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Only rarely does my geeky fascination with American politics intersect with my love of music and my passionate belief in every child having access to music education. When a nexus is found, though, the experience can be almost indescribably rewarding. I had just such an experience this past May when, for the first time since 2012, I participated in the annual NAMM Advocacy DC Fly-In. The event brought together retailers, manufacturers, distributors, media correspondents and influential celebrities, all of whom shared a common goal: to ensure that music and arts are bedrock components of the core academic curriculum for every American child in the public school system. During a series of meetings with senators, representatives and their senior staffers, the NAMM delegates conveyed that message unambiguously, building on more than a decade of on-site, in-person activism for music education.

Although NAMM’s multi-pronged advocacy focuses on all aspects of building a more robust music products industry, the NAMM Advocacy DC Fly-In has, in recent years, centered its efforts on access to music education for all students and, in particular, on one issue: the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The current law, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, has been due for reauthorization since 2007. The contours of such a reauthorization bill are of critical importance because the fine details of legislative language will affect not only funding and how it is allocated, but also what subjects are deemed essential and, therefore, not optional as components of American students’ public-school education. The intransigence of Congress in recent years had led to a continual inability to get the ESEA reauthorization accomplished. This year, though, seems to represent the best shot to get the job done.

At the time of this writing in early June, parallel ESEA reauthorization bills are progressing through both the House of Representatives and the Senate; the bills, however, are quite different from each other. Relative to the issue of defining core academic subjects (including music), the House version of the bill has been amended to remove the definition altogether. The House bill has been fully debated, but the vote on final passage has been postponed. On the Senate side, it is just the opposite: the bill, which passed unanimously out of the Senate education committee and onto the floor, specifically states, “The term ‘core academic subjects’ means English, reading or language arts, writing, science, technology, engineering, mathematics, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history, geography, computer science, music and physical education….” Speaking simply, the Senate bill is significantly better, insofar as its legislative language restores the arts as core and, for the first time, music is listed separately as a core academic subject. The bill is waiting to be scheduled for full debate by the Senate.

Each chamber must pass its own ESEA reauthorization and, as noted, the bills are going to differ from each other. Then, the bills must go to a conference committee so that they can be reconciled and one final piece of legislation can emerge; that bill then will be voted up or down by both the House and the Senate. Our message to members of Congress is clear: get the ESEA through both chambers, go to conference committee and ensure that the final legislative package incorporates the core academic subject language—inclusive of music and arts—to protect our public-school music-education programs. With floor action expected this summer—perhaps even before you read these words—the sense of urgency has never been greater.

NAMM’s largest-ever team of delegates spent May 18 and 19 preparing for the meetings, getting invaluable strategic advice from NAMM President/CEO Joe Lamond; NAMM Foundation Executive Director Mary Luehrsen; Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough Senior Policy Advisor Leo Coco; and former Secretary of Education Richard Riley. During those two days, delegates were briefed about the ESEA reauthorization’s status and were given key talking points to ensure Capitol Hill meetings were maximally effective. The group also welcomed two distinguished guest speakers: Rep. John Lewis, a congressman from Georgia and a renowned hero of the Civil Rights Movement, and ace political prognosticator Charlie Cook, whose non-partisan Cook Political Report is the bible of the Beltway.

On May 20, the 70-member-strong delegation, which included baseball legend and talented musician Bernie Williams and actor, singer and rapper “Doc” Shaw, engaged in direct advocacy, comprising 146 meetings with key senators and representatives whose votes—and whose support—could be critical. The delegates separated into state-by-state groupings; the New York group met with Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Steve Israel, whereas the Indiana group sat down with Sen. Joe Donnelly and Rep. Jackie Walorski. Other groups included delegates from Iowa, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Virginia and California. With few exceptions, lawmakers expressed their support for school music programs and vowed to fight to ensure the “music and arts” language makes it into the final conference committee legislation.

One of delegates’ most useful tools came in the form of brand new research, “Striking a Chord: The Public’s Hopes and Beliefs for K-12 Music Education in the United States 2015,” funded by the NAMM Foundation and conducted by Grunwald Associates. It distilled the views of 1,000 teachers and 800 parents relative to music education in the public school system. NAMM revealed the survey’s results at the National Press Club on May 19 at a sometimes-emotional press conference that featured Williams and Shaw, as well as Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary fame. The results underscored the importance both teachers and parents assign to music programs.

Here are some of the key findings:
-Seventy-seven percent of teachers and 64 percent of parents agree that music and arts education are “extremely important” or “very important.”
-Eighty-seven percent of teachers and 81 percent of parents believe children should have a chance to learn to play musical instruments as early as elementary school.
-Sixty-three percent of teachers and 57 percent of parents believe music education should be a required subject in middle school.
-At a time when constrained budgets are forcing decision makers to make tough choices about what programs to prioritize, the survey also made clear that parents and teachers do not think music programs should be on the chopping block.
-Eighty-three percent of teachers and 73 percent of parents say cutting music education is detrimental for students.
-When asked to perform a drag-and-drop exercise to identify possible cuts in school funding in 15 different areas, teachers and parents found 12 areas they would cut rather than music. School and district administration, standardized testing, athletics programs and even advanced placement classes were all identified as better areas for budget cuts than music education.

Complete details of this groundbreaking research can be found at nammfoundation.org/articles/striking-chord-hopes-and-beliefs-k-12-music-education.

Despite the fact that cold, hard data is very powerful, it is, nevertheless, only one part of the equation. When we’re talking about music-education programs, we’re talking about the real, tangible impact those programs can have on the lives of children. Nothing illustrated that fact more clearly than the Day of Service, which a portion of the delegates participated in on May 18. Dealers, manufacturers and media members bused over to Bancroft Elementary School in Washington DC to treat fifth-grade students to a morning of music, including a drum circle, guitar instruction and a ukulele clinic. In addition to Bernie Williams’ participation, opera singer Carla Dirlikov lent her voice—and her support—to the effort. I know I speak for all the delegates when I say that the psychic income gained from the Day of Service would itself have made the Fly-In worth it.

The next several months—indeed, as mentioned, even the time between my writing these words and when you read them—will be critical in determining whether the ESEA is reauthorized and, just as importantly, whether music and arts keep their rightful place among the core academic subjects. One thing is certain, though: NAMM and the members of the music products industry will continue to raise our voices to ensure American students can benefit from, grow through and bask in the joys of making music.

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