West Music Joins 52 Other National Organizations to Support Arts Education as Essential for Students
As policymakers plan for school reopening in the fall, West Music joined 52 national organizations, including the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), in a statement that supports arts and music education for all students. In the statement, “Arts Education Is Essential,” the signing organizations convey that the arts have already played a pivotal and uplifting role during the COVID-19 health crisis, and that arts education can help all students as they return to school next year.
“Arts Education Is Essential” speaks to arts education’s role in supporting the social and emotional well-being of students, an area that administrators, educators, and parents have highlighted as essential to student safety and success during the pandemic and as students return to school, whether in-person, online, or in a blended fashion, this fall. Arts education also creates a welcoming school environment and a healthy and inclusive school community, helping students, educators, parents, and the community at large, build and strengthen their connectedness during this time of social isolation and social distancing.
West Music is proud to partner with art organizations across the United States to make sure that the arts remain central to education!
Arts Education Advocacy Matters More Than Ever: Advocate at Your District and State Today!
Do your part for the arts! Contact your local administrators, district officials, and state representatives to make sure that the arts are a central part of plans to return to school in the fall. Provide them a copy of the “Arts Education Is Essential” statement or tell them how school music and art have played a role in your own life or your child’s life.
Looking for more ways to get involved? West Music has put together a list of music and arts advocacy organizations on its Music Advocacy page.
Aaron Hansen is an experienced K-6 General Music educator, passionate about bringing music to life through the Orff Approach. He holds both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Music Education from the University of Northern Iowa. Aaron has completed comprehensive Orff Teacher Training, including three levels at the University of St. Thomas and an Orff Master Class. His dedication to the Orff method took him to the Summer International Course at the Orff Institute in Salzburg, Austria. Aaron also shares his expertise by teaching movement at various Orff Teacher Training Courses and conducting workshops for local Orff Chapters.
