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Many Hands Working to Achieve Lasting Change
Laurie Schell | October 13, 2022Collective Impact Collective Impact can help communities accomplish big things in arts education. The term “collective impact” has been associated primarily with a programmatic approach to systems change through public investments. Not generally structured for advocacy or policy outcomes, collective impact is gaining traction with successful programs such as those funded by the National Endowment […] Read More... -
The Art of Strategic Communications
Laurie Schell | September 5, 2022The term “strategic communications” describes a messaging plan linked to overarching goals. It sits at the heart of advocacy success —the art of communicating effectively with targeted audiences to move decision makers with the use of mainstream, social, new, and paid media. Here are some tools of strategic communications and suggestions for how music educators […] Read More... -
The Value of Multiple Perspectives in Advocacy
Laurie Schell | June 14, 2022Perspective is broadly defined as having a particular point of view. What do we see from where we are standing? Will a shift in perspective lead to greater understanding and action? Effective advocacy is accomplished by understanding first where you are, then embracing perspectives beyond your own. Where Do You Stand? It begins with us– […] Read More... -
The Power of the Individual in Advocacy
Laurie Schell | May 2, 2022Individuals stand at the heart of advocacy strategy. We advocate every day, formally and informally. We advance causes for ourselves and others in the workplace, for our children at school, and for those within our communities. Advocacy is always personal. It starts with us, with our unique inherent beliefs and biases. Focusing Your Motivation Motivation for […] Read More... -
Introduction to Case-making and Systems Change in Arts & Cultural Education
Laurie Schell | March 18, 2022I am a lifetime advocate for music and arts education. In more recent years – especially since 2020 – as the whole world shifted, I witnessed the arts serving as a vehicle for society to grapple with these changes. So, my perspective has grown. I am an advocate for arts and cultural education and its powerful […] Read More... -
Be the Good News!
Laurie Schell | February 23, 2022Boy, do we need some good news. The world is out of sorts. It’s hard to go through a day without feeling glum or concerned for our future. We—music and arts education activists– can change that. We can put a smile on the day with stories of students making music. We can be the good […] Read More... -
Forest and the Trees: Perspectives in Music Education Advocacy
Laurie Schell | January 19, 2022What is your point of view in arts education advocacy? Are you the arts educator, working everyday to advance students’ knowledge and experience in the arts? Are you an artist or corporate partner, creating meaningful connections in your community? Or an administrator, working on policy levers that will improve quality, equity, and access for all […] Read More... -
Because Shift Happens… A Brave, New World
Laurie Schell | December 18, 2021There comes a time for honest reflection in the life of every music educator and music education program. Students are the ultimate beneficiaries of our work. Music educators and community partners spend every waking moment pursuing the delivery of meaningful music instruction. As a field we are all so busy with the day-to-day business of […] Read More... -
Keystones in Music Advocacy
Laurie Schell | November 12, 2021In the natural world, ecosystems may be as small as a tide pool or as vast as a jungle. The concept of keystone species describes species that play a disproportionately large role in the prevalence and population levels of other species within their ecosystem or community. Or more simply, a keystone is critical to the […] Read More... -
Sustainability in Music and Arts Education
Laurie Schell | October 9, 2021Regardless of your role in the music and arts education ecosystem, sustainability is the proverbial grand prize. What Do We Want? Imagine the day… Music and the arts are universally endorsed in public education policy and practice and included without question in school budgets. The arts would gain the same footing (and resources) as reading […] Read More... -
Music & School Culture is more than Friday Night Lights
Laurie Schell | September 6, 2021As teachers and families head back to school for the 2021-22 school year, there is still much uncertainty, feelings of loss and anxiety, tempered with the excitement of being back in the classroom again. Faced with the enormous task of picking up where we left off—only better– it’s time to talk again about the role […] Read More... -
Arts Education and Strategic Planning – Surf’s up!
Laurie Schell | August 13, 2021My surfer sons tell me that paddling out and waiting for the perfect wave is part of the “surf’s up” gestalt, meaning conditions are right, right now. As a non-surfer I might describe it as a state of readiness based on data and the immediacy of the moment. A calculation of wind speed and direction, […] Read More...
