South Carolina is another U.S. state wracked by high unemployment rates and political scandal. At 12.1 percent, the state ranks 5th worst in the country in terms of unemployment, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and there has been a dearth of government leadership, particularly since governor Mark Sanford's mysterious disappearance in June, when he was reported to have gone hiking on the Appalachian Trail, but had, in fact, flown down to Argentina for a clandestine romantic rendezvous. The question remains: How does this effect school music in a state that is basically middle-of-the-pack in terms of population density, landmass, and many other notable statistics?

For an informed perspective on the state of South Carolina's school music programs, SBO recently caught up with SCMEA president Glenn Price, who portrays music educators in the Palmetto State as opportunists, not victims, and shares the specific measures that the SCMEA is implementing to continue to keep music and the arts at the forefront of the education curriculum.

SBO: While we all know that everyone has been feeling the pinch of the down economy, how is funding for music education holding up in South Carolina?
Glenn Price: South Carolina has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, and is experiencing a state revenue and budget crunch, but so far we haven't seen a reduction in staff or programs. School district budgets have certainly been reduced, but music educators are creative and we will find ways to "make it happen" for our students. We're committed to finding solutions, in a good economy or bad.

SBO: What are some of the unique challenges to school music programs in your state? And what are you doing to combat those challenges?
GP: Many of the problems facing music education are the result of today's global economic problems. However, rather than seeing ourselves as victims, I think most music educators see themselves as part of the solution. After many conversations with my colleagues, I have concluded that this is what many music educators believe:

• The world is at an economic crossroads; technology is eliminating vast numbers of people from the workforce. There are fewer jobs available, and many of those are being taken by those willing to work for less in a worldwide labor pool. This is leaving many South Carolinians, and many Americans in general, with little hope for their economic future.
• The biggest problem we face today is a lack of jobs. People with good jobs ("good job" defined as good pay with benefits such as health care and retirement) are not turning to crime, nor are they as likely to be losing their homes to foreclosure.
• In the recent past, the education system has followed the demands of an industrial and technology-driven economy. The current education system was designed primarily to build an industrial workforce. We truly believe that, for the most part, our future will not be created or driven by people trained for the factory floor. The future for our children, which has not yet been fully imagined, will require a creative and innovative workforce that can adapt quickly to changing economic circumstances. Our education system should lead the way in producing citizens with that creative and innovative capability.
• Research shows that the study of music (and the arts) is the basis for creative learning. Students that study music are more creative and better prepared to meet and adapt to an ever-changing future.
• Music education is, therefore, vitally important for everyone. Music education produces students who are prepared to be leaders and innovators in building the world of tomorrow that is so difficult for us to envision today, as the industrial age winds down and a new economic future beckons.
• Without music, without music makers, and without music educators, life for everyone would be very different.

We in the SCMEA have taken a good look at ourselves as we have considered these hard questions: Why are the music and arts department budgets always the first to be cut during hard times? Why is instruction time taken from music educators every time test scores decline? Why do so many administrators (and lawmakers) consider music education to be an educational frill?

We finally began to ask ourselves how we got into this mess in the first place, and what can be done now to change our public image. One answer to that question is fairly obvious: We cannot remain a passive organization; we must be more assertive as an association. We need to stand together if we expect to be recognized for the benefits we provide the people of South Carolina.

So, what do we do now? We do for our association what we teach our students every day:

• We teach toward mastery. We don't stop until it is right. We achieve our goals.
• We teach our students to work together, and that it is everyone's responsibility to help those around them.
• We recognize that no one of us is truly successful until all are successful.

SBO: Are there any new initiatives that you are hoping to implement in the near future? What ideas or visions do you have for securing the future of arts and music in public school education, both on the local and national level?
GP: The SCMEA is currently engaged in a variety of projects designed to provide greater support for our divisions, to enhance our communications, and to reshape our public image. The first of these is the Historical Records and Artifacts Project.

The SCMEA has developed a Historical Committee made up of appointed Historians from each division and chaired by the SCMEA Historian. The committee hopes to protect and preserve historically significant items for future reference of the association and secure a prominent public facility to display the Hall of Fame plaques of the SCMEA and its divisions. At this facility, it will catalog and inventory all historical artifacts and make that information available to the SCMEA membership, as well as providing the SCMEA membership with access to historical artifacts by use of an online "Virtual Museum" and traveling displays to aid members in academic research. This will also be used to promote particular events/occasions or support news articles intended to enhance the public awareness of music education in South Carolina. Finally, the Historical Committee will actively seek to acquire, through donation, any items deemed historically significant to the association.

The SCMEA has recently opened a new online message board/forum on the association's Web site (www.scmea.net). There are now over 1,700 members registered on the SCMEA General Forum. We now have a way for our entire membership to communicate with one another. This new forum will allow us to work across division lines to become more effective educators and to perhaps have a greater understanding of just how important and far reaching our profession really is.

Filming is already underway to create a high quality informative video to celebrate music and music education in South Carolina, to show that music enriches the lives of every South Carolinian, to recognize the importance of music as a major unifying element of society, and to encourage voters and lawmakers to view music as a vital component of the education system that must be protected. This brief video will be filmed and produced by SCETV.

The SCMEA has a new and unique fundraising project aimed at creating public awareness for music education called the 100 Percent Club. The idea is that this project will inform citizens of the value that music brings to the lives of all South Carolinians. The slogan is, "I give 100 cents to show that I support music education in South Carolina 100 percent! My cents make sense for music education!"

Dr. Jim Rex, South Carolina state superintendent of education, has endorsed the 100 Percent Club and will be involved in our campaign to raise support and awareness for music education in South Carolina. Dr. Rex will serve as our "poster child" on all of our promotional materials. He has also pledged to help spread the message of the importance of music education in South Carolina during his travels and professional activities and will be one of our speakers in February at our SCMEA In-Service Conference, and will also make remarks at our luncheon. In support of music education, Dr. Rex recently said, "We can't hope to merely outwork (or out-sweat) the rest of the world in the 21st century. We must be more creative, more imaginative and more entrepreneurial. Music education, coupled with the other arts and disciplines, gives us the best chance to produce graduates who are able to compete in this new environment." Our conference theme is "South Carolina Celebrates Music" and we will be formally introducing the 100 Percent Club to the association membership at that time.

The last project undertaken by the SCMEA that I should mention is the development of a new association logo. We believe that a more modern logo with an accompanying slogan will allow us to be more assertive and improve our public image.

SBO: Is there anything in particular that you have learned from your leadership position in a state organization – or simply as an educator – that you might be able to share with other educators?
GP: I would stress a couple of important points. First of all, be an active, conscious, and conscientious advocate of music education in all of your contacts, activities, and endeavors. Secondly, recognize the importance of what you are teaching. Music is a vital component in the lives of all Americans. It surrounds us and stirs our emotions; it can bring a smile to our faces or make it okay for us to cry. Music brings greater meaning to our worship services and our communal experiences. Music heightens the excitement of our celebrations.

Just imagine what our lives would be like without music – music to entertain us, certainly, but more importantly, to uplift and inspire. That should be our core message to the world, as music educators and as organizational leaders.