Advocacy Script Examples

Do you have 30 seconds to deliver when a parent asks, “Why should my child be involved in music.”

When your student joins band, choir, or orchestra they will learn about working toward greatness and not mediocrity. By being in an ensemble, your student will learn the value of everyone working together to achieve excellence! The rewards of hard work and persistence will be obvious not just in concerts but also in the rehearsals. Students in music learn to manage their time, think creatively, and to solve problems (even if it’s just solving “How do I get my trombone home on the bus?”). Music is all about teamwork and discipline and is a lot like playing a sport where everyone must work together toward a single goal, but there is something about performing music together that you can’t get from anything else and nobody sits on the bench in a concert.

What to say in 1 minute when an administrator comments, “Music is a nice break in the day.”

It is understandable that music is viewed as a break in a student’s days because they enjoy going to band (orchestra, choir). However, we need to remember that many of the highest achievers in the school are in our music program. They need a class that allows them a change in direction from the standard course offerings throughout the day. This is something that has been highly sought after by medical and law schools. They want potential doctors and lawyers that know how to be creative problem solvers and how to be able to find a way to express themselves beyond their career track. Students of music learn how details are put together and what constitutes greatness, not mediocrity. Through music, students learn the value of sustained effort to achieve excellence and the concrete rewards of hard work, which is a valuable part of the mission of our school.  I would also like to remind the administrative team of the number of scholarship dollars that were awarded to the seniors last year which were involved in music [insert scholarship total]. The music program’s impact is far more than a break for the students involved.

3 minutes to deliver as an appeal to the school board when music is on the chopping block during a budget crisis.

Members of the board, thank you for allowing me to speak today about the value of our music program. We know you have a difficult task ahead as our school district is experiencing a budget crisis due to (reduced state funding, declining enrollment, whatever is the issue). However, as the proposal sits today to eliminate the music program it is important to remind the board of the numbers of students involved. Put simply, the music program is the largest student group in our district. We know it is important for students to find a place they belong. When students know they belong to a community at the school they are more likely to attend and we all know that attendance correlates to graduation. Students in music learn hard work, dedication, and teamwork in a way that engages creativity and problem solving. When we look at the skills most in demand by our modern employers they are: Critical thinking and problem solving, teamwork and collaboration, professionalism and strong work ethic, oral and written communications skills, and leadership. All these skills are on display daily in a music program and give our students a head start in building the skills that will create life-long success. I believe it is important to note that nationally 98.5% of all schools have a music program. Students who are involved in music have lower levels of discipline issues, higher graduation rates and test scores, and create higher levels of scholarship dollars compared to their non-music classmates. These are all metrics the district holds in high esteem. Now, I am not saying that cutting the music program will prevent our students from being successful, however it is a considerable risk to take as a community. The parents here today do not what their students going to one of the few schools in the United States or in [insert state] that do not offer a music program. We implore this board to continue our school’s history of excellence in music and to not cut or reduce the music program. We also offer to work with the board and the community in finding ways to keep the program through this difficult time. We understand the hard choices you will have to make; we ask that you make these choices without creating a detriment to the [number of students in music] in our district.