The following is a bulletin from MENC's Facebook Cause, Advance Music Education. Join the network of over 170,000 who support music education
through Facebook Causes.

Last week, the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy reported that a study of L.A. nonprofits found that every $1 spent on advocacy resulted in a $91 benefit to the community.

That is great news, and some validation for the work we do at MENC advocating for music education programs in schools. We have a lot of research and anecdotal evidence that helps us to make the case everyday on a national level that music needs to be part of each child’s educational experience.

Did you know:

• Ninety-four percent (94%) of Americans believe that music is part of a well-rounded education (2006 Gallup Poll, part of the 2006 Music USA, NAMM Global Report)
• Seven in ten school principals say music education is extremely important to a student’s educational success. (2006 Harris Interactive poll of high school principals)
• Nearly 9 in 10 school principals feel that a high-quality music education program contributes to their school achieving higher graduation rates (2006 Harris Interactive poll)
• MENC created Standards for Music Education that were accepted by the U.S. Secretary of Education, Richard Riley in 1994.
• The U.S. Department of Education identified arts education (including music) as core curriculum in the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
   

We are fortunate to have passionate supporters (like you), committed teachers, and talented students that give our cause a voice. The community of people committed to supporting music education is a strong one and is growing!

We see this everyday on the Cause walls, on our MENC Facebook Fan Page, on Twitter (@advance_musiced and @menc, #musiced, #miosm), in the MIOSM essays of our students, and even the comments of the U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan. So, keep sharing and posting your comments and your views. We want to hear your voice!

Finally, don’t forget March is Music In Our Schools Month^® (MIOSM^®), the time of year when music education becomes the focus of schools across the nation. Celebrate MIOSM in your school and community and raise awareness of the importance of school music! Sing along with the World’s Largest Concert, download and share public service announcements, and check out MENC’s activity ideas and advocacy resources.

A special thanks to Lisa Marxer for donating $25 and recruiting 3 friends this week! Thanks also to other top recruiters this week: Ashley Copley, Amber Ingram, Abbey Carter, Marie Vallejos, and Francine Collins—all recruited 6 new members in the past week!

Until next week…

The MENC Team, March 10, 2010