Every Instrument is Important

For the past couple of months I have been involved in discussions on a Facebook group dedicated to music education. There are a lot of differing opinions about things, and it is interesting to see how people have formed different opinions based on their level of involvement in music education. One common thread throughout the discussions, however, is the sense of the importance of advocacy for all types of music education and the arts.

Earlier this month in a discussion I noticed a young woman who's orchestra teacher had made the decision to remove her and her fellow violists from the orchestra class at their school. Knowing that you can't remove students from a class like that without bad behavior or other legitimate cause, I offered to try to help them secure their place in the orchestra by writing a form letter that they could sign and give to their principal or district administrators. The were able to use the letter to save their places in the class and draw the attention of district officials to their situation.

Music education advocacy is something that is really important to me, and I am always ready and willing to help in any way I can.