Due to ongoing COVID and security concerns, PMEA’s 2022 Advocacy Day will be a hybrid event.

Monday, March 28th at 7 pm – Join us at PMEA.net, on Facebook, and on YouTube for a special livestream to celebrate music education in Pennsylvania. We’ll have special guests, explain our 2022 policy issues, and tell you how you can EASILY advocate for music education.

Tuesday, March 29th – All music education advocates will be able to advocate to their state representatives via an online form PMEA will distribute. This will literally take just a minute and your participation is extremely helpful in our advocacy efforts.

A few PMEA representatives will be in Harrisburg on Tuesday, March 29th to meet with policymakers. Any PMEA member is welcome and encouraged to participate as well. We would ask that you make an appointment with your state representative and state senator.

If you are coming to Harrisburg for in-person meetings, please let us know at advocacy@pmea.net We will be able to provide you with further information and answer any questions you might have.

If you plan to attend in person, we encourage you to reach out by phone or email to schedule an appointment with your representatives for March 29th. You can find contact information for your
member of the PA House and your member of the PA Senate when you use the search box to find your representative. If you know of other PMEA members from your area trying to visit the same representative, it’s best to coordinate your meeting time and meet together.

Since March 29th is a session day in the state legislature, It is possible to schedule a meeting with your representative. However it is possible you will be scheduled for a meeting with a staffer. There is nothing wrong with that and in many cases can be advantageous.

The capitol complex can be a bit confusing. There will be maps on site but you’ll want to make sure to leave at least 10-15 minutes to get to your meeting from the Main Rotunda or the Irvis Office Building.

When you are in your meetings, explain who PMEA is and then discuss our legislative asks, which you can find below. Do not discuss other issues. You are representing PMEA and the music education profession. It’s important to have a consistent and unified message from all of our members. If you are asked a question and you don’t know the answer, just say that you will find out and get back to them. If you’ve never been in a legislative meeting, there’s nothing to be nervous about. You’ll find that those you meet with are genuinely interested in listening to you. Always take a card of those you are meeting with and follow up with a thank you email.

It’s possible you will receive some pushback because the budget is a very hot topic in Harrisburg.
Remember to stay on message with the talking points provided. Your job is to explain the issues and show representatives where issues exist. Their job is to work on a solution.

Unlike other years, PMEA will not hold a press conference in the Rotunda on Advocacy Day. However, at noon in the Capitol Rotunda in March 29th, Senator Carolyn Comitta will offer some remarks and the Great Valley Middle School Orchestra will perform. You are welcome to attend that event.

Also, for those attending in person, we will provide you with a document to share with your representatives. Because we want to make sure every member of the General Assembly receives our message about the importance of music education, we will also ask for some assistance in dropping off these documents to offices where no in-person meetings are scheduled.

2022 PMEA Policy Playbook – All of PMEA’s legislative asks and the context behind them

2022 PMEA Legislative Leave Behind Document

Background Document – Physical Education Credit for Marching Band Participation

 What to Expect in a Legislative Meeting if You Are Dropping Off An Information Packet – Some quick information about what you might expect in a legislative meeting.

Pennsylvania Public School Funding History – A history of education funding in Pennsylvania put together by the Education Law Center.

Pennsylvania Arts Education in Public Schools – A review of arts education requirements in Pennsylvania put together by David Deitz.

IMPORTANT LINKS

Harrisburg Parking Information – parkharrisburg.com

Harrisburg Weather – Accuweather.com

Harrisburg Dining – visitharrisburghershey.org