Association Activities

Welcome • NAfME’s structure • Association activities • Events • Association programs • Memberships and features • Important phone numbers

Committees

NAfME committees are made up of members who plan and implement projects in specific areas of music education. Committees include:

Societies and Councils

Within NAfME there are subdivisions for specific areas in music education. NAfME has two Societies (the Society for Music Teacher Education and the Society for Research in Music Education) and fourteen Councils that serve various NAfME constituencies. 

NAfME Advocacy & Government Relations

In school districts nationwide, music education programs are being reduced or eliminated altogether. At the same time, we know that music education programs in schools offer a multitude of invaluable benefits for students ranging from collaboration and communication skills, creativity, self-expression, and leadership to improved academic outcomes. Teaching music in classrooms is essential if we want to truly offer a world-class and well-rounded education to our students.

Representing over 131,000 music educators, students, and advocates across the nation, NAfME advocates at the federal, state, and local levels to educate elected officials and other key decision makers about the impact and importance of music education programs. As an Association, we are dedicated to ensuring the access, presence, and perseverance of quality music and arts programs that is operated by certified music educators, for all students across the nation, regardless of circumstance. Together, we are changing the national conversation about music’s role in delivering an outstanding education to all students. 

Recent examples of the association’s activities in the area include the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), where after years of stalled negotiations and Congressional stalemates, Congress has put No Child Left Behind away for good, and passed by an overwhelming majority a new version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. ESSA’s passage is an historic victory for music education advocates, because it includes for the first time a specific and separate mention of music as a part of a “Well-Rounded Education.”  In addition, NAfME is a participant in several major public policy coalitions with other national organizations, including the Title IV-A Coalition and the Committee for Education Funding.

  • Go here to learn how you can become an advocate for music education programs in schools, and share the message of music with legislators, decision-makers, administrators, media, teachers, and parents everywhere.
  • Have questions regarding advocacy initiatives?  Contact our NAfME Advocacy and Policy team at advocacy@nafme.org

Coalitions for Music Education

NAfME has long played a pivotal role in the support and strengthening of school music programs. The National Consortium of Arts Education Associations has been an important part of maintaining communication between teachers of the various art forms. The current SupportMusic.com initiative, sponsored by a coalition led by NAfME and NAMM, the International Music Products Association, is another example of a strong effort to lead advocacy for our field. NAfME is also on the steering committee of the Arts Education Partnership and works with ad hoc partnerships including the “Creativity in the Classroom“ coalition, which comprises ASCAP, The National Association for Secondary School Principals, the National School Boards Association, the American Bar Association, and the U.S. Register of Copyrights. The association seeks out and forms additional coalitions as the need arises.