ABSTRACT

The Music Educators National Conference1 became the major player in communicating to the public and to policy makers why music education is important to society. Its advocacy efforts began in the 1960s with a new public relations program intended to inform the nation of the forthcoming 1967 Tanglewood Symposium. Print advertisements and radio and television spot announcements blanketed the country. When the international oil crisis of the early 1970s caused a severe economic decline that threatened many music programs, MENC recognized the need to focus on government relations in order to maintain funding for music programs, and since then has become extremely effective in its advocacy efforts. MENC’s advocacy, from local to state to national, along with those of other arts and arts education organizations, have had a profound impact on the public’s perception of music education.