‘Music Man’ lives on (PA)
Advocacy News, Action, and Alerts
MENC Centennial Celebration and Congress a Huge Success
The MENC Centennial Celebration and Congress took place June 25-28 in Orlando, Florida. The week of events was a tremendous success for music education. Prominently featured during the Centennial was a discussion of two key issues: MENC’s goals for music education, and why music education is not yet a universal component of the academic curriculum. Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, addressed the Congress, as did other prominent leaders from various arts and education organizations.
The achievements of the Centennial, and of MENC’s past one-hundred years of dedicated service to music educators and music education, live on through the message of the Centennial Declaration, a mission statement designed to reinforce and celebrate MENC’s goals for music programs in America’s schools.
The National Anthem Project Update
Grand Finale creates memories of a lifetime
June 14-16, 2007, The National Anthem Project Grand Finale celebrations transformed the grounds of the Washington Monument into a shining beacon of patriotism and song, a living tribute to our national anthem.
From the project’s launch in 2005, to a nationwide Road Show tour in 2006, to a spot in the 2007 Rose Parade, The National Anthem Project has touched millions of lives by teaching and re-teaching all Americans to sing the national anthem.
Thousands of citizens supporting The National Anthem Project and music education, including teachers, schoolchildren, and various organizations, traveled from all across the country for three days of exciting events in our nation’s capital. Here are some highlights of the festivities:
• On June 14, participants gathered at the Washington Monument for a mass performance and patriotic sing-along with “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band.
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• On June 15, school ensembles performed at monuments, memorials, and other venues all over Washington. Here, Mrs. America 2007 Marney Duckworth and Mrs. Michigan 2007 Laura Loveberry are flanked by students from the Forth Worth Academy of Fine Arts.
• On June 16, The National Anthem Project celebrated at the Navy-Marine Corps Stadium with a special singing of the national anthem, and an exciting performance by Drum Corps International.
Celebrate National Anthem Day 2007
National Anthem Day, September 14th, 2007, marks the 193rd anniversary of the penning of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The 3rd annual September 14th sing-along will commemorate the event. In past years, over 2,700 schools and organizations have participated in this celebratory event. This year, children, parents, teachers, and community leaders across the country are invited to come together and join the in the sing at 9:00 a.m. local time. Start now to plan a National Anthem Day event in your town showcasing the important role that music education plays in teaching American historical and musical traditions.
Help make National Anthem Day a new annual tradition! Contact fellow teachers, parents, schools, veterans’ groups, Girl Scouts of the USA, and community leaders and encourage them to join in singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at your school on September 14th. Be sure to let us know of your plans so that we can post your information on the National Anthem Day Web site! Visit National Anthem Day for more information and helpful resources.
Music Education Legislative Update
House approves funding increases for the National Endowment for the Arts
Wonderful news! Thanks to the advocacy efforts of MusicFriends like yourself, the U.S. House of Representatives has approved an FY08 funding increase of $35 million for the National Endowment for the Arts! The NEA's new budget allotment is the highest in the agency's history, and will greatly assist in opening new doors to many aspiring young artists and musicians. The debate on the floor of the House took two days and required the defeat of three separate NEA weakening amendments before the funding increase could finally be passed. Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Norm Dicks (WI), Congressional Arts Caucus Co-chairs Louise Slaughter (NY), Chris Shays (CT), and a host of many other members should all be commended for their strong actions in support of the NEA.
Stay tuned for updates on the progress of the proposed arts funding increases!
For Music Students
Enter the MENC Student Composition talent search!
MENC will select exceptional student compositions to feature in live performances at the 2008 national conference in Milwaukee, WI. The musical categories will include piano, solo (instrumental or vocal), small ensemble (instrumental or vocal), and large ensemble (band, orchestra, or chorus). Selected compositions will be representative of the best overall submitted works from MENC’s six divisions; elementary/middle school, high school, and undergraduate/graduate school. Children of MENC members and MENC collegiate members are also eligible for entrance. For more information, visit the Web site. Deadline: October 12, 2007.
Music Vocabulary
Pizzicato – A playing technique involving the plucking of strings on an instrument. The exact pizzicato technique varies depending on the type of stringed instrument being plucked. Bowed string instruments, keyboard string instruments, and guitars all employ separate forms of pizzicato, resulting in differing sounds.
