The World's Largest Concert has undergone a name change! National Association for Music Education (NAfME) has renamed the 27-year-old World's Largest Concert. Beginning in 2012, this popular highlight of March school music celebrations will be called "Concert for Music in Our Schools Month." A sing-along concert linking students around the world through music, the WLC reached an estimated 6 million students, teachers, and music supporters over the years. A highlight of Music In Our Schools Month©, the title "Concert for Music In Our Schools Month" reflects the Concert's place in NAfME's annual month-long celebration of school music!
March is the month NAfME sets aside annually to showcase school music programs across the United States. With participation no longer limited to one day, the Concert for Music in Our Schools Month provides a month long performance opportunity for students and a chance for music teachers to shine the community spotlight on the importance of school music programs. While the "official date" of the Concert for Music In Our Schools Month is Thursday, March 8 at 1 p.m., all teachers are encouraged to get creative and teach and sing with their students any number of the Concert songs at any time during March 2012—whenever it fits into their school and community schedules!
There are other significant changes to the Concert as well. For example, the concert video will be available on the NAfME website during the month of March. The song list, sheet music, and rehearsal tracks for the Concert songs are available free of charge to NAfME members at http://www.nafme.org. Program order: "Discussin' Percussion," "Dona Nobis Pacem," "El Vito," "Everlasting Melody," "Feel the Beat," "Rock Island Line," and "The Star-Spangled Banner" (1st verse only).
Here are some ideas for how you and your students can promote MIOSM:
- Create a video for local advocacy. Record your students' performing and include an introduction from your principal, mayor, or another leader demonstrating his or her support for music education.
- Add a musical touch to the morning announcements. Try having a "mystery tune" each day, or a music trivia question, with MIOSM prizes for the winner.
- Sponsor a poster or poetry contest with entries that support MIOSM and reflect the current year's theme. Have individuals from outside the school judge the entries.
- Have a talent show emphasizing music. Tell a story, a joke, or read poetry about music, and be sure to include traditional acts of singing, playing instruments, etc.
- Collaborate with the art teacher and have students design posters, banners, and buttons featuring the MIOSM theme.
- Ask students to cut pictures of music and musicians out of magazines and create a musical wall collage for your classroom(s).
- Present faculty members with MIOSM buttons and ask that they wear them every day during March.
- Present students with lapel stickers to wear during MIOSM.