The WMEA Advocacy Committee (formerly Wisconsin Advocates for Music Education) is made up of educators, parents, business people, and other community members who believe all children deserve a well-rounded education that includes music and the arts. Thank you for your support of music education – and for helping decision-makers understand that “Music Makes The Difference.”
Additional information related to the WMEA Advocacy Committee can be found on the WMEA Facebook (@WMEAMusic) and Twitter (@WMEAmusic) pages. Be sure to follow these pages for all-things WMEA, including advocacy and so much more!
Thanks for sharing with others who may be interested in music advocacy!
WMEA Advocacy Committee – Work in Progress
The Wisconsin Advocates for Music Education (WAME) officially changed names as of July 2019, moving from WAME to the WMEA Advocacy Committee. This new name clarifies the role of this group as a committee within WMEA (as opposed to a stand-alone group) and will create a greater presence of advocacy resources for our members and their communities. Over the next year you will see changes to both our website and social media pages.
Website Updates – This advocacy page is a work in progress. We hope to roll out a more robust page, including online resources, advocacy toolkits, and more, in the months ahead (anticipated to be Summer 2020).
Social Media Updates – The WAME Facebook page has been discontinued as of December 1, 2019. Advocacy-related posts will be shared on the public WMEA Facebook (@WMEAMusic) and Twitter (@WMEAmusic) pages. If you haven’t already followed those pages, please do so.
Thank you for your patience as we work through this transition!
Advocacy Events and Initiatives
2020 Wisconsin Drive-In Day
Wednesday, February 12, 2020, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Wisconsin State Capitol, Madison, WI
On February 12, 2020, the WMEA Advocacy Committee will host the Wisconsin Drive-In Day at the Capitol in Madison. At this annual event, participants meet with Wisconsin legislators to advocate for a specific ASK regarding music education. More information about our 2020 ASK will be available closer to the Drive-In Day.
The WMEA Advocacy Committee is asking for strong participation at the Wisconsin Drive-In Day, including representatives from all districts in which state legislators serve on the WI Committee on Education. Please join us in Madison to advocate for music education – we need your voice at this important event!
Wisconsin Drive-In Day – Save the Date Flyer – please share!
Registration for 2020 Wisconsin Drive-In Day: https://bit.ly/2qrfhkb
Report Card Initiative
The WMEA Advocacy Committee has been involved in an initiative focused on the inclusion of data related to music and the arts on school district report cards. This included a formal ASK of legislators at the State Capitol as part of the 2018 Wisconsin Drive-In Day, collaboration with the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) as part of the 2019 Wisconsin Drive-In Event at the Wisconsin Center for Music Education, and more. At present, this initiative has moved to legislative action, including Assembly Bill 67 and Senate Bill 64, which contain the following language:
This bill requires the Department of Public Instruction to include in the annual school district and school accountability report, commonly referred to as school and school district report cards, the percentage of pupils participating in music, dance, drama, and visual arts. Under the bill, DPI must include this information for each high school and school district and must also include the statewide percentage of pupils participating in each subject. The bill specifies that this information may not be used to evaluate a school’s performance or school district’s improvement.
Be sure to check back on the links above to keep up with the latest on these important bills.
Dynamic Futures
Saturday, November 2, 2019, 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM
Oregon Middle School, Oregon, WI
The WMEA Advocacy Committee offered a new one-day workshop this year. Dynamic Futures took place at Oregon Middle School on November 2, 2019, thanks to the vision and leadership of Allison Jaeger. High school student participants worked with master teachers Leyla Sanyer (Orchestra) and Patty Schafer (Band) as they, together with middle school instrumentalists, learned about how teachers plan, teach, notice, adjust, and reflect. Congratulations to all on a meaningful new event!
For more information about the Dynamic Futures, visit https://wmeamusic.org/conference/aspiring-music-majors-program.
Dynamic Futures was sponsored in part by:
WMEA Advocacy Committee Leadership Team
The following people are members of the WMEA Advocacy Committee leadership team:
Committee Chairperson
- Paul Budde – WMEA President-Elect
Steering Committee Members
- Kati Seiter – WMEA President, WMEA Music Teacher
- Lynn Seidl – WMEA Immediate Past President, WMEA Music Teacher
- Laurie Fellenz – WMEA/WSMA/WFSM Executive Director
- Brad Schneider – WMEA Government Relations Chair
- Kevin Thays – WSMA Director of Communications
- Amelia Armstrong – WMEA Music Teacher
- Carolyn Atwell – WMEA Music Teacher
- Allison Jaeger – WMEA Music Teacher
- Amy Meyer – WMEA Music Teacher
- Maggie Paucek – WMEA Music Teacher
- Katie Prihoda – WMEA Music Teacher
- Leyla Sanyer – WMEA Music Teacher
- Justin Steger – WMEA Music Teacher
- Jacki Thering – WMEA Music Teacher
- Tristann Rieck – Business Representative
- Lizzy Cichowski – Business Representative, Community Representative
- Jimmy Brandmeier – Community Representative
- Peggy Hill-Breunig – Community Representative
- Anne Katz – Community Representative
- Marissa Altendorfer – NAfME Collegiate (Student) Representative
- Maggie Grewal – NAfME Collegiate (Student) Representative
Interested in joining our committee? Contact the WMEA Advocacy Committee Chairperson.
