Music In Our Schools Month Involves Teachers and Students

By John Eckstine

Introduction

Although John Eckstine now works for Citibank as a credit analyst, he has an impressive background in teaching music to high school students. John Eckstine's accomplishments in music education include numerous concerts, parades, and competitions. Eckstine has also been involved in professional organizations such as the National Association for Music Educators (NafME), formerly the Music Educators National Conference.

NAfME

NAfME advocates for music education in its Music In Our Schools Month (MIOSM) program. Beginning as a single-day, statewide celebration of music in New York schools in 1973, MIOSM expanded over the years to a week and then to its current length in 1985. March also became the official month at that time. The goals of the program are to communicate the importance of music to all children and to promote the availability of music teaching to all students.

Conclusion

NAfME members pursue these objectives by arranging for children's performances in schools, libraries, classrooms, and other venues. They also seek the support of parents, community groups, and administrators.

One important aspect of the program is the Concert for Music In Our Schools Month, a series of classroom events, concerts, and sing-alongs, all using the same collection of songs. Participants are encouraged to post videos of these events; the group drawing the most views wins a prize.