The Texas Coalition for Quality Arts Education (TCQAE) will be holding their traditional fine arts education day at the state capitol on Thursday, March 7th. We encourage you to witness over one hundred fine arts students performing in the rotunda from noon to 1:00 P.M. They will also visit the offices of all 181 members of the Texas Legislature to share their stories about the importance of fine arts in our schools.
Robert Floyd, Executive Director of Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) and TCQAE chair said, “On behalf of the over 1.95 million Texas schoolchildren enrolled in fine arts secondary courses across our great state, we look forward to meeting with members of the Texas legislature to share the importance of a fine arts education in nurturing the skills necessary for our state to compete in the 21st Century.”
Floyd added, “While the legislature is now engaged in debate regarding the future of public education funding, our mission is to make sure the legislature understands a fine arts education is an integral component in public education, and that opportunities for access to high quality arts programs must be protected.”
“Texas is not, nor has ever been, a one-size-fits-all state,” Floyd said. “Instead, we must recognize a growing portion of our state’s economy is dependent upon the type of collaborative and creative skills that can come only through a high quality fine arts education.”
Floyd added, “We look forward to initiating a positive dialogue with the legislature to propose solutions that don’t deny our schoolchildren the critical skills they will need to compete in the 21st-century economy. Participation in rigorous, substantive fine arts courses will help them achieve that potential.”