Text Book:

Music Advocacy: Moving from Survival to Vision

A summary of the practice of music advocacy, this book compiles thirty years of research and experience of one of the nation’s most successful advocates for music education. It gives music educators, administrators, school board members, and community advocates step-by-step procedures for saving and building school music programs. (Table of Contents)

"...a must-have for every music department." - Mary Wagner (former president ASTA)

*Now available with a companion PowerPoint presentation, including comprehensive speech notes coordinated with specific pages in the book.

Developing the Annual Status Report: Instructions, Examples and Template

Books/Articles

General Information

John Benham, "Facing Music Cuts? Don't Give Up -- Organize!" Gopher Music Notes 38, no. 4 (April 1982): 3.
Lawrence Henry, "'Reverse Economics' For the School Band," Wind Retailer (Winter 1990-1991): 10.
"Benham Makes 'Reverse Economic' Video To Fight School Music Budget Cuts," Wind Retailer (Spring 1991): 14.
John Benham, "Defending Music Programs With Economic Analysis," The Instrumentalist (August 1991): 15.
John Benham, "Three Reasons Your Music Program Is Vulnerable To Cuts," Today's Music Educator (September 1991): 6.
John Benham, "Saving School Music Programs-Music Activism," Creative Selling 1, no. 3 (1992): 7.
John Benham, "Prevention, Not Cure: Forestalling Budget Problems," Choral Journal (November 1995): 31.
Lenzini, Catherine Sell, "Building Public Support For the Music Program: Preparing an Annual Report to the Community," The Instrumentalist (December 1995): 16.
John Benham, "Three Reasons Your Arts Program Is Vulnerable To Cuts," The Recorder-The Journal of the Ontario Music Educators Association 40, nos. 1 & 2 (Winter 1997-1998): 20.
John Benham, "Introducing the Final Four," School Music Dealer (Summer 1999): 34.
John Benham, "The Power of Being Proactive," School Music Dealer (Fall 1999): 40.
John Benham, "Three Keys to Music Advocacy," String Notes (Winter 2001/2002):9
John Benham, "Music Advocacy: Eight Strategic Errors," Southwestern Musician (November 2011): 50.
John Benham, "How To Save Music Programs," School Music Dealer (Winter 2011): 13.
John Benham, NAfME Webinar Series: Music Advocacy: Moving from Survival to Vision (See:
https://nafme.org/my-classroom/nafme-online-professional-learning-community/

and https://vimeo.com/426069492

Scheduling

John Benham and Stephen Benham, "The Perils of Block Scheduling," The Instrumentlist (August 1996): 30.
"Building Blocks: Making Music Fit Into Block Schedules," United Musical Instruments 3, nos. 1-16 (1996): 3.
John Benham, "Revisiting Block Scheduling," School Music Dealer (Spring 1999): 38.

Budget/Finance

John Benham, "Defending Music Programs With Economic Analysis," The Instrumentalist (August 1991): 15.
John Benham, "Forestalling Budget Problems," The Instrumentalist (November 1992): 12.
John Benham, "What To Do When Budget Cuts Come," School Music Dealer (Winter 2000): 38.

School-To-Work

John Benham, "Solving Adult Problems At the Expense of Children," School Music Dealer (Fall 1998): 34.

Music and the Brain

Levitin, Daniel J. This Is Your Brain on Music. Plume/Penguin, 2007. ISBN 10: 0452288525.
Wilson, Frank R. Tone Deaf, and All Thumbs? Viking Adult, 1986. ISBN 10: 067080823.Resources

Additional Links & Resources

American String Teachers Association (ASTA)
Association of Music Parents
Be Part of the Band website
SOS: Support Our Strings
NAfME: The National Association for Music Education (formerly MENC) website
SupportMusic.com: a public service of the Music Education Coalition
https://www.learnhowtobecome.org/arts-humanities-careers/music/: Music Career Guidebook