On Thursday March 12th, the Kansas Music Educators Association hosted the first annual Music Day at the Capitol featuring performances by the Washburn University Jazz Combo and the 1st Infantry Division Brass Ensemble. The groups performed on the 2nd floor rotunda during the lunch hour as dozens of legislators and their staff listened from the railings above. KMEA Executive Director, John Taylor, said the music could be heard inside the Kansas House Chamber as legislators were in session. Ironically, our visit to the Capitol coincided with the House debate over school financing, Senate Bill 7. Senate Bill 7 repeals the school finance system that has been in place since 1992, replacing it for two years with block grants to each of the state's school districts. The bill passed 64-57. Sixty-three votes were needed to pass the bill. That same day, the three-judge panel overseeing the equity portion of the school funding lawsuit issued an order to reopen the case in order "to protect the status quo and to assure the availability of relief". Every indication is that the question of school funding is headed towards a showdown between the Kansas Supreme Court and the Legislature and Governor.

The leaders of KMEA and members of Kansas NAfME Collegiate hosted a breakfast for legislators on the 4th floor of the Capitol. The breakfast was catered by Juli's Coffee and Bistro, a local eatery frequented by legislators and the Governor. Legislators dropped by to pick up a cup of coffee and breakfast and to share stories about the importance of music in their lives with several mentioning their involvement in past KMEA honor groups. The proclamation from Governor Brownback was on display declaring March as "Music in Our Schools Month". Following the breakfast, copies of the NAfME Broader Minded (BroaderMinded.com) brochure were distributed to the offices of House and Senate. The NAfME brochure highlights how music helps educate the whole student and that "Bubble Test" can only measure so much. It points out that while music improves academic achievement and brain development, there are benefits that music offers "beyond the bubbles" like emotional awareness, decision-making, and grit.

Throughout the day, leaders of KMEA met with supporters of music education, including the Kansas Interim Commissioner of Education, Brad Neuenswander, Kansas State Board of Education Vice-Chair, Carolyn L. Wims-Campbell, and a key member of the Senate Education Committee, Senator Vicki Schmidt. Senator Schmidt spoke about her own children's involvement in music and thanked KMEA for providing written testimony on Senate Bill 60; a bill allowing home-schooled students to participate in KSHSAA sponsored activities. KMEA received an invitation to appear before the Kansas State Board of Education to discuss the status of music education in Kansas, which will possibly be this April.