MENC

NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR MUSIC EDUCATION
MENC developed the National Standards for Music Education and administered the overall development of the National Standards for Arts Education (1994) under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The National Standards represent the first comprehensive set of educational standards for K-12 arts instruction. MENC has since published more than 20 documents in instructional techniques for helping students accomplish the Standards, dealing with such issues as staffing, scheduling, equipment, technology, and assessment.

PUBLICATIONS
MENC publishes more than 100 books, videos, and compact discs, as well as two general-interest magazines on music education and four more closely targeted journals.

MUSIC IN OUR SCHOOLS MONTH (MIOSM)
Every March, MENC sponsors MIOSM, a public outreach program designed to support school music programs and raise awareness of the importance of music education. The highlight of MIOSM is the WORLD'S LARGEST CONCERT (WLC), an annual PBS presentation involving the participation of more than eight million schoolchildren.

FUND FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF MUSIC EDUCATION (FAME)
An MENC-administered program which seeks to improve and expand music education for all by effecting changes in the general public's perception. The program's goals are to increase public awareness of the importance of music education and to promote public support for music education at the local, state, and federal levels. FAME funded programs enable the music education community to reach out beyond the parameters of the teaching profession to the world in which Americans learn about and make music.

PUBLIC RELATIONS ACTIVITIES
MENC has an ongoing commitment to reaching the public with information about music education through press releases, interviews, and the Why Music? radio PSA series (reaching some billion impressions twice a year).

PARTNERSHIPS
MENC forms partnerships with other organizations to advance the cause of music education. Projects include free online teacher's guides, early childhood music workshops and resources, special events, and more. Current and past partners include: NAMM: International Music Products Association, Sesame Workshop, Texaco Foundation, National Schools Boards Association, ASCAP, VH1 Save the Music Foundation, BMI, Oscar Mayer, Gibson Musical Instruments, National Association for the Education of Young Children, the Smithsonian Institution, Dole Foods, PBS, and Pepsi-Cola.