The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) recognizes March as the thirty-ninth annual Music In Our Schools Month (MIOSM). Since 1985, MIOSM has been observed as an annual month-long celebration when schools and communities celebrate music in their local schools and the educators who dedicate themselves to bringing music into the lives of students every day.
To recognize this celebratory month, Marshall County Schools Superintendent Dr. Shelby Haines has signed a resolution naming March as Music In Our Schools Month in Marshall County. Everyone is encouraged to celebrate and acknowledge Music Education is an essential part of every student’s well-rounded education.
“The music programs offered through Marshall County Schools impact the lives of all students,” Haines explained. “We are blessed to have such talented music educators who share their passion with students on a daily basis.”
Throughout the month of March, NAfME-affiliated state music education associations will be participating in advocacy activities, including holding meetings with state and local elected officials, sharing why music education must continue to be funded and supported. West Virginia Governor Jim Justice also signed a proclamation recognizing March as Music In Our Schools Month in West Virginia.
Music educators from Marshall County Schools, and around the Mountain State, are in Charleston today through Saturday for the 78th annual West Virginia Music Educators Association In-Service Conference expanding their knowledge by attending workshop sessions on all levels of music instruction.
The conference also gives students unique performance opportunities through inspiring concerts, under the direction of nationally-known conductors, which are held to spotlight the top honors performing organizations in the state. The John Marshall High School Chamber Orchestra has been selected as an Honor Ensemble. Also, the JMHS Percussion Ensemble, for the second time, and the Sherrard Middle School Steel Band have been selected as an X-Honor Ensemble. All three groups are in Charleston to perform at the state conference.
The impact of music education is evident in how its social-emotional benefits have empowered students and brought joy in their communities. Every day, in music classrooms across the United States, music educators dedicate themselves to reaching all students with life-changing musical experiences. What parents, administrators, and the wider community have not always had the opportunity to observe, however, is the months of practice and rehearsals, and the process of learning that takes place in the music classroom—whether virtual or distanced in person.
Each school year provides an opportunity for music educators to show that process through “informances”—when students demonstrate various learning stages—before the performances at the end of that process. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to show their growth and learning in the music classroom—and for educators to share the incredible work they are doing in their music programs. NAfME also celebrates the music program leaders, superintendents, school boards, parents, and local businesses that support their local schools’ music programs and the difference music makes in the lives of students.