Music Education for All Children
Music is an essential aspect of a student’s well-rounded education. In 2015, Congress recognized music’s essential role with the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which enumerated music as part of a well-rounded education. A guiding commitment of NAfME is the need for all students to have access to a high-quality music education. NAfME advocates educating elected officials and other key decision-makers about the impact and importance of music education programs.
Teacher Recruitment and Retention
The music education profession is facing issues with recruiting and retaining teachers, which have only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Association for Music Education is committed to supporting a robust, diverse, experienced teacher workforce that is supported throughout every step of their career.
Artificial Intelligence and Music Education
The latest breakthrough advancement in technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI), has the potential to significantly transform the landscape of music education. As new technology becomes integrated into school systems, it’s important for educators to understand the potential impact for their students and their classrooms. NAfME will continue monitoring developments in AI technology and provide our members with the latest information on AI policy, regulation, and its application for teaching and creating music.
NAfME wants to hear from you about Artificial Intelligence (AI) in music education! In what ways are you using AI, or thinking about using it? What questions do you have about AI and music education? Share your input.
Copyright
Unlike most educators, music educators must face copyright compliance frequently throughout their career. Although the thought of copyright can be intimidating and a complex subject, NAfME offers resources that can help you better understand U.S. copyright law.
ESSER Funding
In March 2021, the third and final round of stimulus funding, the American Rescue Plan, was signed into law. With this law came an additional $126 billion in ESSER funding, following earlier investments in March and December of 2020 of $193.2 billion total to support pandemic-era K–12 education.
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the latest reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), included for the first time a specific and separate enumeration of music as part of a “well-rounded education”. This historic victory for music education advocates allowed for previously unavailable federal funding stream to be used to support music education. ESSA was authorized through 2020, and technically, has expired. Congress has not indicated plans for reauthorization, so ESSA remains the law of the land.