For Immediate Release
Contact: Ronny Lau at NAfME
advocacy@nafme.org or 703-860-4000, ext. 225
With Winter Guard International,
Music Education Policy Roundtable
Grows to 34 Member Groups
RESTON, VA (September 9, 2015)—The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) is pleased to announce that Winter Guard International (WGI) has joined with NAfME and 32 other like-minded organizations as a member group of the Music Education Policy Roundtable. NAfME welcomes WGI to the coalition as our official 34th member of the Roundtable.
WGI is the world’s premier organization producing indoor color guard, percussion, and wind ensemble competitions. WGI serves as the leading governing body of the winter guard and indoor percussion activities. First formed in 1977, the organization now facilitates more than 36,000 participants at a regional level.
Last April, more than 12,000 participants representing organizations from across the United States and the rest of the globe competed at WGI’s world championships. Color guard and indoor marching ensembles are considered part of the music education curriculum by most schools. WGI Sport of the Arts provides curriculum materials for classes in equipment, movement, and design.
“We are pleased to welcome Winter Guard International to the Roundtable,” said Michael A. Butera, executive director and CEO of NAfME. “We in the field know that music has a demonstrable impact on student learning and reaches far beyond the school. We want to ensure that every child has access to music in school. Working together with our Roundtable partners, we plan to help others learn how music education orchestrates success.”
“As ‘music’ and ‘arts’ have been acknowledged in draft Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) legislation earlier this year,” added Assistant Executive Director Christopher Woodside, “this is a strategic time for an increased presence of music education supporters on Capitol Hill. We are grateful for WGI’s added voice.”
We are very excited to have WGI join us in ensuring the presence and preservation of school music programs. The Roundtable first formed in 2012 to unify many great music education organizations under a single policy banner, and we continue to move toward that goal as more organizations join in supporting this very important issue and worthwhile cause.
Learn more about the Music Education Policy Roundtable.
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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.
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For additional information, contact Catherina Hurlburt at catherinah@nafme.org or 703-860-4000, ext. 242.
