When it comes to making changes at the government, school board or administration level, parents are the best advocates for their children. As taxpayers and community members, parents have a real voice when it comes to advocating for changes that help children succeed in school and in life.
Parents can significantly influence school decisions and create a supportive community for both students and teachers. So, parent involvement is crucial to improving music education.
At Bandology, we know that engaging in the political world can be daunting! That is why we have created our Parent Advocacy Guide. Go through the information to uncover how education is funded and allocated, and to learn what politicians do, how to contact them and how to write an effective email.
To advocate, parents can start by reaching out to their local Parent Involvement Committee (PIC), School Councils, teachers and other parents!
A Parent Involvement Committee is a board-level advisory body that cooperates with both parents and a board’s director of education and trustees. The province, school district, teachers and other parents not only value but benefit from the opinions of parents.
A school council is a forum in which parents and other members of school committees can help improve student achievement and school performance. As a school council member, you can help your council learn about ways to contribute to the education of students in your school.
Learn more and get email templated through our Parent Advocacy Guide!
Fundraising for local school boards raises additional funds to support educational programs, so they can deliver programs beyond what they can with the public funding they receive. The funds typically supplement areas not fully covered by provincial educational funding, such as extracurricular activities, sports programs, arts, music and field trips.
With additional funds, schools can provide a more robust music curriculum that could include purchasing more instruments, hiring specialized instructors, hosting student performances, attending competitions and more.
While this is difficult to do solely from public funding the school board receives, fundraising makes it possible.
Learn how to plan a fundraiser specifically for music education through our Parent Advocacy Guide!
It is the responsibility of concerned citizens to apply pressure to political actors.
Politicians are public servants, but they also have a personal interest in fulfilling the wants and needs of their constituents. When their contributions are valued by the community, politicians are more likely to be re-elected into office. This also means that politicians will not go out of their way to advocate for change that no one asks for.
When there is enough pressure, politicians will advocate for the changes we want to see.
Engaging in the political world can seem daunting. We’ve gathered some useful information to help you advocate for music education in Ontario! View it all in our Guide, or click below for the summaries.
Download our Parent Advocacy Guide
Learn about contacting politicians.
Learn about education policies.
Your involvement as parents is crucial in ensuring that music education thrives in our schools. Remember, every voice counts and that as parents, you can make a difference! Your efforts not only support the current music programs but also help create a lasting legacy for future generations of students.