will be treading water for a long time. Reach out to NAMM and find a way to get involved.
Free registration of a NAMM.org account is required for the NAMM Advocacy Summit and can be completed at /user/register. Interested parties are encouraged to ensure they possess a valid account before the training session begins. For more information about the NAMM Advocacy Summit, including a list of presenters and sessions, please visit /issues-and-advocacy/2020-advocacy-summit.