2026 May Music Journal

NFHS Music Journal Association Report: Connecticut

Small State, Big Collaboration:

How Connecticut’s Arts Organizations Are Building a Stronger Future Together

By Amy Perras; Instructional Supervisor for Music, Art, and Library Media; Milford Public Schools

It is exciting to be able to share the incredible work happening in Connecticut, especially over the past several years. If I had been asked to write this update just a few years ago, the story would have sounded very different. Today, however, I can tell a story rooted in connection, collaboration, and a shared commitment to ensuring high-quality arts education opportunities for every student in Connecticut.

For years, Connecticut’s arts organizations all carried similar goals, but much of the work happened independently. Organizations stayed in their own lanes, occasionally partnering on a project or initiative before returning to their separate silos. While everyone cared deeply about supporting students and educators, there was limited statewide coordination.

Now, if you have never been to Connecticut, there are a few things every resident will tell you. First, we are perfectly situated between two major cultural hubs, being about two hours from both Boston and New York City. Second, if you drive an hour in almost any direction, you are likely leaving the state. And third, and perhaps most passionately defended, we are the pizza capital of the world. Our welcome signs say so, after all.

But in a state small enough to cross in a day, it no longer made sense for arts organizations to remain miles apart philosophically.

So, we decided to change that.

From Silos to Statewide Collaboration

The Connecticut Arts Administrators Association (CAAA), the professional organization for arts administrators and leaders across the state, became a catalyst for this shift. Its mission centers on developing and supporting quality arts education programs while building meaningful partnerships with local, state, and national organizations. Over the past several years, those partnerships have transformed the way arts education work in Connecticut.

Perhaps the biggest shift, however, was not structural. It was cultural. Organizations began moving away from asking, “Whose initiative is this?” and instead asking, “How do we move this work forward together?” Leaders became more intentional about sharing credit, aligning priorities, and maintaining regular communication. That mindset shift has created stronger trust among organizations and allowed the arts education community to operate less like individual groups and more like a connected statewide network.

Building Partnerships with School Leaders

One of the first realizations was that many school and district administrators supported the arts wholeheartedly but did not always fully understand the scope and significance of statewide arts opportunities for students. Music festivals, adjudicated events, arts showcases, and student leadership opportunities often existed outside the daily visibility of school leadership.

To address this, arts leaders partnered with the Connecticut Association of Schools and the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CAS/CIAC) to establish a statewide Performing Arts Committee and formally recognize the performing arts alongside other student activities.

This partnership has become one of the most impactful examples of cross-organizational collaboration in the state. The committee, comprised of school administrators, representatives from the Connecticut Music Educators Association (CMEA), and CAAA leaders, is now in its second year and continues to expand its reach and influence.

Among its initiatives is the Esprit de Corps Marching Band Award, presented at the state marching band championships to ensembles that exemplify character, teamwork, collaboration, and positive culture. The committee also launched the Performing Artist of the Week Spotlight, recognizing outstanding student performers from schools across the state, while continuing to support elementary and secondary student recognition events in both music and visual arts.

The creation of this committee has strengthened communication between arts educators and school leaders and has also elevated statewide recognition of arts students. Connecticut has already seen increased nominations for the national Heart of the Arts Award, and this year’s Section 1 winner proudly comes from Connecticut.

Elevating Student Voice and Advocacy

Once strong communication pathways with school leaders were established, the work naturally expanded into broader statewide partnerships and initiatives. At the same time, Connecticut’s arts education organizations have continued to deepen collaboration and expand opportunities for students and educators statewide.

The Connecticut Music Educators Association has experienced significant growth in student engagement and participation over the past year, with thousands of students across the state participating in regional festivals, All-State ensembles, and elementary honors experiences. The continued growth at both the elementary and secondary levels reflect not only the strength of music education programs statewide, but also a growing commitment to ensuring students have access to meaningful artistic opportunities throughout their educational journey.

Equity and access have also become central priorities. Scholarship opportunities expanded this year, supporting students from districts across Connecticut and helping remove barriers to participation in statewide arts experiences. At the same time, organizations have worked intentionally to create opportunities that elevate student voice and leadership. Whether through performances, student research presentations, composition showcases, advocacy events, or leadership organizations such as Tri-M, students are increasingly serving as ambassadors for arts education in their schools and communities.

Advocacy efforts also reached a major milestone this year with the launch of Connecticut’s first statewide Arts Education Advocacy Day at the State Capitol. This collaborative effort, led by CMEA, the Connecticut Arts Administrators Association, the Connecticut Art Education Association, and the Connecticut Association of Schools, brought together student performers, visual artists, educators, administrators, and policymakers to celebrate and advocate for arts education. The event created meaningful opportunities for legislators to hear directly from students and educators about the impact of the arts in Connecticut schools.

Professional learning opportunities for educators also continue to expand. Participation in statewide conferences and professional development offerings has steadily increased, while organizations are simultaneously engaging in strategic planning processes designed to ensure long-term sustainability and continued growth. Together, these efforts reflect a statewide arts community that is not only thriving but actively planning for the future.

A Collective Vision for Arts Learning

Perhaps one of the most significant developments in Connecticut is the launch of the Connecticut Arts Learning Collaborative (CALC), a statewide collective impact initiative focused on strengthening and aligning arts learning opportunities across Connecticut. Originally supported through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, CALC continues to move forward through a sustained, multi-partner funding structure supported by the Connecticut State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts, and administered by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of the Arts. This support has been strengthened through ongoing partnerships with Arts for Learning Connecticut, the Connecticut Office of the Arts, and additional community partners committed to advancing this work.

CALC represents a major shift in how Connecticut approaches arts education. Rather than isolated initiatives, the state is building a coordinated, cross-sector strategy that brings together educators, teaching artists, nonprofit organizations, school and district leaders, policymakers, researchers, and funders around a shared vision for equitable arts access. Led by a steering committee that includes Arts for Learning Connecticut, CAAA, the Connecticut Office of the Arts, and additional statewide partners, CALC is focused on building infrastructure that can support long-term systems change. Current work includes statewide convenings, collaborative working groups, and professional learning communities designed to align efforts across organizations and communities.

Earlier this year, more than 100 stakeholders from across Connecticut convened to begin developing a shared statewide vision and action plan for arts learning. Support from national partners, including MindPop, has helped Connecticut advance sustainable collective impact practices.

Another critical component of this work is data. As part of the broader work of CALC, Connecticut is now participating in the Arts Education Data Project, in partnership with Quadrant Research under the leadership of Bob Morrison. This work is helping to strengthen a shared, equity-focused arts education measurement framework designed to better understand access, participation, and opportunity across districts statewide. The resulting data infrastructure will inform future policy, advocacy, and resource allocation decisions, ensuring efforts are grounded in a clear and consistent picture of arts education access across Connecticut.

This focus on shared data reflects a broader shift happening through CALC: a move toward coordinated systems rather than isolated efforts. Rather than individual organizations collecting or interpreting data independently, CALC is helping to align partners around common questions, shared definitions, and a unified understanding of arts access across the state.

Lessons Learned Along the Way

Of course, collaboration at this scale is not without challenges. Organizations move at different speeds, have different governance structures, and often balance different priorities and calendars. Meaningful collaboration requires intentional communication, patience, and trust. Sustaining momentum involves ongoing relationship-building and a willingness to prioritize collective impact over individual organizational recognition. At the same time, this work feels particularly important right now. Across the country, educators and communities continue to rebuild connections and strengthen student engagement following years of disruption and isolation. In Connecticut, arts education has become an important vehicle for belonging, student voice, creativity, and community-building. There is also growing recognition that access to arts education is fundamentally an equity issue, and that every student deserves the opportunity to participate in meaningful artistic experiences regardless of zip code or background.

Most importantly, this work reflects a broader cultural shift across Connecticut’s arts education community. Organizations are no longer simply collaborating on isolated events. Instead, they are increasingly building shared systems, shared leadership structures, and shared accountability around the future of arts education in the state.

Small State, Big Impact

So yes, Connecticut is still small. Yes, we are still close to Boston and New York City. And yes, we will continue to passionately defend our pizza reputation, but perhaps the most important thing to know about Connecticut right now is this: Our arts education community has embraced the power of partnership. Through collaboration, shared vision, and collective advocacy, we are building a stronger and more connected arts ecosystem- one that ensures students across the state have access to meaningful, high-quality arts learning experiences for years to come.

Connecticut’s work is far from finished, but we have learned that meaningful statewide change happens when organizations choose partnership over isolation, collective impact over individual recognition, and shared purpose over silos. That shift has made all the difference.

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