Informing People About Music Education

When considering how to educate the public about the importance of music in schools it is important to consider what the non-musical public thinks music classes do. For performance based classes, it seems the general public does not grasp the value or effort in rehearsing music for performance. In some cases I’ve noticed that non musicians think a band or orchestra can simply pick a song and play it right away. One way to educate parents and the general public about rehearsing it to include a non-rehearsed song on a fall concert. When parents come back for the next concert they can hear the finished product and reflect back on the sight read quality of the song. This is something a colleague of mine did and it was very successful. Parents came away from the second concert with a new found appreciation for ensemble work.

Parents and the general public can also be educated about the music program through well written stories in the local paper. In the rural community where I teach many people still read the paper and the journalists are usually willing to come to the school and do a story on upcoming events. For example, my orchestra students are preparing for a festival next month and their preparation has been a learning experience as we develop the musical details of the music. Having an article in the paper that details their preparations and includes some interviews with students would show the value of music for my students as well as the value of the festival as a learning experience.

Lastly, including “guest” speakers at a parent meeting can help parents learn about the value of music for their student as they begin instruction. I hold a parent meeting for all the new orchestra students in the spring. It helps parents learn about the orchestra program and sign up for summer lessons that help their student get a jump start on their instrument before school begins. Inviting parents of former and current older students to speak about the value of orchestra for their student would be a good way to educate the public. New parents need to know what their student is joining and hearing about how much other parents have appreciated the program would be a great opportunity. Instead of hearing about orchestra’s benefits from me they can hear directly from parents who were in their place years ago.