:-)

Happy Friday, music education lovers! Today, I leave you with nothing more than the lyrics to one of my all time favorite songs ... and a wonderful tribute to life, and to all things music.

Enjoy!


Sir Duke - by the great Stevie Wonder

Music is a world within itself
With a language we all understand
With an equal opportunity
For all to sing, dance and clap their hands
But just because a record has a groove
Don't make it in the groove
But you can tell right away at letter A
When the people start to move

They can feel it all over
They can feel it all over people
They can feel it all over
They can feel it all over people

Music knows it is and always will
Be one of the things that life just won't quit
But here are some of music's pioneers
That time will not allow us to forget
For there's Basie, Miller, Satchmo
And the king of all Sir Duke
And with a voice like Ella's ringing out
There's no way the band can lose

You can feel it all over
You can feel it all over people
You can feel it all over
You can feel it all over people

You can feel it all over
You can feel it all over people
You can feel it all over
You can feel it all over people

You can feel it all over
You can feel it all over people
You can feel it all over
You can feel it all over people

You can feel it all over
You can feel it all over people
You can feel it all over
I can feel it all over-all over now people

Can't you feel it all over
Come on let's feel it all over people
You can feel it all over
Everybody-all over people


Good times are ALWAYS just around the corner -- take care everybody! :-)

Brain in a Pretzel!

Phew!

Hello there, everyone!! You'll have to forgive me, my mind is still a bit topsy turvy from watching last night's episode of LOST, you see. If you're a fan, then CERTAINLY you know what I'm talking about today!! What an AMAZING show! (forgive my picture tribute above! haha) Ok, no more derailing now, I promise...

On to more important matters! Like aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaappropriations!! Waahoo! That's right ladies and gentlemen, as of today, MENC is officially seeking a brand new appropriation request (for something very, VERY exciting!) through the congressional office of Virginia Representative Jim Moran! Congressman Moran has been a big education supporter in the past, and as many of you probably already know, MENC resides in the Congressman's district (Virginia's 8th), so hopefully he will have a very special little place carved out in his heart for music education! Sorry to be so secretive, I promise that there will be more to report on this exciting new government relations project in the near future, but you'll have to stay tuned to MENC Legislative ALERTS for more on that! (ooooooh what a tease! haha)

One final note for today as the wind howls outside my window here in Reston: At today's staff social I realized something kinda neat. This month marks my one year anniversary here at MENC.

Wow.

A YEAR has flown by?? Incredible! And what an awesome year it was! I've made so many terrific new friends, gotten to be a part of so many inspiring projects and initiatives, and I get to come to work every single day fighting for a truly amazing cause! Thank you to everyone who has made this such a very special year for me, I can only hope and look forward to more of the same in my future!

Ok, well have a wonderful weekend everyone, and if you're out on the roads, be careful not to get "LOST!" haha

P.S. This week marked our favorite little red friend's (Harley!!) b-day! A happy happy to MENC's most beloved (and only) animal staff member! ;-)

Ice, Ice, Not So Nice!

Good morning all!

Much of MENC's staff is missing in action this Friday A.M. as the greater D.C. area was walloped last night with a messy ice storm! We're all kind of waiting with bated breath now to see if the worst of this sucker is over, or if there is even more drive time madness to come! We seem to have a habit of getting hit with ice instead of snow around these parts lately, which can be very pretty, but also VERY VERY unsafe. NOTE: All MENC staffers be extra careful out and about today! How about some snow Mother Nature?!?! Give us a break!!

Anyways, today is a crazy day with lots of work to get done in spite of the outside conditions, so I'm going to have to keep this short! Let me leave with a really interesting article on campaign music recently tracked down by MM, however, to keep you in the "primary" season! haha It's definitely worth the read! Have a great weekend everyone! Stay warm!

Mad Season

Hello there music education lovers!

I hope that everyone is doing well today! I am particularly excited for this evening, when my girlfriend Emily and I will be attending a Matchbox Twenty concert at George Mason University's Patriot Center. I've actually seen Matchbox Twenty several times now (note: I've never actually seen them as Matchbox 20, only as Matchbox Twenty -- there is a difference, you see) and they never fail to impress! I'm personally the biggest fan of Rob Thomas and the boys' second album, "Mad Season," which was an orchestra pop/rock record, with a heavy tinge of jazziness mixed in -- good stuff!

On the work front, Government Relations Department assistant HLS recently attended a fascinating multi-day web writing training class designed to prepare us both for a brand new day of MENC advocacy hoopla upon the launch of our new web site (we're all pretty durnn excited about the new site, new stuff rocks!!) Anyways, HLS learned a ton during the web writing class, and has now taken it upon herself to correct my supposedly "antiquated and longwinded" writing style at every possible opportunity. I FEAR CHANGE!!! Nah, but seriously, this is going to make us all MUCH MUCH better writers, and help to provide YOU (our members) with an even better quality batch of music education support materials in the future! WOOHOO! What could be better??

Let me close by giving you a brief "2008 Prez Primary" update:

Well, Mitt Romney dropped out. And he did it in surprising fashion too. That leaves John McCain and Mike "I can wail on a guitar" Huckabee remaining as the only big time choices in the GOP field (with apologies to the Ron Paul supporters). Maybe Huckabee should start playing guitar at campaign events. Maybe he could give his stump speech in a song. That would actually be pretty cool... I'm not sure how John McCain could compete with that. After all, who doesn't like a person that can play guitar? I don't know about you, but when I was in college, if you could play a guitar, you definitely had about a million friends. And about a million requests to play Dave Matthews Band’s “Crash Into Me.” Gag. I'm just sayin'.

As for the Democrats... the battle royale continues! No more John Edwards, but Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton (look at me! it's like I'm writing for The New York Times!) continue to duke it out in several upcoming weekend primaries and then... (drum roll please!)... THE POTOMAC/CHESAPEAKE/BELTWAY/WHATEVERYOUWANNACALLEM’ PRIMARIES!! YAAAAY FOR ALL THINGS LOCAL! Note to all local Democrats: THAT MEANS THAT THIS YEAR, YOUR PRIMARY VOTE REALLY WILL MEAN SOMETHING! SO GET OUT AND VOTE!

*If you’re a Republican, you should remember to vote too, because if this race has taught us one thing this year, it’s that it ain’t over til’ it’s over!!

OK, well I guess that's all for now! I'm still working on patching things up with Harley, who as ML reported, recently contracted my horrible bout of the black plague (poor little guy!). I couldn't feel worse. In my defense, however, Harley is already red, so it can be pretty hard to know when he's burning up!!

Hmph.

Have a musical weekend everyone!!

L O S T and found...

Hello again everyone!

Wow what a crazy week! I seem to have kicked off 2008 with some sort of nasty, nasty mutant virus, so I spent most of Monday and Tuesday trying to fight that sucker off. Alas, I am now back in the saddle, however, and excited to be back at work!

This week has also been very exciting for a number of reasons:

First, and most importantly, on Thursday morning I attended an NCLB panel discussion on Capitol Hill entitled "Improving No Child Left Behind: The Cost of Waiting." More on this in an upcoming MENC Legislative ALERT (please tell me that you've signed up for them by now riiiiiight?? ;-)), but for the time being, please just trust me when I say that this was several hours of my time very well spent.

The panel featured opening remarks from Secretary Tommy Thompson (Co-chair, Commission on NCLB and former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). Also speaking was Governor Roy Barnes (Co-chair, Commission on NCLB and former Governor of Georgia). These two gentlemen set the tone for a conversation that would proceed to feature various high level majority and minority level staff members brought in to discuss the "ongoing" (try to excuse me if I'm a bit if a cynic at this point) reauthorization efforts.

Following the first panel discussion and a lively Q&A session, the audience was then treated to a series of local education reports as delivered by a host of bright, articulate, grassroots level education leaders. Eduardo Angulo, Chairman of the Salem/Keizer Coalition for Equality, and a local education advocate in the state of Oregon, was particularly impressive in his remarks. Overall, the dialogue was upbeat and inspirational, and it gives me (as it should give you) hope that perhaps 2008 won't be a lost year after all in the fight to reauthorize America's most important education bill. Hope is the message to be had here!

Now, on to only slightly less relevant fare...

The presidential primaries!

Phew! These babies have really heated up since last time we left off (and things were starting to bake back then too!!). Just to recap, we're pretty much down to two candidates in each of the major parties, Senators Barrack Obama and Hillary Clinton on the Democratic side, and Senator John McCain and Governor Mitt Romney on the Republican side, respectively. A brief side note: Mitt Romney's son's name is Tagg. Tagg Romney. Oh what I would give to come from a family that named people things like Mitt and Tagg. Awesome.

Anyways, to make a long story short, all of the candidates duked it out in their respective party's California debates this past week (hopefully you caught some of the action on CNN!) and are now waiting with fingers crossed for Super Duper Tuesday next week when voters in 22 states (a record amount) will all cast their votes or caucus on the same exact day (absolute HEAVEN for political junkies like me!).

Once all of the dust has settled, we FINALLY may very well have our two presidential nominees. If not, however, then it will be on to "Chesapeake Tuesday," when those of us in Reston and elsewhere in the greater Washington, DC region will have OUR chance to play a role in this seemingly never-ending soap opera that is the 2008 presidential nomination process! WHAT FUN.

Ok, and now lastly, on to some COMPLETELY unrelated but totally awesome fare...

L O S T returned this week. DUN DUN DUN.

Yesssssssssssss.

For those of you who follow this drama-filled island mystery (and as several of us loyalists here at MENC can safely attest to, you don't just watch L O S T, you sleep, eat, and breathe L O S T), its return has seemed like a long time coming. And with absolutely ZIPPO (other than those wonderful presidential debates!) else on TV right now, what could be better than a heapin' helpin' of this consistently amazing Robinson Crusoe meets Swiss Family Robinson meets Survivor meets the X-Files tropical brain cramp?!?!

The answer?

NOTHING! (Tune in next Thursday night for more of the action!!)

Ok, well that’s all for now gang… have a wonderful weekend and blog with you soon!!

Of "Primary" Concern

Oh wow. I really should write for a supermarket tabloid, shouldn't I? Sorry, that headline was just too easy. It was ripe for the pickin! ;-)

But seriously, what a BLAST these presidential primaries have been so far!! I've been involved in politics and government relations for quite a while now, and I can't remember an election season so wrought with endless campaign drama and intrigue!

Given the importance of the 2008 election, and what it's results will ultimately mean for music education, NCLB reauthorization, and the American education system generally, I feel that the outcome of the Dem and GOP primaries, respectively, should be of particular interest to all of us as music advocates.

If you're a Republican, oh man, where do you even start? If you are to trust CNN, Fox News, or any of the other major cable news pundit-lands, you would have THRICE thought that your party had nominated its candidate:

First, Iowa --> Mike Huckabee surprises (it must be Huckabee!)

Second, New Hampshire --> John McCain rebounds from out of nowhere (we were wrong, it's McCain all the way to 1600!)

Third, Michigan --> Mitt Romney has arrived! (reports of his death were GREATLY exaggerated, Mitt Romney will win the nomination for sure!)

Sigh.

Woweeeeeeeee. Can we all just pleeeeeease take a deep breath? None of this is to say anything of former front-runner Rudy Giuliani, former Senator and one-time TV star Fred Thompson, or even of... (yes, that's right, you knew it was coming!!) Representative Ron Paul, who believe it or not, is STILL running for president (and not out of it quite yet, either, by some accounts!!)

All of this leaves Republicans with their first legitimate chance to head into a brokered convention in many, many years. For those of you who are curious, a brokered convention (while it would make for incredibly CAPTIVATING television) would truly horrify GOP leaders.

They fear that it would display a fractured, frustrated Republican party, unable to unify behind one candidate, wildly debating the issues of the day (just like the good old days!!) for countless hours on end in front of a mesmerized national TV audience (seriously, that sounds like SO much fun to me!! haha I love it!). Old school politics at their BEST!

Hey, maybe they'd even discuss music education!! I'm all for it ;-)

Now on to the Democrats.

Man alive has this been exciting to watch! Both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are running landmark, historically significant presidential campaigns, and if either one of them is to ultimately win the nomination (which seems highly likely at this point), it would be a tremendously significant event for America (even if you don't like either one of them at all!).

For now, however, neither Hillary nor Barack can seem to pull away in this race (each having netted one primary, thus far, respectively), and in spite of the media's insistence that the Democratic contest has become nothing more than a two candidate show, former North Carolina Senator John Edwards still remains very much alive and kicking, elbowing his way back into the conversation whenever possible, and continuing to remind Democrats that this race truly ain't over yet!

My opinion on this one? Don't be so quick to assume that the nomination will ultimately come down to a direct choice between Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama. If I've seen this kind of thing once, then I've seen it a thousand times: John Edwards may or may not still have a legitimate chance at the Democratic crown (see his finish in this Saturday's upcoming Nevada caucuses for more on his realistic chances...), but even if he does begin to slowly but surely fade away, he may still not be even be close to done raising havoc and chaos for the other two candidates.

Should John Edwards enter the Democratic convention in Denver with a heapin' helpin' of delegates himself (a VERY likely scenario), Edwards could effectively play kingmaker, deciding at his leisure and discretion whom to award (Barack or Hillary) with the remainder of his committed delegates and hence, effectively swinging the Democratic nominating contest to the candidate of his choice (can anyone say back room VP deal in exchange for the keys to the White House ?!?! haha).

Sorry, I never could deny myself the pleasure of a juicy conspiracy theory! ;-) Plus, stranger things have certainly happened in the course of American politics!!

Anyways, in the meantime, make certain to stay tuned to these epic races! The next President of the United States will have a LOT to say about the role of music education in this country, and we, as music advocates, need it to be someone who cares and will listen to what we have to say!

And now, for a final, light-hearted look at what goes into the sometimes amusing process of "presidential campaign music" song selection, check out this super cool Washington Post article tracked down by the equally awesome SR!! Enjoy!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/16/AR2008011604152_pf.html

...It's Back To Work We Go!

Happy 2008 everyone!!

What an exciting year we have in front of us! An MENC National Conference in Milwaukee to look forward to! A presidential election steamrolling down the tracks! Arts Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill JUST around the corner! And a million exciting projects coming down the pipeline! Ah yes, I can feel it... 2008 will be a GOOD year for music education. Plus, I just really like even numbers much better than odd ;-)

My new year kick started off in an interesting fashion. For starters, I've been sick as a dog for about two weeks now (finally starting to get better!), but alas, music education advocacy breaks for NO one -- and so, I have continued my visits to Capitol Hill (hopefully not infecting anyone in the process) on behalf of our great cause!

It's been a really exciting week, actually. On Tuesday I attended the Education Sector's "Missing Link in the Teacher Quality Debate" event at the National Press Club , on Wednesday I sat in on Education Week's release of the "2008 Quality Counts Report" addressing state level educational performance (also at the National Press Club), and on Thursday, I attended Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings' address on NCLB and federal education policy generally, at... you guessed it -- the National Press Club AGAIN. I practically could be considered a member at this point! (see upcoming Legislative ALERT for more details on ALL of these exciting events!!)

In the meantime, SKJ and HLS have been hard at work on a relaunch of MusicFriends Challenge, a really cool MENC corporate support program that we've decided to bring back! They're also working on a number of other great projects, so stay tuned for more info on that soon enough!

Here at MENC, we're all keeping a close eye on the upcoming election (and watching the primaries because GOSH they're fun!!), but all that matters to us is that which ever candidate ultimately wins the general makes music education a TOP priority! That's our most important job. To make CERTAIN that Congress understands the importance of increasing its support for MUSIC MUSIC MUSIC!

...Until next time music fans! :-)

2008 "In and Out" List

Hi again everyone!

And welcome to what feels like a veeeeery low key Friday edition of "Inside MENC." Our Reston headquarters is fairly quiet today, with many staffers off enjoying their winter vacations or just generally out milling about in preparation for the new year to come. Nonetheless, those of us here in the building are holding down the fort 'til the weekend, and looking forward to the return of normalcy (and a full house!) in the weeks and months to come (well, sort of anyway, we will definitely miss the razzle dazzle of the holidays!!).

So today, in honor of 2008, I thought that I'd have some fun and provide the loyal "Inside MENC" readers with an all-important (no, not really) 2008 "in and out" list for music education advocates! Ready? Ok, here goes:

Out.
Quietly expressing your passion for music education to your close friends and relatives.
In.
Screaming your love for music education at the TOP OF YOUR LUNGS to anyone and everyone who will listen!
Out.
Seriously considering partaking in one of the advocacy ideas listed on the MIOSM Advocacy Calendar.
In.
Making a firm decision that advocacy is a full contact sport and resolving to engage in SEVERAL of the MIOSM Advocacy Calendar ideas during the upcoming new year!
Out.
Thinking about how terrific your child's music teacher really is.
In.
Actually taking a moment out of your day to tell them!!
Out.
Failing to even TRY to connect or understand that cRaZy music that your children are so obsessed with playing at 3a.m.
In.
Making an outright fool of yourself by brazenly dancing to the new hit single from "Panic! At the Disco" right in front of your kids, but giving them a million belly laughs in the process.
Out.
Never having actually visited MENC headquarters in Reston because it just seems sooooooooooo far away.
In.
Taking a road trip. We're nice people!! :-)
Out.
Telling one or two people about a wonderful music education advocacy event that you recently attended.
In.
Tell us!!! We LOVE to hear about productive state news, and better yet, we'll put your story in the MENC Legislative Memo and share it with as many people as possible!
Out.
Being a fussy eater.
In.
Eating your fruits and vegetables. It just makes good sense!!

Happy New Year everyone!! See you in '08!!

Happy Holidays Everyone!!!

Season's Greetings from SKJ and HLS, your guest bloggers this holiday weekend! Since CBLW is busily working on important legislative matters, he has asked us to fill in.

So, we, SKJ and HLS, will be heading to distant locations as well as other MENC employees to spend the holidays with our loved ones. Yes, we will be leaving CBLW for a week! We did give him a Christmas photo of the two of us together, taken last week by BS. Each season BS and the third floor ladies get together and take a photo opportunity according to the season. Here is our most recent winter photo for this year, our color theme was silver and gold.

MENC employees have been very generous this holiday season, with candy, cookies, and other small gifts (which provides us good snacking food for our long drives this weekend). Weight Watchers will have at least two new clients come Jan. 1.

We are gearing up for a new exciting MusicFriends advocacy effort in March, which will coincide with Music In Our Schools Month. It has taken a lot of preparations this week on our part. We will give you more info as March approaches, so stay tuned!

HLS and I will also begin working on our next Caitlin Classic golf tournament, which will be happening in June 2008. Lots of new and exciting plans are in store for us this coming year.

SKJ will be involved in the Lowell Mason Fellows selection process come January. She will be working with three former Lowell Mason Fellow recipients to select the Class of 2007.

Well, I guess that's it for our guest blog for 2007. Hopefully, CBLW will be busy again so we can share with you in 2008.

Have a safe and Happy Holiday season from the Government Relations and Outreach department!

DISCLAIMER: HLS and SKJ are not responsible for CBLW's actions next week. ***CBLW is taking a break from writing the Legislative Memo to announce that he does not condone of the previous statement! But Happy Holidays everyone!!***

And now... in conclusion... here are the LAST 2007...

"Government Relations & Outreach Department Album Picks of the Week!!!"

SKJ: Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (complete)/Symphony No. 4 (complete)
HLS: Il Divo: The Christmas Collection
CBLW: Anything Christmas related!!!

Won't You Be My Neighbor!

Tear.

What a crazy last couple of weeks it's been here at MENC! On top of tons of exciting and interesting new work on behalf of music education, the staff has also been experiencing... the moving blues!! That's right, big changes have been happening here in Reston, VA. Here's how they affect our department:

1. My long time neighbor (if you count 5 months or so!) EWL has moved to the other side of the third floor. "A whole new wooooooooooooooorld..." I'm very sad. EWL was my go-to for editing and deadline madness counseling, so without her, things are going to be very hard. The good news is that we're now working (slowly) on building a phone relationship, because let's face it, I'm probably too lazy to walk across the entire floor to go talk to her. I also lost the lovely BS, who, alas, moved on down to EWL's new neck of the woods. So needless to say, it's very weird to see BS's old office having gone completely dark :-(

2. The wonderful SR has recently replaced EWL as my new neighbor! SR and I get along very well, and often work together on local advocacy projects, so this too, is a terrific situation! SR is currently buried in boxes (I really feel for her) from the move, so for the time being, her office somewhat resembles a really neat fort or something!

3. I have lost HLS. Well, not REALLY. But she did move from her half-cubicle to her very own office down the hall!! (my first office by the way, so I have wonderful memories!) I'm very happy for HLS, but SR and I are pretty quiet when we're by ourselves down at the end of the building, so without HLS and EWL around, it's going to take some getting used to. HLS also has TONS of jelly beans, and now they're not going to readily available to me. Curses!

4. JR isn't in our department, but she IS super cool, and also just got her own office (TRIPLE ABANDONMENT!!), so that's definitely worth sharing as well. JR and HLS are now neighbors on their own. They probably don't even remember that I exist anymore. Sigh. Maybe Harley will pay me a visit sometime soon so that I'm not so lonely down here...

Won't YOU be my neighbor?

Ok, and now to lighten the mood...

here are the Friday...

"Government Relations & Outreach Department Album Picks of the Week!!!"

SKJ: Various Artists - August Rush: Music from the Motion Picture
HLS: Ingrid Michaelson - Girls & Boys
CBLW: Dave Pirner - Faces & Names

"Kings" of the Hill ... and Harley!

Hello from wintry Reston, VA, where the snow has begin to fall, and the holiday cheer is out in full force!

Yesterday was an EXCEPTIONALLY special day here at MENC. You see, staff had spent most of the previous day wondering about the meaning behind a strange, cryptic e-mail referencing the need for an all staff meeting (but giving no reason why!) sent by MJL. WELL. When we FINALLY learned the reason behind the e-mail...

Employees were amazingly surprised and THRILLED with a short impromptu performance, coordinated by MJ, from the world-renowned King's Singers!!! Ahhh! The King's Singers were started in 1968 by six Choral Scholars from King's College Cambridge. They quickly became a prominent musical force in the UK. The rest of the world soon followed so that today the group's engagements are spread throughout the four corners of the globe. This branch of their repertoire now comprises well over 200 pieces ranging from medieval to renaissance, romantic to contemporary, folk and pop.

Their impromptu MENC performance included two holiday songs, Jingle Bells and Little Drummer Boy. The King's Singers arrived in the U.S. yesterday to begin a short tour of the states. They will be performing tonight at George Mason University's Center for Performing Arts; concert begins at 8:00 p.m.

Anyways, the long and short of it is that it was an absolutely INCREDIBLE performance, and we all felt sooooooo lucky to have gotten to hear it! SO much fun! I'm rushing around madly today, so I wish that I could say more about this right now, but no worries, I have a feeling that Harley will cover it thoroughly next week, so be sure to check that out!! That's all for now I'm afraid--have a wonderful, merry weekend everyone!!!

Until next time!!

A Long December...

... and there's reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaason to belieeeeeeeeve, maybe NEXT year NCLB will FINALLY get reauthorized! la la la!

Grr. Charlie Brown is accurately representing how I feel about NCLB's chances of getting reauthorized anytime soon (shameless plug: see the latest MENC Legislative Memo for more on this!)

Anyways, afternoon, music education lovers!!

I hope that everyone is doing well on this lovely, but chilly (at least here in the Commonwealth) Friday! 'Tis officially the season!! MENC is full of holiday cheer! This week, each staff member received a lovely mini holiday tree for our desks, complete with bulbs and little snowmen! I'm extremely excited for my tree, but also TERRIFIED of killing it (much like the plants in my office which HLS swooooooooooore that she would help me take care of), so i'm definitely soliciting "tree care" advice!

I do music education advocacy people, horticulturist I am not.

In addition to the holiday trees, this has been an exciting week here at MENC for other reasons as well! I spent some more time on Capitol Hill discussing the new music education Harris Poll results and our legislative recommendations for NCLB with a number of congressional staffers. It's absolutely critical that we continue to take full advantage of the Harris Poll's impact and publicity in order to remind Reps and Senators that if and when they finally, FINALLY decide to tackle NCLB again, music education should be at the top of their lists (no Christmas pun intended)!!

It's also been a good week for the Government Relations & Outreach Department because the braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand new MENC Legislative Memo is out! Woohoo! Be sure to check it out when you get a chance--if you're a subscriber, it should be in your e-mail already!

HLS and SKJ have been hard at work this week as well, HLS playing congressional scheduler, setting up and coordinating meetings with Hill offices and preparing leave behind materials for me, and SKJ researching away on the new MusicFriends newsletter and working on various other important outreach projects. We're a busy bunch indeed!

Well, that's all for now gang! Enjoy the festive spirit and snow (if you've got it already where you are!, if you're somewhere warm... well, then we're jealous!)

And now... here are the Friday...

"Government Relations & Outreach Department Album Picks of the Week!!!"

SKJ: Josh Groban - Noel
HLS: Various Artists - A Very Special Christmas 3
CBLW: Sufjan Stevens - Songs for Christmas

Magic!

I think that one word says it all.

What an AMAZING week for music education, AND for music lovers generally (which amounts to everyone who works here at MENC!). This week started with the release of a truly exciting new music education Harris Poll highlighted by a splashy press event at the National Press Club here in D.C. Steven Van Zandt of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and "The Sopranos" fame was on hand for the Harris Poll unveiling (he was a huge hit) and the entire press conference received glowing media attention (SO cool!).

As if all of that weren't enough already though, the next day myself, MB and EWL attended a series of energy-filled, engaging Hill meetings with several prominent U.S. Senators and one truly amazing Congressman (Steven Van Zandt accompanied us). While it was obviously BEYOND cool to get to spend the day with a true rock legend (it also reeeeeeeeeeally doesn't hurt your advocacy cause to bring one along with you FYI--people seem to like you a LOT more ;-)), the absolute highlight of the day for me was the half an hour spent in the office of Georgia Congressman John Lewis...

For those who may not already know, Congressman Lewis is a true American hero. It was terrific to get to engage Mr. Lewis in a meaningful conversation about music education, but it was absolutely AMAZING to get to listen to him describe his many ordeals and experiences during the civil rights movement. Congressman Lewis showed us photo after photo of himself, Dr. King, and many other prominent civil rights leaders and politicians of the time period. I was absolutely shocked. Many of these photos I had actually seen before, but most likely my attention had previously been entirely focused in on Dr. King, so never had I viewed the images from this perspective...

I'd never noticed that Mr. Lewis was there too... standing tall, right alongside the others. What a remarkably strong, dedicated and brave man he was, and still is today. Steven Van Zandt was just as impressed as the rest of us. It was a stirring, memorable experience for all involved. I won't soon forget it.

As for the rest of the week... it's been a whirlwind of follow-up excitement for the Harris Poll results! Newsletters, alerts, PR and more! We've all been running ragged to get the message out to everyone about all of this fascinating new information! Whew! I'm kinda thankful that Friday is finally here ;-)

No new albums this week... sorry gang... half of our department is out of town, so it just doesn't seem like it would be right! If you're looking for something good to listen to this week though, put on some Bruce Springsteen--it should put you in the mood to celebrate music education ;-)

Take care!!

Friday Ramblings

Hi everyone!!

Oh MAN what a crazy week it's been! (good crazy, lots of interesting things afoot!). My main priority right now is educating Congress (who are about to run away and hide for the holidays!!) about MENC and our arts in education friends' legislative recommendations for NCLB. It's really exciting work, because if we can get Congress to support these changes to the language during reauthorization, we could make a WORLD of difference for music educators and their students!! (THAT'S why we come to work :-)). In weeks to come, the Government Relations & Outreach Department will be conducting Hill visits to spread the word about our recommendations and foster relationships with members of Congress. It's always an adventure up on Capitol Hill, every office is completely different!

In other news, we're all getting very excited here at MENC for the upcoming holiday season! I personally LOVE everything between Halloween and New Years, my absolute favorite time of year! I was thrilled when I walked into Starbucks yesterday, and amazingly, it had been transformed into a holiday wonderland -- woohoo! I suppose no one will ever be able to accuse me of not enjoying life's simplest pleasures haha ;-) Or a good old fashioned Gingerbread Latte for that matter! (which by the way, is DEFINITELY the favorite bev of the average MENC employee!).

Oh, and as a final note: I am now keeping a guitar in my office. I can't play it, I'm embarrassed to say, but it makes me feel really cool to have it in here, and I'm hoping that it will somehow encourage me to learn!! (or at worst, send good "musical vibes" my way). If anyone has any suggestions for how I could quickly learn to play, please don't hesitate to share!!

Have a wonderful weekend music education lovers!!

And now... here are the Friday...

"Government Relations & Outreach Department Album Picks of the Week!!!"

SKJ: Various Artists - Dreaming Wide Awake: The Music of Scott Alan
HLS: Jack Johnson - On & On
CBLW: Sigur Ros - Hvarf-Heim

Crazy Friday

Hi all!!

Unfortunately, this is going to have to be short and... not terribly interesting. I'm headed downtown today for an afternoon of stimulating legislative meetings (which will be VERY interesting!!), so I'm about to run out the door! Very quickly though, I'd just like to say that...

MY FIRST MENC HALLOWEEN WAS AWESOME!!!

I feel SO lucky to get to work with such warm, caring, passionate people... who also know how to have a good time - and have an AMAZING collective sense of humor!! Thanks to everyone for making this year's Halloween at MENC an absolute blast (and MAN was the food to diiiiiiiiiiie for! muHAHAHAHA!). The costumes were hysterical, the pumpkins were awesome, and the fun and games were legendary. For a really terrific review of an MENC Halloween, please scroll down and read RF's most recent blog - it's great!!

Sorry gang, I'm afraid that's going to have to be all for today... enjoy your weekends (brr, it's getting chilly out there), and I'll try to blog in a more professional manner (does such a thing exist??) next week!

Til then, loyal music education supporters!!!

In Rainbows

Hello music education world!!

Boy, I feel like I've been gone for a VERY long time (and indeed, I have, two weeks to be exact!!), but it's so nice to see that my blogging compatriots have kept "Inside MENC" nice and warm for me (and who wouldn't want to snuggle up with Harley??).

Anyways, today, I've decided to write about a very specific topic that while not directly linked to music education, has a tremendous impact on the world of "music," generally, and on it's future in this country and around the world. For those of you who don't already know, several weeks ago, Radiohead--easily one of the largest and most recognizable bands in the world--"self-released" their 7th studio LP on the band's web site.

Self-released.

That means no record labels (major or indie.)

No PR company.

No outside advertising or support of any kind.

No media coverage, advance press, or outside hype.

It also means no middle-men, and hence, no one to ultimately cut into the band's profit margin.

In a world where the major music labels are now struggling to survive on a day-to-day basis, Radiohead decided to shun everyone and everything--the entire process--even to turn their backs on the monolith of the modern music culture, Steve Jobs and his ever transcendent iTunes digital mega-store, in favor of going it alone.

Why did Radiohead make the decision to release "In Rainbows," they're spectacularly delicate, yet intensely-absorbing new record online, and through no other existing retail outlets?

The answer is simply that Radiohead wanted to make a statement regarding the state of the music industry.

Err, they wanted YOU, the listener, to make a statement regarding the state of the music industry. You see, not only did Radiohead self-release "In Rainbows"...

...they also did so for free.

That's right. Free.

F-R-E-E.

Zippo. Zilch. Nadda. No charge.

Radiohead basically set-up a web site, allowed people to click on an image of the album, add it to their checkout cart, then proceed to purchase "In Rainbows"... for as much, or as little as they wanted. At the end of the short and simple process, a message pops up that says "You Decide," and as the consumer, that's literally what you must do.

Give the band a nickel, a dime, ten bucks, or nothing. Absolutely nothing at all.

The point of this experiment was ultimately to find out how much music lovers (the only people in this process who, at the end of the day, actually matter), would pay for music. And the results have been truly startling:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/10/AR2007101002442.html
http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Music/10/11/music.radioheadrelease.ap/
http://www.theage.com.au/news/web/radiohead-cashes-in/2007/10/21/1192940937024.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21456074/

Record labels are now quaking in their collective boots. If one of the biggest bands in the entire world can pull off a stunt like this, what does that say about the future of the industry? About the need for labels to exist at all? About the direction that digital media is taking us as a culture? And most importantly, about the true "value" of music to us as members of a society?

Bigger things are in store, that's for sure--and with bands like Radiohead leading the charge for change, I'm excited to see where the future of music is headed.

Have a spooky weekend!!

And now... here are the Friday...

"Government Relations & Outreach Department Album Picks of the Week!!!"

SKJ: Russell Watson - The Voice: The Ultimate Collection
HLS: A Fine Frenzy - One Cell In the Sea
CBLW: Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Follow The Lights (EP)

Thriller

Hello! Hello! And happy Friday to all!

Ahhhh! I can't BELIEVE that it's almost Halloween!! How did THAT happen?? It seems like just yesterday that I began my wonderful career here with MENC (last February), and now winter is quickly approaching! (I love winter by the way, I'm very excited for it, as did the previous Director of Government Relations, ironically enough!). Anyways, it's safe to say that MENC is buzzing with pre-Halloween spookiness, and the Government Relations & Outreach Department is one of the departments charged with making this year's MENC Halloween social a roaring success. A small note: I am EXTREMELY intimidated by the Halloween social. I have been told by everyone and their cat that it is the BIGGEST social of the year, and that if I screw it up in even the SLIGHTEST way, my head will be boiled in a cauldron (or some other clever Halloween reference). In any event, we're all doing our best to get ready, and we're very excited!

In other news... last week I attended the very exciting High School Teaching for the 21st Century policy conference put on by the Alliance for Excellent Education, in downtown Washington, D.C. It was a REALLY cool experience with speaker panels featuring a variety of education and policy experts, Capitol Hill staffers (my former life revisited... tear!), and even a couple of members of Congress on hand during an evening reception!! You'll be able to read more about the conference and what was discussed there in this month's upcoming MENC Legislative Memo (shameless plug!).

SKJ and HLS have been hard at work on some exciting new changes to MENC's web site content (stay tuned for more on that!), and have been a huge help with a number of other important MENC legislative and advocacy initiatives. Also, make sure to check out SKJ's work in the latest edition of the MusicFriends newsletter (coming soon!) - there's some really great stuff in there this month!!

Well, I guess that's all for now... I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend! Personally, I've started to have this STRANGE reoccurring nightmare involving Harley turning REALLY evil on Halloween night and sneaking into my bedroom to drink my blood (I know, I know, I've clearly got some unresolved issues...). I do love Harley though, so I'm inclined to think that these dreams are just my paranoia acting up... perhaps I need to lay off the caffeine before bed. Until next time... take care everyone!!

And now... here are the Friday...

"Government Relations & Outreach Department Album Picks of the Week!!!"

SKJ: Bach - Violin Concertos; Double Concerto; Concerto for Violin & Oboe
HLS: Hanson - Middle of Nowhere
CBLW: Radiohead - In Rainbows

My Wish

My wish, for music education, is that the federal government gives it the kind of recognition that it deserves... lalala...

That's my Rascal Flatts shout-out for the day :-) Happy Friday everyone!!

Today, in honor of HLS's recent "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"-style mid-afternoon Rascal Flatts concert experience, I will be sharing a few photos from the show that she attended. HLS got to attend this local Commonwealth bar performance thanks to being at the right place at the right time during a ticket give-away (lucky lucky!). Here are a few snaps from the show...



Pretty cool, huh?? I'm no huge Rascal Flatts fan myself, but I think that they're definitely fun to listen to, and catchy if nothing else. Quite amazing what a foothold pop-country has taken on mainstream radio (which is 99% garbage anyway, in my opinion) these days... Anyways, congrats to HLS who got to have this super cool experience this week, and was quite obviously, very close to the band when she snapped those shots!

The weather is awesome here today in Reston and I think that it's safe to say that everyone is hopeful for a fun and relaxing weekend. Personally I'm sad that I'll have to wait another whole week before the Redskins have an opportunity to avenge their brutal loss to the Giants, but alas, HOCKEY SEASON OPENS THIS WEEKEND!! WOOHOO!! The Ducks and the Kings will play a two game series in London as a special kick-off to the 2007-2008 season (VERY cool!). SKJ is especially excited for the NHL's trip over to Britain... she's been a London junkie ever since I got to MENC! (I think perhaps she secretly WANTS to be British--nothing wrong with that!).

In music education related news... check out the September edition of the MENC Legislative Memo for some interesting happenings on the government relations front, and also make certain to take a peak at the latest MusicFriends newsletter! We looooooooove our MusicFriends! Also, SKJ and HLS did a MARVELOUS job getting MENC ready for the annual Caitlin Classic Golf Tournament, which was again, an amazing success! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!! And if you live in and around the Commonwealth, enjoy what might be one of the last warm weekends this year!

And now... here are the Friday...

"Government Relations & Outreach Department Album Picks of the Week!!!"

SKJ: Fergie - The Dutchess
HLS: Rascal Flatts - Still Feels Good
CBLW: Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace

My Prerogative

Hello! And a very happy musical Friday to all!!

What a glorious day it is, indeed! This is the kind of delightful early autumn afternoon that just makes you want to stand up and break into song! (I guess it's rather appropriate that I work for a music education organization--now isn't it??). In any event, since I'm feeling so especially cheery and musically inspired today, perhaps the lead off topic for this posting should be... MUSIC!! (what else???)

Every Friday here at MENC you see, each member of the Government Relations & Outreach Department staff selects a personal "Album of the Week" pick. The album of the week feature is a lot of fun for all of us (it builds character--or something like that...), but it's also an awesome opportunity for everyone to discover some new and exciting music, and to learn all about the (sometimes frightening) musical tastes of the wonderful people who work here! (I kid, I kid) So today I thought, "hmm... maybe this week it would be fun to try to bring everyone in on the fun! Heck, "Inside MENC" alone (haha get it?), there must be practically a zillion different opinions of what qualifies as good music. So this week, I'm encouraging all of the blog's readers to submit your own personal favorite albums of the week! Your album selection can come from any genre of your choosing (just try to stay classy, Reston) and should include both the artist AND album name of your pick. Hopefully we'll get some great feedback in the comment section this week and we can talk about the new tune suggestions in future postings!

In other news... ONE member of our department may or may not be auditioning for a role as an extra in an upcoming film that may or may not be the "Sex and the City" movie. ONE member of our department may or may not have her desk BURIED in an absolute avalanche of "The Power of Music" advocacy brochures (they're finally here!!), and all the members of our department are very excited about seeing a variety of upcoming moving picture shows and Redskin games this weekend! WOOHOO!!

And now for a couple of government relations and advocacy related announcements.

Ahem:

Read today's MENC Legislative ALERT! Starting next week, order your "The Power of Music" advocacy brochures! Order an awesome brick for the front walk! Get involved with local music education advocacy! And don't forget to tip your waiter!

Have a great weekend all!! I expect some great new music recommendations on here next week!!

And now... here are the Friday...

"Government Relations & Outreach Department Album Picks of the Week!!!"

SKJ: Mika - Life in Cartoon Motion
HLS: Dispatch - Bang Bang
CBLW: Matt White - Best Days

A Star-Spangled Day...

Hello all!!

Ahhhhhhh... I very much missed the Anytown, USA feel of the "Inside MENC" blog last week! It's good to be back! And on such a patriotic day at that! For today is... drum roll please... National Anthem Day!! WOOHOO!! Yes, that's right, the day reserved for celebration of our national song has FINALLY arrived! All across America today music teachers and their students have been celebrating the national anthem in patriotic local events. Here in Reston, MENC had its own special little celebration this morning (see above), with our amazing and talented staff offering their own rendition of the anthem (we're nothing if not musically inclined around here). And so, there has been a feeling of great pride all day here in the Commonwealth on this Friday, as we pay homage to America's history, and to the glory of music education! (actually, we do that, every day)

Now to play a little bit of catch up... since I've been out of the blog loop for two weeks, here are some other interesting news items from the past 14 days or so (music education related, and not), that you may enjoy! Welcome back to our world:

(1.) The first ever MENC Legislative ALERT was distributed to subscribers last week (celebration dance underway!)

(2.) Apple recently unveiled its new lineup of iPods (droooooooooool--SKJ and HLS have been making fun of me for pre-ordering a new iPod touch--WHATever. it's awesome.)

(3.) The NFL season officially kicked off last week--the Redskins defeated Miami Sunday at FedEx Field (we're 1-0 baby!!)

(4.) SKJ and HLS have been working like crazy in preparation for the 2007 "Caitlin Classic" Golf Tournament this coming Monday. It's going to be an amazing experience!

(5.) Lots of exciting government relations meetings have been going on! Planning advocacy strategies is always exciting for us policy wonks ;-)

(6.) "Across the Universe" comes out this weekend. You should see it! It looks great :-)

(7.) Chairman George Miller's Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 reauthorization title drafts have been released with some very interesting material for review!

(8.) Washington Capitals training camp opens today!!!

(9.) "The Power of Music" advocacy brochures will be going on sale VERY VERY SOON!!

(10.) The Pumpkin Spice Latte is back at Starbucks!! (fall is finally here!)

That's all for now! See you next week!

And now... here are the Friday...

"Government Relations & Outreach Department Album Picks of the Week!!!"

SKJ: Luciano Pavarotti - Romantica: The Very Best Of Luciano Pavarotti
HLS: Jeff Buckley - So Real: Songs From Jeff Buckley
CBLW: Silverchair - Young Modern