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Alan Orloff, NYSSMA Government Relations Chairman: grc@nyssma.org
NYSSMA was chartered by New York State on September 23, 1955. For the past 66 years we have been at the forefront of helping the school districts, parents, music educators and, above all, the music students of New York State have meaningful experiences in all areas of music education and performance. We are the largest affiliate of the National Association for Music Education in the US. Our solo festivals help students focus on individual performance in voice, piano and all wind, string and percussion instruments. In 2020 we adjudicated over 100,000 students across our state. We also encourage the finest ensemble performances at all grade levels in Chorus, Band, Orchestra, Instrumental Jazz and Vocal Jazz by sponsoring statewide Area All State festivals and All County festivals leading students to strive to become members of our incomparable All State ensembles, considered by many to be the finest in the nation. Participation in the NYSSMA All State ensembles is the highest honor a New York State school music student can receive. Music in our Schools Month, now in its 49th year, was originally established by NYSSMA and is now celebrated during the month of March in all 50 states and at all the US Military Base schools in Europe. We urge you to explore the links below to learn more about NYSSMA. Of special interest on our website Homepage is the GRC/Advocacy link as well as the 3 special links under the Covid 19 Resources red banner. For all our years in existence we have worked hand in hand with the NYS PTA and are one of the 3 longest standing exhibitors at this convention. As Government Relations Chairman it is my privilege, along with my wife, NYSSMA State Choral Curriculum Chair Judith Leopold, to be at this year’s convention again to welcome all PTA participants to the NYSSMA information booth. We thank all the PTA members who help to support music in our schools.
Explore our entire website: www.nyssma.org
Click here to find out more about us: https://www.nyssma.org/information/about-us/
NYSSMA is an affiliate of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). A wealth of information about music education is available for PTA members, including the quick link to the Advocacy Resource Center listed below this main website listing
National Association for Music Education
NAfME Music Education Advocacy Resource Center
https://nafme.org/advocacy/nafme-music-education-advocacy-resource-kit/
The National Conference of State Legislatures website is an important site for PTA members who want to understand more about what actually goes in our own state government and in the legislatures around the country. There is a quick link below this main website listing to the NCLS Elementary and Secondary School emergency Relief Fund Tracker
National Conference of State Legislatures
This link explains and codifies all the various money that has been allotted to education, including special funding for music and all the arts ( visual art, dance, theater etc.) The amount of money available through the Tiers is increased almost 8 fold through the many Covid relief bills passed by Congress. You can get info and then scroll down through the tracker to see how many billions of dollars for education have been allocated for New York Stat. This Federal Aid is vital to the recovery of education due to the ravages of the Covid 19 pandemic.
NCLS Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund Tracker
The New York State Council on the Arts is dedicated to preserving and expanding the rich and diverse cultural resources that are and will become the heritage of New York’s citizens. It is an integral part of our State Government, not just a concerned non-profit organization. There is a wealth of official NYS arts information to be gleaned from this website
New York State Council on the Arts
Just use your search engines to delve deep into the vast offerings and support for all education.