March 2023 Marks the 38th Music In Our Schools Month®

This Year’s MIOSM® Theme Is “Music Is All of Us”

RESTON, VA (March 2, 2023)—National Association for Music Education (NAfME) recognizes March as the thirty-eighth annual Music In Our Schools Month® (MIOSM®). This March, music educators and music students will be celebrating music education in their school communities demonstrating how the theme “Music Is All of Us” resonates with them.

“It is because of music’s unique way of bringing people together, creating a sense of belonging, and cultivating relationships that I chose Music Is All of Us as the theme for this year’s Music In Our Schools Month celebration,” shared NAfME President Scott R. Sheehan. “Music, through its inherent virtues and unlike any other area of study, impacts the creator, the re-creator(s), and the listener emotionally, intellectually, as well as physically and spiritually, in ways that are deeply personal to every individual. Music in its fullest context gives people a pathway to discovery, both personally and globally, and contributes to the greater good of society. We need music! Every person on the planet needs music and its indescribable power to instill meaning in our lives. Thank you to everyone who believes music is an essential component of every child’s education and advocates for equitable access for music education in schools.”

“Music, through its inherent virtues and unlike any other area of study, impacts the creator, the re-creator(s), and the listener emotionally, intellectually, as well as physically and spiritually, in ways that are deeply personal to every individual.”

Throughout the month of March, NAfME-affiliated state music education associations will be participating in advocacy activities, including holding meetings with state and local elected officials, sharing why music education must continue to be funded and supported. This month of music education advocacy will culminate in a virtual MIOSM Advocacy Celebration on March 28, 7:00PM ET, and all are welcome to register and attend.

This year, Sen. Cory Booker (NJ) and Rep. Nydia Velázquez (NY-07) have introduced a federal resolution recognizing March as Music In Our Schools Month (S.Res 54 and H.Res.119). Music education advocates are asking their U.S. Senators and Representatives to join in cosponsoring the resolution and voting to pass it.* Sen. Booker and Rep. Velázquez have also both introduced the Guarantee Access to Arts and Music Education (GAAME) Act (S.364 and H.R. 969), which would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to further specify the eligibility of Title I funds to be used for music and the arts.**

Since 1985, MIOSM has been observed as an annual month-long celebration when schools and communities celebrate music in their local schools and the educators who dedicate themselves to bring music into the lives of students every day. The NAfME Council for General Music Education has provided teachers resources to demonstrate the musical learning process throughout the whole school year. The “Music In Our Schools Month®: Process into Product” document explains this direction, which began in 2018. NAfME is also proud to once again partner with Young Voices Education in Music Foundation and American Young Voices, which hosts the biggest school concerts in the world, to provide music educators with sheet music and teaching resources for “Take Time for Fun.”

NAfME encourages teachers and music education advocates to share on social media how their schools are celebrating music education, using the hashtags #MusicIsAllOfUs and #MIOSM and tagging “@NAfME”.

This year NAfME has provided MIOSM lesson plans for 36 songs, including resources from the Library of Congress, instructional goals and objectives, connections to the National Core Arts Standards learned in each lesson, worksheets, and more. NAfME has also provided classroom materials for MIOSM that teachers can share with their students as they celebrate how “Music Is All of Us” connects with students and communities. All of these items are available at https://nafme.org/student-opportunities/music-in-our-schools-month/.

Coinciding with MIOSM 2023, NAfME is pleased to announce a new partnership with SBO Magazine to provide NAfME members with a free monthly publication, SBO+, which will include a monthly column from NAfME.

Music In Our Schools Month® and MIOSM® are trademarks of NAfME and may not be used for fundraising or materials produced for profit.

* These organizations support the Music In Our Schools Month federal resolution: American Federation of Teachers; AASA, The School Superintendents Association; The American Orff-Schulwerk Association; American String Teachers Association; Association for Popular Music Education; College Band Directors National Association; CMA Foundation; Drum Corps International; Education Through Music; Kindermusik International; Music Publishers Association of the United States; Music Teachers National Association; Music Travel Consultants; National Art Education Association; National Association for Music Education; National Association for the Study and Performance of African American Music; National Association of Elementary School Principals; National Association of Music Merchants; National Association of Secondary School Principals; National Education Association; National Federation of State High School Associations; National Music Council; National PTA; Nuvo Instrumental; Quadrant Research; Recording Academy; Rock and Soul Forever Foundation; Save the Music Foundation; State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education; Wurrly, LLC; Young Audiences Arts for Learning.

** The following organizations support the GAAME Act: American Federation of Teachers;; The American Orff-Schulwerk Association: American String Teachers Association; Association for Popular Music Education; College Band Directors National Association; CMA Foundation; Drum Corps International; Education Through Music; Educational Theatre Association; Kindermusik International; Music Publishers Association of the United States; Music Teachers National Association; Music Travel Consultants; National Art Education Association; National Association for Music Education; National Association for the Study and Performance of African American Music; National Association of Elementary School Principals; National Association of Music Merchants; National Association of Secondary School Principals; National Concerts; National Dance Education Organization; National Education Association; National Federation of State High School Associations; National Music Council; Nuvo Instrumental; Quadrant Research; Rock and Soul Forever Foundation; Save the Music Foundation; State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education; Wurrly, LLC; Young Audiences Arts for Learning.

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The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) is a collaborative community that supports music educators and advocates for equitable access to music education. The only association that addresses all aspects of music education, NAfME, together with its affiliated state music education associations, advocates at the national, state, and local levels and provides resources and opportunities for teachers, students, parents, and administrators. Founded in 1907 and representing more than 53,000 members teaching millions of students, NAfME advances the music education profession and promotes lifelong experiences in music.

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For additional information, contact Catherina Hurlburt at catherinah@nafme.org or 703-860-4000.