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Ideas and resources for getting kids and young adults involved in the movement to support arts education.
Passionate about the arts? Want to do something to support the arts but don’t know where to start? Tired of leaving all the important decisions to others? Want to know how kids and young adults can join the movement to support arts education?
You don’t have to wait to become a full-fledged arts advocate. Whether you are interested in promoting arts education in schools, supporting the arts in your local community, exploring career opportunities in the arts, helping to make policy changes, or simply learning more about issues in arts policy, you can make a big difference, regardless of your age or experience.
The arts NEED advocates like you: young, open-minded, excited, and eager. Like you! It may sound cliche, but you ARE the future. Yours are the voices your generation will follow. Only you can ensure that the arts have a long and vibrant life throughout the 21st century!
You can start now. The key is to take advantage of the wealth of resources available to you.
Ten Things You Can Do for the Arts
- Voice your opinion.
Submit a letter to the editor for publication in your local newspaper. Be sure to check your facts.
- Contact a decision-maker.
E-mail, write or call your Congressman, Senator, State Legislator, or School Board Member regarding important arts and arts education policy issues.
- Start an on-campus club.
Create an arts advocacy/arts appreciation club or join one if one already exists.
- Volunteer at a community arts organization
Donate your time and energy to a worthy cause while making a difference behind the scenes.
- Get in touch with your Local or State Arts Council or State Alliance for Arts Education.
Ask what you can do to help the arts in your area.
- Apply for an arts-related job or internship.
Explore your interests and add to your resume in the process!
- Research the issues.
Stay informed in order to make your case more effectively.
- Utilize your talents.
Put on a performance to raise awareness.
- Raise money to donate to arts organizations.
Find out what they need and plan your fundraising strategy.
- Build the audience of the future.
Attend performances and recruit others to join you—there's strength in numbers!
Remember: What may seem like a small step to you could turn into a giant leap for the arts!
For more information on getting involved, check out these Web sites!
ADVOCACY
To actively support and promote the arts with an emphasis on affecting policy change or increase government funding.
American Music Conference
http://www.amc-music.org/advocacy/students.htm
An advocavy site especially for students with a link to sign a petition to congress!
Americans for the Arts
http://www.artsusa.org
Advocacy guide with events and resources with links to voter registration, arts action list, etc. Also includes an Arts Directory that you can search to find arts organizations wherever you live.
Crayola: Arts Advocacy
http://www.crayola.com/educators/advocacy/
Helpful links to arts organizations and advocacy success stories.
Education Theatre Association
http://www.edta.org/advocacy/
Includes ways to start your own "Theatre for Life" advocacy campaign, plus issues and news in theatre advocacy.
Music Friends
http://www.musicfriends.org/
Organization you can join to advocate for music education—free membership, sponsored by MENC (Music Education National Coalition).
SAA: Student Advocates for the Arts
http://www.studentadvocatesforthearts.org/
Student group founded at Columbia University to provide a forum for students interested in arts advocacy. Now with chapters at many schools across the nation, or you can start a chapter at your own school!
VH1’s Save the Music
http://www.vh1.com/insidevh1/savethemus/
Advocacy kits to implement in your own community, donation forms, and more!
CAREERS
Plan your future: job opportunities in the arts
Grammy in the Schools
http://www.grammy.com/foundation/gits/index.aspx
"Guide to Careers and Internships in the Music Industry." Resources and links to Web sites for more information.
Music Achievement Council
http://www.musicachievementcouncil.org/
Want to be a music teacher? Check out the Music Achievement Council’s site for developing successful music education professionals.
National Symphony Orchestra
http://www.kennedy-center.org/nso/nsoed/students.html
The National Symphony Orchestra’s "Opportunities for Students" Web page features information about undergraduate and graduate programs specializing in performing arts degrees.
themusicedge.com
http://www.themusicedge.com
"Launching pad for the ambitions of tomorrow’s musicians"—geared for teen music enthusiasts.
PROFESSIONAL ARTS EDUCATION ASSOCIATIONS
Organizations to learn about if you are planning to be an arts specialist.
American Alliance for Theatre and Education
http://www.aate.com/
Students can join to learn about opportunities in theater education.
National Art Education Association
http://www.naea-reston.org/index.html
Future visual arts educators—you can join!
National Association for Music Education
http://www.menc.org/information/infoserv/careersinmusic.htm
Site about careers in music education.
National Dance Education Association
http://www.ndeo.org/index.asp
"Voice of representation" for dance educators.
COMMUNITY
Support the arts in your own backyard!
Afterschool Alliance
http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/
Help start a youth afterschool arts program in your community—a how-to guide.
Americans for the Arts
http://www.artsusa.org/
A compilation of directories for finding arts organizations and programs across the country.
Association of Performing Arts Presenters
http://www.artspresenters.org/advocacy/grassroots/index.cfm
Join the listserv, learn about legislation, and find instructions for how to write a letter to the editor.
DanceUSA
http://www.danceusa.org/our_members/community.htm
Provides links to DanceUSA members in your state who are involved in community outreach and lets you contact them to get involved; also advocacy news and issues.
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
http://www.nasaa-arts.org/
Links to your State Arts Agency and information on Arts and Learning resources and funding.
National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts
http://www.nationalguild.org/
Arts education service organization that provides music lessons and music exploration in local communities.
OPERA America
http://www.operaam.org/advocacy.html
Sourcebook for opera awareness.
Theatre Communications Group (TCG)
http://www.tcg.org/frames/advocacy/fs_advocacy_tools.htm
Tips on how to write a letter to your legislator, grassroots ideas, and an advocacy toolkit.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Additional materials about arts programming and more for your browsing pleasure
ArtsEdge
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org
The Kennedy Center's arts education Web site.
Arts for Learning
http://www.arts4learning.org/
Register (free) and use their tools, and participate in discussions.
Artslynx International Arts Resources
http://www.artslynx.org/
All kinds of links to arts information and resources.
Community Arts Network
http://www.communityarts.net/
Exchange of ideas, reading materials about promoting arts in the community.
Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network (KCAAEN)
http://www.kennedy-center.org/education/kcaaen/
The Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network (KCAAEN) provides links to State Alliances for Arts Education awards, programs, and other resources for arts education.
Partners in Education
http://www.kennedy-center.org/education/partners/
The Kennedy Center Education Department program designed to build an strengthen partnerships between arts organizations and their local school systyems, with a special emphasis on the professional development of teachers.
Youth NOISE
http://www.youthnoise.com
Opportunities to volunteer, become an advocate, share information with other teens, or just browse.
POLICY AND RESEARCH
Stay abreas of arts education’s role in the national arena and current events in arts education.
Arts Education Partnership
http://www.aep-arts.org
Research studies that support the importance of the arts in learning, and links to many other resources.
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
http://www.arts.gov
The national agency for supporting the arts.
United States Department of Education
http://www.ed.gov
For all education.
 Formed in 1973, the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network (KCAAEN) is a program of the Kennedy Center Education Department. Its mission is to articulate and advance student learning in and through the arts by developing and providing arts education resources. The KCAAEN is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and the Kennedy Center Corporate Fund.
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