Sound Strategies
Creating Advocacy in Today’s Teaching Environment“A Perspective”
Creating Advocacy in Today’s Teaching Environment
“A Perspective”
Bill Wittman
As I reflect on today’s teaching environment, compared with the years when I was an active public-school teacher, I recognize that much has changed. Yet many of the most important principles remain the same. Communication continues to be one of the strongest keys to success in any educational program.
Students must understand what we communicate to perform effectively. The same is true of our communication as educators with supervisors, principals, superintendents, boards of education, colleagues, parents, and community members. At a time when public education and arts programs face increasing pressures, we must strengthen relationships with the people who work alongside us and those who supervise our instruction.
This article is not primarily about teaching techniques. It is about communicating effectively in order to demonstrate the importance of music and the arts to everyone connected with our schools.
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Share Your Vision
Share Your Vision
Planning is essential, but planning must also be shared. Directors of band, choir, orchestra, general music, and other arts programs should regularly communicate their goals, schedules, needs, and student successes with building leadership.
Concerts, rehearsals, festivals, assessments, field trips, and special events affect transportation, facilities, staffing, calendars, and family communication. Working with a building planning team helps avoid conflicts and ensures that music activities are coordinated with the larger life of the school.
Administrators need to know what you are thinking in terms of programming. Keep them informed about upcoming performances, curriculum goals, student accomplishments, scheduling needs, and challenges that may require support. When administrators understand what is happening in the music classroom, they are more likely to recognize the program’s value and advocate for its needs.
Too often, the arts take a back seat to other academic priorities. It is our responsibility to help others understand that music is not an “extra.” Music education develops artistic literacy, creativity, collaboration, discipline, communication, listening, and reflection. Students create, perform, respond to music, and connect their learning to history, culture, personal experience, and community.
When we describe our programs in terms of student learning—not merely concerts and events—we make the educational value of the arts easier for others to see.
Build Relationships with Administrators
Build Relationships with Administrators
Strong advocacy begins with everyday relationships. A brief conversation with a principal or supervisor can be as valuable as a formal report. During my teaching career, I made it a practice to pick up my school mail at the end of the day. Often, my principal was still in the office, and we had a chance to talk or simply say hello.
Those regular interactions mattered. Getting to know your principal or supervisor can be a key to your success as a professional educator. Relationships should not be developed only when there is a problem, a budget concern, or a scheduling conflict. They should be built gradually through consistent communication, professionalism, and mutual respect.
I tried to speak with my principal at least once each week. I shared what students were doing, what events were approaching, and what successes I was seeing. I also made it a practice to give my administrator schedules, activity information, and major communications before they were distributed to students and families.
This gave the principal an opportunity to ask questions, offer feedback, and provide support before information was released publicly. More importantly, it created shared ownership—real buy-in—for the program.
A principal who understands your goals is more likely to support your students. A principal who feels included in the process is more likely to advocate for the program when important decisions are made.
Invite Leaders and Families
Invite Leaders and Families
Parents and guardians are vital advocates for music education, and it is helpful for them to know the school’s administrators. From time to time, I invited my principal to attend a Music Boosters meeting simply to say hello. In many cases, parents did not know their principal personally. That brief visit helped strengthen connections among families, the music program, and school leadership.
Invite administrators, board members, and community leaders to rehearsals, classroom lessons, concerts, arts showcases, and booster meetings create a welcoming environment where they can observe student learning without feeling pressured or criticized.
A visit to a music classroom gives leaders a chance to see the work behind a performance. They can observe students listening, practicing, solving problems, responding to feedback, collaborating, and developing confidence. These experiences help decision-makers understand that music education is not just about a concert; it is about daily growth.
Tell the Story of Learning
Tell the Story of Learning
Professionalism in music education is more important than ever. We must be prepared to explain what students are learning and why it matters.
A concert is valuable, but it should not be the only evidence of a successful program. We must also communicate the learning that happens before the performance: listening, practicing, analyzing, composing, revising, collaborating, and reflecting.
Instead of saying only, “Our students are preparing for a concert,” consider saying:
“Students are developing technical skill, analyzing musical structure, making interpretive decisions, responding to feedback, and working together to communicate meaning to an audience.”
This kind of explanation helps parents, principals, and board members understand the depth of the work.
Music students learn persistence. They learn that improvement comes through focused practice, repeated attempts, feedback, and revision. They learn responsibility to an ensemble while developing their individual voice. They develop confidence, leadership, and a sense of belonging. These are meaningful outcomes that extend well beyond the music room.
There was a time when the “Mozart Effect” became a popular topic in education. While claims about simply listening to Mozart were often overstated, the public interest revealed an important truth: people recognize that music matters. Today, our strongest advocacy message is not an exaggerated claim. It is the evidence of what students do and learn.
Share student performances, recordings, compositions, reflections, concert programs, portfolios, enrollment information, and stories of personal growth. Tell the story of the student who found belonging in choir, the young musician who developed leadership through band, or the child who discovered confidence through a solo or composition. Statistics are useful, but personal stories make the impact real.
Make Advocacy a Habit
Make Advocacy a Habit
Advocacy should not begin only when a program is in danger. It should be part of our regular professional practice.
Every conversation is an opportunity to help others understand the value of the arts. Every successful event can strengthen support. Every student story can remind a community why music education matters.
- Communicate with principals and supervisors consistently.
- Share calendars and important information early.
- Invite leaders and families into the program.
- Celebrate student growth publicly and appropriately.
- Thank supporters for their time and assistance.
- Keep families informed about what students are learning.
- Build positive relationships with colleagues throughout the school.
- Document student work through recordings, programs, photographs, and reflections.
- Speak about music as a vital part of a complete education.
The future of music education depends on teachers who are skilled educators, thoughtful communicators, and purposeful advocates. Consider the legacy you want to leave for the children you teach. What kind of musical culture do you want to build? How will students, families, administrators, and community members describe the value of your program?
Music and the arts deserve a prominent place in every child’s education. Through clear communication, professional relationships, visible student learning, and consistent advocacy, we can ensure that our programs continue to serve, inspire, and strengthen students for years to come.
William "Bill" Wittman, a Lancaster, Ohio, native, has devoted over four decades to music education and educational leadership throughout the state. He holds a BFA from Ohio University, a Master of Music from Wright State University, and completed doctoral coursework in Educational Leadership at Ohio University, and was named a Wright State Distinguished Alumnus in 2002.
His career began as Director of Bands for Lancaster City Schools, whose ensembles earned top competition ratings; he later served as Director of Fine Arts Education for Newark City Schools and as superintendent of Hamilton Local Schools and Tri-County Career Center before retiring to join the Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA) as Director of Business and Trade Show Operations.
An active servant to the music community, Wittman directed The Jubilate Ringers at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Newark for 25 years, has adjudicated for OMEA for over 30 years, helped select the Columbus Symphony Orchestra's Music Educator of the Year, served on the board of Pro/Arte Ohio, and is a past president of Phi Beta Mu–Ohio. He currently serves as Artistic Director of the Lancaster Handbell Ensemble and Handbell Director for the Celebration Ringers at First Presbyterian Church in Lancaster. He and his wife, Suzanne, enjoy time with their children and grandchildren—a family with music at its heart.
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