More school-aged children nationwide will have access to music and the arts, thanks to Congress’ inclusion of both as part of a well-rounded education in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The Senate passed the Every Student Succeeds Act December 9 with a vote of 85 to 12. It now heads to the President’s desk for signing in the next few days.
In addition to explicitly listing music in the components of a well-rounded education, the bill also protects students’ “music” and “arts” class time and provides new opportunities for music and arts education through formula funding grants. The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), hundreds of NAMM members, and music industry leaders have spent years meeting with Congressional leaders on the importance of every child having access to music in schools. By passage of this act, Congress has shown that it too believes in music as part of a well-rounded education that should be available to all students.
The reauthorization of the Every Student Succeeds Act replaces the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act. The new bill’s inclusion of music and arts in the definition of a “well-rounded education” marks an unprecedented step forward for music education, as it connects to a variety of significant other provisions in Every Student Succeeds Act.
