Diverse Web Resources for Music Education Advocacy

Abstract

In the 21

^st

century, research provides evidence to support the position that music, as well as the other fine arts, enriches students’ lives and expands their learning capacities. In addition, current data confirms that students who participate in the arts, in combination with their general education curriculum, tend to score higher on standardized tests, have higher rates of acceptance into institutions of higher education, and report fewer difficulties with discipline and truancy. Despite the statistics correlating music and the arts with numerous positive effects of on our young people, music educators around the United States often find themselves fighting for their program’s existence, frequently combatting reductions in instructional space, equipment, staff, and budget. While I never advocate violence, a war analogy seems apropos because a soldier going into battle needs enough ammunition to be effective . Likewise, we must be able to provide the appropriate information to our local and state governing bodies so they will have the tools needed to formulate policies that benefit our students.