I’m asked by music and arts education advocates how to stay positive in times of crisis and uncertainty. A glib response might be, “When is access to arts education not in crisis?” It’s true that advocates of every generation since the 1970’s have had one eye on the future and one on the immediacy of the moment. It is also true there have been many wins—small and large, local and national—that have fueled progress in the field. It’s important to acknowledge and celebrate every success.
I take heart from writer and activist Rebecca Solnit’s interview in the New York Times as she calls out civil society as our very best weapon against injustice and inequity. “One of the great weaknesses of our era is that we get lone superhero movies that suggest that our big problems are solved by muscly guys in spandex, when actually the world mostly gets changed through collective effort.” Our field knows something about collective effort (and spandex).
A Look Back
Arts education has been on a mostly upward trajectory since the 1970s through the collective efforts of dedicated policymakers and advocates. Unlike reading and math, the arts are not universally available in American public schools. The arts education ecosystem, including a vast network of educators, policymakers, artists, researchers, funders, parents, and community partners, have made gains in advancing arts learning in public schools through activism, data/research, storytelling, and policy advancement.
Notable achievements include the recognition of the arts as a core subject in Goals 2000, spurred by the legendary Mike Green, Recording Academy CEO, and a host of savvy advocates. A more recent victory was the inclusion of music and the arts as fundamental components of a well-rounded education under the 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act, which also marked expanded support and new funding opportunities for arts education.
However, landscape shifts with every budgetary and leadership cycle do keep us on our toes and require ongoing advocacy efforts to win over hearts and minds.
Challenges mark the path of advocacy for arts education. California’s Prop 13 (1978) limited property taxes, affecting funding for education—including the arts—and sparked similar tax cuts nationwide. The 2001 No Child Left Behind Act mandated high-stakes testing, narrowing curricula and restricting arts access. From 2020 – 2024, the COVID pandemic led to learning loss, declining mental health, and lower enrollment, further reducing arts education access.
Some policy campaigns take decades to come to fruition; for example, California needed 25 years and two gubernatorial vetoes to approve separate teaching credentials for dance and theatre.
Recognizing that policy and its implementation require sustained effort over time, it is also important to cheer for incremental progress. The tangible steps taken today contribute meaningfully to shaping desired future outcomes.
Everyday Advocates
Changemakers include a range of advocates such as practitioners, field builders, and policy advocates. Illustrative examples of effective everyday advocacy encompass, but are certainly not limited to, the following:
Greater Visibility
- A dance educator led efforts to increase visibility and funding for dance programs in a school district.
- A K-8 art teacher used Youth Art Month to promote the value of art programs to parents and the school board.
- A school district director for the arts kept a spotlight on a districtwide strategic arts plan through media outreach during Arts Education Month.
- A group of teaching artists created a “safe space” in schools, demonstrating to administrators how the arts can serve as a valuable tool in student engagement and mental health.
The Ripple Effect
- A teacher advocate successfully leveraged local community partnerships to save and expand visual arts programs in local public schools.
- An arts and business leader inspired a city to adopt a resolution recognizing Arts Education Month in alignment with a state-adopted resolution.
- A small-town music program created a rural engagement model with targeted outreach to school administrators, the superintendent, school board members, and community members.
- A national funder for music education leveraged its grant-making to strengthen school district commitments.
Cultivating Influentials
- A longtime arts education leader and teacher-advocate was recognized for building deep relationships between educators and policymakers to ensure long-term program sustainability.
- A statewide advocacy organization strengthened arts education advocacy at the local level by empowering community members to engage directly with school board candidates.
- Thirty years ago, music industry and music education leaders coordinated simultaneous messaging at the national premier of a film, Mr. Holland’s Opus, to create a watershed moment and enduring advocacy charge for music education.
We—educators, parents, artists, musicians, students, community leaders, activists– are greater than the sum of our parts. Everyday advocacy for music and arts education celebrates the seemingly small, incremental actions that ultimately lead to systems change at every level. From motivating a decisionmaker to passing legislation through grassroots organizing, we are making it happen. Take the win.
