March has been officially designated by MENC, The National Association for Music Education, as Music In Our Schools Month (MIOSM, a time of year when it is hoped that music education becomes a focus of schools across the country. The purpose of MIOSM is to raise awareness of the importance of music education for all children and to remind people that school is where all children should have access to music. MIOSM also is an opportunity for music teachers to bring their music programs to the attention of the school and the community and to display the benefits school music brings to students of all ages.

Below are several suggestions as to how you or your school can get in on the action. For a detailed list of activities, please go to the MENC website.

1. Take your children to as many local musical performance events as possible during the month. Anything is good, but try to identify and attend performances that are school focused, e.g.: school band performances, high school musicals, choir concerts, etc.

2. Talk to your children about music, especially what they are learning in school and try to learn what excites them about the music they are learning. Remember it is hard to advocate for music education if you don’t know what your children are experiencing currently.

3. Organize a “Drive” to have family members, neighbors, friends, your children’s class, or the teachers at your school call local radio stations and encourage them to play Public Service Announcements (PSA’s) about the importance of music in our schools. You can listen to more than a dozen prerecorded PSA’s and radio stations can easily down load them by going here.

4. Encourage your school’s band, choir, or orchestra to participate in the “World’s Largest Concert” event which is scheduled for March 10, 2011. For more information of this event visit Visit Here.

5. Organize a parent/student letter writing campaign to your local school board. Write the letter together with your child/children so you can capture in their voice just how they are benefitting from music in the schools. For additional facts about the Benefits of Music education you can go to www.musicempowersfoundation.org.

6. Encourage your child’s teacher or school to sponsor a poster contest. Poster should support Music In Our Schools Month and revolve around this year’s theme “Music Lasts a Lifetime”. Have members of the school board judge the contest.