FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RESTON, VA (August 27, 2014)—The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) is pleased to announce the release of the New National Music Standards, which will ensure students receive quality music education. These new standards replace the original standards released 20 years ago.
“Standards exist to identify the learning we want for all students, and to drive improvement in the system of education,” said Mike Blakeslee, NAfME Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer. “All of America’s students deserve a full and balanced education to equip them for the years to come. And we honestly believe that music is an essential part of that.”
Hundreds of educators contributed to writing and reviewing the new National 2014 Music Standards, which were vetted through a two-year inclusive public review process. The standards were developed by the profession for the profession, with a student-centered focus that respects each professional educator’s teaching style and unique contributions.
The new standards provide voluntary and pragmatic flexible processes and strategies that can be welcomed, implemented, and assessed in every American school district.
- The new standards seek to instill music literacy. The standards emphasize conceptual understanding, which is a departure from the previous emphasis on knowledge and skills.
- The new standards reflect the actual processes in which musicians engage. The standards cultivate a student’s ability to carry out the Three Artistic Processes of Creating, Performing and Responding, presented together as steps.
- The new standards provide teachers with frameworks that closely match the unique goals of their specialized classes. The standards are presented in a grade-by-grade sequence from pre-K through grade 8, and discrete strands address common high-school music classes, such as Ensembles and Music Composition/Theory.
“As a recent Harris Poll revealed, music education matters to American citizens. It is essential for preparing our students for the 21st century workforce,” said Michael A. Butera, Executive Director and CEO of NAfME. “And now music educators and their supporters, administrators, and policy-makers have the tools they need in the New National 2014 Music Standards to ensure students receive a true quality music education program.”
The new music standards were developed as a part of the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards work on standards for all arts. More detailed information about the New Standards can be found here. On September 9, 2014, NAfME will host a Q&A webinar presented by Johanna Siebert, Director of Fine Arts at Webster Central School District, and Richard Wells, Simsbury Public Schools (retired), and Music Chair for the Connecticut Common Arts Assessment Project. Learn more about them here.
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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 130,000 members, the organization is the 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.
Catherina Hurlburt, Special Assistant, August 27, 2014. © National Association for Music Education (NAfME.org)
