“Face the Music: A Case Study for Expanding
Music and Arts Education in Schools”
For over a decade, the CMA Foundation has been an advocate for music and arts education throughout the country. During that time, we have invested more than $30 million to support our mission, $18 million of which has been in Tennessee. At the heart of our investment strategy is our dedication to understanding both the issues and the opportunities that result in all students having equitable access to high-quality, sequential instruction in the arts.
To inform our work, we wanted to better understand the current state of music and arts education in Tennessee school districts and discover lessons that could be applied nationwide. What began as a public-private partnership between the CMA Foundation and the State of Tennessee in 2018 blossomed into a collaborative partnership with The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation (MHOF), resulting in our State of the Arts (SOTA) initiative, a groundbreaking needs assessment of music and arts programs throughout our state.
We invite you to learn more about our study, “Face the Music: A Case Study for Expanding Music and Arts Education in Schools,” which provides recommendations that position districts to achieve their own individual goals for each student. This case study will allow us to shine a light on how state and local education agencies and decision-makers can make better and more insightful investments in music and arts education programs in every community and share promising practices and recommendations for sustainable learning.
Music (and Arts) Education District Support Services (MEDSS®) is a comprehensive, districtwide arts (dance, media arts, music, theatre, and visual arts) education assessment tool and consulting service that utilizes mixed-methods approach to analyze district-provided data.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MEDSS® PROCESS
The MEDSS® assessment produced reports for 23 districts containing findings and recommendations for the district and is intended to be used as an internal evaluation and planning tool that provides district and school leaders with the data to support effective decision-making.
DOWNLOAD TN STATE OF THE ARTS STUDY SUMMARY REPORT
The key findings from the assessment reflect what is shown in other research about arts and music education — the programs are critical to schools because they help improve academic achievement in math and reading, increase student participation and classroom engagement, improve attendance, and enhance social and emotional development.
READ MORE ABOUT KEY FINDINGS
Our key recommendations focus on ensuring equal access to music and arts education, implementing accountability measures, and increasing participation through local strategic levers. Each of us can support a system of change to enhance music and arts education for a more well-rounded education for our students.
Our findings reveal compelling insights into the impact of these programs on students, their academic performance, and overall well-being. The assessment gave us insights into the needs of our amazing music and arts teachers who do this work every single day. The report lifts up a series of recommendations for school communities, educators, philanthropic organizations, and policymakers.
Toolkit For Supporting Partners
