Talking Up Music Education is a podcast from The NAMM Foundation about music education. Recorded live from The 2017 NAMM Show, episode 32 includes an interview with Anaheim Elementary Schools Superintendent, Linda Wagner.
“It’s a principle of ours that we value music education, and, like NAMM, we will defend it,” said Wagner. “It's a non-negotiable that music education continues.”
Interviewed by The NAMM Foundation’s Mary Luehrsen, Wagner discusses the steps that Anaheim is taking to achieve their goal of having a fully supported music program in every school.
Sound Bites from the Podcast
“The symphony came to me and said, ‘We have teachers, you don't have instruments,’ and we said, ‘Well, let's teach notation for a while until we figure out this instrument thing,’ and so we did. As we've gained success in our arts program, funding has come in.” – Linda Wagner
“Really we just need the enthusiasm, people who come and show us the way. We've had drum manufacturers that came to us and said, ‘Hey, we think we can help your kids with socio-emotional concerns or issues. Why don't we teach your counselors how to run drum circles?’ And we said, ‘Great.’ We just had all of our counselors participate in that, and now, in addition to music teachers, we have counselors running drum circles, which is fantastic.” – Linda Wagner
“If you build a program, people will fund it. People will come forward with drums and trumpets and trombones. You just have to show them that you're committed. And there are many organizations out dedicated to making sure kids have instruments.” – Linda Wagner
Talking Up Music Education is a podcast produced by The NAMM Foundation about music education. Host Mary Luehrsen chats with teachers, parents, students and community leaders who share stories about what they are doing to create music learning opportunities. Please download, share and subscribe to keep up with the stories that make a difference in music education advocacy.