NAMM Announces Influx of New Affiliates Joining SupportMusic Coalition in Favor of School Music Education

NAMM, the trade association of the international music products industry, announced today that in conjunction with back-to-school season, many organizations around the nation have joined the SupportMusic Coalition as a way to advocate on behalf of music education in their local schools.

Led by NAMM and MENC, The National Association for Music Education, the coalition comprises more than 140 organizations that represent more than 7 million concerned Americans looking for ways to provide a complete education that includes music and arts instruction for children in their local schools and communities.

Some of the new affiliates include VanderCook College of Music in Chicago, The New Mexico Music Educators Association and the Santa Fe Opera.

For people or organizations passionate about supporting music education in schools, the benefit of getting involved with the SupportMusic Coalition at this time of year is that progress can be made on a local level before school budget cuts are made.

According to Mary Luehrsen, director of public affairs and government relations at NAMM, people need to know how to support music in schools right in their own hometowns, and SupportMusic was designed specifically for that purpose.

“While most people think that they need to go all the way to federal level to support music education, the changes really start at home,” Luehrsen said. “Each state is responsible for how music education is administered and paid for through its individual school budget. If you want things to change, your community is where it all starts.”

Some of the benefits of joining the SupportMusic Coalition are monthly teleconference calls with educators, music product retailers and manufacturers, music instructors, parents and concerned citizens from all over the United States. Participants are provided an opportunity to network and truly understand the politics and current state of school music programs throughout many U.S. states.

The coalition invites individuals and all interested arts, parent, education, civic engagement and youth-serving organizations to become affiliates. Affiliate organizations actively participate via task force efforts, dissemination of pertinent information to constituents and members, and by adding tools and materials to www.SupportMusic.com that help communicate the organization’s mission and messages.

For more information and links to national, state and local organizations working together to keep music education strong, go to www.SupportMusic.com. Organizations interested in participating in the music education coalition can write to info@SupportMusic.com.