HOW CAN YOU BE BEST PREPARED TO ADVOCATE FOR YOUR PROGRAM?

1. Be ready to debate the issues. Well thought out arguments can withstand scrutiny.
2. Make sure your philosophical stance on advocacy and education are aligned.
3. Choose your arguments wisely. The reasons used to promote music education must not be the source of arguments that could undermine future support. Music educators should acknowledge the diverse nonmusical benefits that music study offers without allowing these benefits to overshadow the core, unique musical benefits music study provides students.
4. Strong believers make excellent advocates. Advocates with strong beliefs can:
   • convince grassroots campaigns of their enthusiasm for music and music education
   • demonstrate their interest in the education of American's future workers and leaders
   • show concern for the quality of their schools and community
   • commit the necessary time and energy
5. Organize parent groups. When music programs are threatened or facing a crisis, parents are the most influential group of advocates. Parents vote. Parents have their student's best interest at heart. Parents can come together and unite in significant numbers that command the attention of decision makers.
6. Arguments developed in support of the program must be congruent with the threat, e.g., financial justifications in a financial crises; scheduling and time allocations in a scheduling crisis. Central to all arguments should be the potential impact on students.
7. Formal presentations to administrators and boards of education should be made by parent support groups so as to nullify any perceived conflict of interest on the part of the teacher.