For Immediate Release
Contact: Catherina Hurlburt at NAfME
catherinah@nafme.org or (703) 860-4000, x.242
NAfME Commits to Providing All New Members with Be Part of the Music Resources
RESTON, VA (May 3, 2016)—During Teacher Appreciation Week, the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) is excited to announce a major membership drive for music teachers, emphasizing their critical role under the newly passed Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). President Obama signed ESSA into law in December 2015, a long overdue reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and the new ESSA includes a “Well-Rounded Education” provision that, for the first time in history, specifically enumerates “music” as a stand-alone subject.
“This marks a new day for music educators and music education advocates,” says Mike Blakeslee, NAfME Executive Director and CEO. “And NAfME is leading the charge to ensure music educators are ready to take the lead in their profession, providing a quality music education for all students.”
In launching this new membership recruitment campaign, NAfME is collaborating with Be Part of the Music to prepare music teachers for a new climate in education this fall.
Further demonstrating support for and participation in the Be Part of the Music initiative, NAfME has developed a welcome kit of resources for teachers, including materials from Be Part of the Music, in jump drives for all new members. These resources provide an overview and sampling of NAfME benefits while also supplying recruitment materials to attract more students to music.
“NAfME sought to create an onboarding strategy that would welcome and summarize membership benefits while also providing the new member with resources that could be immediately used in the classroom. The Be Part of the Music resource provides a strong enhancement.”
“The experience of the first membership year is vital to membership retention,” says Thomas L. Stefaniak, CAE, NAfME Director of Membership. “We sought to create an onboarding strategy that would welcome and summarize membership benefits while also providing the new member with resources that could be immediately used in the classroom. The Be Part of the Music resource provides a strong enhancement.” New NAfME members began receiving the combined content jump drives on March 15, 2016.
“We could not be more excited about our expanded partnership with NAfME!” added Scott Lang, founder of Be Part of the Music. “As a 25-year NAfME member, I am well aware of the role NAfME plays in elevating music education in America. NAfME’s willingness to go the extra mile and make these resources available to their constituents speaks volumes about the commitment not just to music educators, but also to the millions of students they serve.”
Learn more about membership opportunities with NAfME at http://jointoday.nafme.org/takeaction/. And learn more about Be Part of the Music at www.bepartofthemusic.org.
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National Association for Music Education, among the world’s largest arts education organizations, is the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. NAfME advocates at the local, state, and national levels; provides resources for teachers, parents, and administrators; hosts professional development events; and offers a variety of opportunities for students and teachers. The Association orchestrates success for millions of students nationwide and has supported music educators at all teaching levels for more than a century. With more than 60,000 members, the organization is the national voice of music education in the United States.
Follow NAfME on Twitter (twitter.com/nafme) and on Facebook (facebook.com/nafme).
For additional information, contact Catherina Hurlburt at catherinah@nafme.org or 703-860-4000, ext. 242.
To learn more about Be Part of the Music, contact Scott Lang by phone 480-577-5264 or email scott@scottlang.net. Visit Be Part of the Music on the web: www.bepartofthemusic.org.
Ernie Smith, “Music Education Group Drives Membership with Legislative Win,” Associations Now, 4 May 2016.
