TN Musician Vol. 72, No. 1

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ADVOCACY PRINCIPLES FROM WEAKLEY ARTS CAN 1. ASK FOR HELP. Angela Ammerman: “Reaching out to people who have done it before is one of the best things in the world.” “The information that [NAfME and TMEA resources] provided would have taken… I don’t even know how long to find on my own.” Providing support for advocacy has long been among the most central functions for professional organizations. In fact, organizing advocacy for music in rural schools was the primary topic of the very first issue of Tennessee Musician in 1948. 2. BE PRINCIPLED IN SCOPE. Weakley County, like most districts, has campuses that differ in socio-economic makeup and parental resources that impact areas like extra-curricular scheduling and transportation. To achieve a goal of arts for all students, those factors must be taken into consideration. As Julie Hill says, “If we do all of this and those students [from lower socio-economic backgrounds] still don’t have access to these things, then mission failed.” 3. RESEARCH SOURCES OF FUNDING. Katie Mantooth: “It was much more effective to talk about how Title IV money can be used for the arts.” A proposal can look much more possible when presented in a way that includes an accounting of the financial needs and funding sources. 4. BUILD A BROAD COALITION. Although all three of the initial Weakley Arts Can leaders worked on UT Martin’s campus, they made a concerted effort to not have the movement be represented as a university-centered initiative. The current leadership team of Arts Can includes parents, public school teachers, small business owners, and local private dance teachers. Several UT Martin undergraduates and area high school students have also gotten involved as volunteers at events. 5. MAKE THE CASE FROM MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES. Speaking to different constituencies, Arts Can found that there was not a one-size fits all persuasive case. Arts teachers, parents, and community arts patrons responded most strongly to aesthetic arguments and “the arts for the arts’ sake.” School administrators were sympathetic to data tying arts participation to graduation and attendance rates. School board members were most animated by the potential for comprehensive arts programs to bring positive attention and accolades to the community. 6. SHARE YOUR STORY. Julie Hill recounts, “I am in music because of my fourth-grade general music teacher in the Martin schools who picked me to play the tambourine out of the entire grade. I was not a popular kid and she told me I had an uncanny sense of rhythm.” At its most fundamental level, arts education advocacy is about spreading the ways that the arts impact people’s lives. 16 | TENNESSEE MUSICIAN | 2019 | Volume 72, No. 1
ADVOCACY ACTIVITIES MODELED ON WEAKLEY ARTS CAN • SURVEYING THE COMMUNITY. Establishing an awareness of a consensus and a need for change can start by simply asking people what they would like to see in their communities and for their children. This process can occur online or in-person, targeting groups (parents, teachers, grandparents, business owners) with specific vested stakes in educational outcomes. Additionally, identifying passionate respondents provides an avenue to recruit resourceful volunteers. • SOLICITING STORIES. The videos produced by Weakley Arts Can provide a terrific model for generating stories in a variety of live or media-based settings. For the Arts Can videos, parents were asked: (1) Why do you think arts education is important? (2) Tell us about an important experience for you involving the arts. (3) What does a comprehensive/good education look like to you? (4) What would your life look like without the arts?, and children were asked: (1) Why do you love your music class? (2) What do you love most about your art class? (3) What do you do in music/art? (4) How would you feel if you didn’t get to continue in music or art? • CONNECTING WITH LOCAL ARTS EVENTS. Use performances by community groups as opportunities to deliver an advocacy message, either in a verbal presentation, a program insert, or an information table in a lobby. Also, consider adding multidisciplinary arts components to events, such as visual art displays at musical performances or spaces for dance and musical engagement at visual arts events. • ADDING THE ARTS TO COMMUNITY EVENTS. Annual festivals, cultural events, farmer’s markets, road races, and other community events will often welcome the addition of arts experiences, particularly when they provide hands-on engagement. • BUILDING A DIGITAL PRESENCE. Stories, celebrated successes, and positive messages can all build towards a broader awareness of an advocacy movement. Consider the range of platforms used by different constituencies and how to best leverage each to maximize engagement. Look for ways to connect and integrate with other groups and individuals. For instance, Arts Can has added a new section to their website that lists extra-curricular arts opportunities for children in Weakley County, fitting with their broad vision for advocacy and helping to support professionals already working in the community. Christopher Dye serves as Assistant Professor of Instrumental Music Education at Middle Tennessee State University. He teaches courses in instrumental methods and materials, supervises Residency I and II student teachers, leads the Music Education Seminar, and teaches graduate courses in assessment and music technology. He also serves as Coordinator of Recruitment and Assessment for the School of Music. Dr. Dye holds degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Ed.D.), Columbus State University (M.M.), and Texas Lutheran University (B.M.). Tennessee Music Education Assocation | www.tnmea.org | 17
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TN Musician Vol. 72, No. 1

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