Get Up,Stand Up

February 2011 was a turning point for education in the state of Wisconsin. The governor signed a budget “repair” bill that greatly affected the rights and incomes of state public workers. His actions and those of the legislature brought about solidarity among educators and other public workers and subsequently served as the catalyst for months of protests at the state capitol. On February 18, I took a stand. Climbing onto a chair with megaphone in hand at the center of the packed capitol rotunda, I announced that I was proud to be an elementary music teacher from Whitewater, Wisconsin, and proceeded to lead thousands in Bob Marley’s song, “Get Up, Stand Up.” I stood up for the children I teach and the career that I chose. I stood up for the future teachers in our state and the other states that soon followed suit. I stood up for education. I stood with my family, colleagues, and 40,000 others at the capitol that day. Did we make a difference? That is for history to decide, but without a doubt we were heard. Personally, I knew that I did what I could to be heard.

I share this moment in my life with you because it is time for each of us to make the decision to take a stand in our profession and be heard. We are embarking on a new set of National Common Core Arts Standards that will be in our hands this summer. Yes, they are challenging. Yes, they will take time to adapt to our school districts and classrooms. Yes, they will benefit our students and us as educators. A prominent comment that I have heard from teachers across the country about the National Common Core Arts Standards Draft is, “We don’t have enough time allotted to us for music classes to cover everything in the standards.” Across the United States, there is a vast range in the number of instructional minutes per week that students receive music education. We have many school districts that support adequate time for general music education and others that have put the opportunity for a high-quality music education in jeopardy through limited time allotment.

Now is the time for music educators to rise up at the grassroots level and let their voices be heard. With the finalization of the National Common Core Standards in Music, we have the research-based support for demanding adequate music class time to fulfill the standards requirements. It is up to each of us to go to our administrators and school boards to educate them in the rich contents of these new standards and the lifelong benefits they provide to children. Lowell Mason knew how important music was in the lives of children. He fought to get music in the Boston Public Schools curriculum. Many others have fought the worthy fight since 1838 to keep music in the schools as a vital subject that is unique and essential to our students. It is now our turn to take the lessons from those before us. We MUST “Get Up, Stand Up, Don’t Give up the Fight!”

Appreciation

This is my last column as Chair of the Council for General Music Education. I have been honored to serve each of you and the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). This has been one of my most valued professional experiences. I have grown from this opportunity and met remarkable educators along the way. We have several members of the Council for General Music Education who have completed their term on the council. I am indebted to them for their diligent work, valuable insights, and service to us all. They truly are some of the top music educators in the field. The members are our Eastern Division Representative, Baruch Whitehead from the Ithaca College-School of Music, and our Southwestern Division Representative, Diane Lange from the University of Texas at Arlington. A heartfelt thank-you also goes to our Past Chair, Kathleen Jacobi-Karna of Ball State University. Kathy invested numerous hours of her professional time and knowledge, keeping our council moving forward in a time of change and providing mentorship to me as current chair. I enthusiastically welcome into the chair position, as of July 1, 2014, Sarah Bartolome from Louisiana State University.