After School Music Academy Blog
Making music and encouraging movement in K-8 classrooms
across California
From Prop 28 Funding to the First Day of Class: How We Build the Right Music Program for Your School
Prop 28 gives California public schools an important opportunity to expand arts and music education. But receiving a Prop 28 allocation is only the beginning. Schools still need to determine what students need, which type of music program will work on campus, how...
Strong Bodies, Strong Brains: Why Students Need Music and Movement
The brain does not experience music as “just music.” When students participate in music, they listen for pitch, recognize patterns, maintain a steady beat, coordinate their movements, remember sequences, respond to other students, and adjust their actions in real...
What Happens When Prop 28 Funding Exists but the Instructor Doesn’t?
Your school has received Prop 28 funding. Students are interested in music. Administrators are ready to expand arts education. There is just one problem: the school cannot find the right instructor. This is one of the biggest challenges California schools face when...
Built for the Boardroom: How Turn-Key Music Showcases Give School Districts Their Best PR Moments
School districts are constantly looking for meaningful ways to show families, board members, and community partners that public funding is creating real opportunities for students. Music programs make that impact easy to see. A well-executed music program does more...
The Prop 28 Staffing Bottleneck: How Turn-Key Music Partnerships Save District Budgets and Bandwidth
August is often when a district’s arts education plans meet operational reality. The funding may be available. School leaders may already know which music programs students and families want. Yet launching those programs requires more than approving a budget....
From Ukuleles to Guitarrón: Building a K–12 Mariachi Pathway at Your School
From Ukuleles to Guitarrón: Building a K–12 Mariachi Pathway at Your School Some arts programs serve students. The best ones serve whole communities. For many schools, especially those serving Latino families, few programs do that as powerfully as Mariachi. However,...
Prop 28 Planning Checklist: What Administrators Should Have in Place Before the School Year Starts
Before the school year starts, school administrators should have a clear Prop 28 plan in place for funding, staffing, vendors, materials, program goals, student access, documentation, and reporting. Prop 28 funding gives California schools a major opportunity to...
Can Prop 28 Funds Be Used for Marching Band Programs?
Yes, Prop 28 funds may be used for marching band programs when the program directly supports arts or music education and aligns with the district’s approved Prop 28 expenditure plan. For many California school districts, marching band is more than a performance...
What Types of Vendors Qualify for Prop 28 Funding?
School districts can use Prop 28 funds for certain vendors, but the vendor must directly support arts or music education and fit within the program’s allowable spending categories. For many districts, this creates an important question: What types of vendors actually...
Marching Into Something Special: How Centralia’s After School Kids Became a Premiere Marching Band
There's a moment every music educator lives for, the one where a student looks up from their instrument, realizes what they just played, and can't hide the smile. At Centralia School District's first-ever Premiere Marching Band parade performance, that moment happened...
Prop 28 Planning Checklist: What Administrators Should Have in Place Before the School Year Starts
Prop 28 has created a major opportunity for California schools to expand access to arts and music education. But for school administrators, successful implementation starts long before the first class begins. Before the school year starts, school leaders need a clear...
Why Schools Are Struggling to Hire Teachers for Prop 28 And What to Do About It
When California passed Prop 28, schools across the state gained something many educators had been advocating for years: Dedicated funding for arts and music education. But as districts began expanding programs, a major challenge quickly emerged: There are not enough...