“In the statement, ‘Arts Education Is Essential,’ the signing organizations convey that the arts have already played a pivotal and uplifting role during the health crisis, and that arts education can help all students, including those who are in traditionally underrepresented groups, as students return to school next year.”
NAfME joins 52 other national organizations to support arts education as sssential. The following statement of support has been reviewed and endorsed by all of the organizations:
It is imperative that all students have access to an equitable delivery of arts education that includes dance, media arts, music, theatre, and visual arts that supports their educational, social, and emotional well-being, taught by certified professional arts educators in partnership with community arts providers.
“It is vitally important to advocate for music and arts education now, as school districts and states begin to undertake the challenging task of planning the 2020–2021 school year,” said Kathleen D. Sanz, president of the National Association for Music Education. “We need to remind policymakers at all levels, from state legislatures to school boards, that the arts are part of a complete and well-rounded education that every student regardless of background must receive. Maintaining the arts in the schools is critical to continue to help our students with their educational and social and emotional learning, especially for those students in need of support in these difficult times.”
The entire Arts Education Is Essential statement can be found on the NAfME website.
All information found here was taken from NAfME’s press release, May 26, 2020. Much additional information is available in that article.