Supporting Safe, Inclusive Music Education Through Local Educational Leadership

To Our Wisconsin Educational Community,

Wisconsin School Music Association (WSMA) and Wisconsin Music Educators Association (WMEA) recognize that impactful music education includes opportunities for students to engage with diverse musical traditions, perspectives, histories, and forms of expression. Through inclusive classroom environments, thoughtful repertoire selection and standards-based instruction, music educators guide students through development of artistic understanding, cultural awareness, empathy, and respect for the richness of the human experience.  

WSMA and WMEA believe music teachers are best positioned to make age-appropriate and educationally sound decisions regarding the study and performance of music because educators understand the developmental, artistic, cultural, and curricular goals for their students. When music is studied, teachers navigate within the framework of locally adopted school board policies, district procedures, professional ethics, and community expectations.

Consistent with our respective organizational missions, values, beliefs, and strategic goals, WSMA and WMEA support local control in curriculum development and instructional decision-making. Wisconsin music educators are licensed professionals who are trained to thoughtfully select repertoire and instructional materials that align with state and national music standards, support student learning, reflect educational goals, and meet the needs of their local school communities.

Wisconsin’s music educators work to provide learning experiences that foster creativity, self-expression, teamwork, cultural understanding, aesthetic awareness, and lifelong engagement with music. In doing so, professional judgment is informed by the Wisconsin Standards for Music and National Core Arts Standards. State and national standards emphasize artistic literacy, performance with understanding, critical response, and meaningful connection to diverse musical experiences.

As organizations dedicated to supporting both students and educators, WSMA and WMEA affirm the importance of advocating for equitable access to high-quality music education for all students in a welcoming and safe environment while maintaining local educational decision-making authority about genre selection and repertoire study.

Authored by Laurie N Fellenz, WSMA & WMEA Executive Director – May 7, 2026