Return to Music: Phase II Guidance and Resources
Return to Music: Phase II Guidance and Resources from NAfME and NFHS to help music educators as they plan their return to the physical classroom.
NAfME Response to New CDC Guidelines for K-12 Schools
On March 19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated guidelines for their “Operational Strategy for K-12 Schools.” While the lead headline from the updated guidelines was the opportunity to reduce physical or social distancing to three feet from six feet for seated classroom environments, in elementary schools and most middle and high schools, the guidelines included updates that also impact music-making classrooms. Click Here for more information.
Prioritizing and Promoting Health and Safety in School Music Instruction and Performance Settings
In AccelerateED Task Force: Guidance and Recommendations for 2020-21 School Year, the South Carolina Department of Education called on districts to provide continued access to a well-rounded education, including music, in both in-person and distance learning environments this fall. Though the arts may seem to be unduly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in comparison to other curricular areas, they need not, and must not, be eliminated – especially at a time when student hope and engagement are so vitally important.
This document is intended to provide guidance and recommendations that prioritize and promote health and safety in school music instruction and performance settings. As the peer-reviewed research base develops and more findings become available, SCMEA will post updated guidance and recommendations here.
Additional guidance and resources may be found by visiting the NAfME website link below.
Aerosol Emissions Study via the National Federation of State High School Associations
NAfME is pleased to present new guidance for teaching early childhood music during the pandemic. The resources are now posted at here and direct links are listed below:
- Teaching Early Childhood Music in the Time of COVID-19: Addendum to the Early Childhood Music Position Statement
- Teaching Early Childhood Music in the Time of COVID-19: Implementing Guidance and Suggestions for Birth-3rd Grade
- Context-Specific Guidance for Teaching Early Childhood Music in the Time of COVID-19
NAfME thanks editors Karen Salvador (Michigan State University, MI) and Lisa Huisman Koops (Case Western Reserve University, OH), the Early Childhood Music and Movement Association, and the NAfME Early Childhood Music Special Research Interest Group for producing these resources. A complete list of contributors is included in the implementation document.
NAfME is pleased to present Guidance for General Music Teaching during COVID-19, a new resource from the NAfME Council for General Music, to assist educators in providing standards-based instruction to students using various instructional delivery options (in-person, hybrid, virtual). This document provides examples of general music teaching using the Anchor Standards, scenarios for how general music instruction can and should continue through the pandemic, and answers to frequently asked questions. NAfME thanks Rob Lyda, council chair, and all the members of the council for their efforts to produce this important resource.