Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Episode 8: Leon Kuehner on How Mentorship Can Save New Arts Teachers
36 Plays25 days ago
How do we keep new arts teachers from burning out and leaving the profession? In Episode 8, Aaron Hansen talks with Leon Kuehner, Executive Director of the Iowa Alliance for Arts Education, about the vital role of mentorship in saving and sustaining new arts educators. Leon shares powerful insights from decades of experience — from building statewide mentoring programs to uniting arts advocates across Iowa. Tune in for real talk about teacher retention, advocacy wins, and why strong mentorship is essential for the future of arts education.
Learn more about the Iowa Alliance for Arts Education: https://iowaalliance4artsed.org/
Register for the 2025 Iowa Fine Arts Education Summit: https://web.cvent.com/event/6a598a50-b617-4aa0-8e4f-e65a2e5358c2/summary
Learn more about this podcast at https://www.westmusic.com/playnowplayforlife
Sign up for West Music emails for exclusive content and discounts! https://www.westmusic.com/playnowplayforlife/emailsignup
Visit our website for all of your musical needs! https://www.westmusic.com/
Follow us on social media!
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/westmusic
Instagram: www.instagram.com/westmusiccompany
Facebook: www.facebook.com/westmusic
Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/@westmusiccompany
X: www.twitter.com/westmusic
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/westmusic
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to 'Play Now, Play for Life' Podcast
00:00:06
Speaker
Hi, everyone. You are listening to Play Now, Play for Life, a podcast for music educators. I'm your host, Darren Hanson. I'm a former band and general music teacher of 29 years and now a part of the West Music Team.
00:00:20
Speaker
And in these episodes, we sit down and chat with experts in music education to learn about some of their tricks of the trade and other topics of music education.
Introducing Leon Tiener and His Role
00:00:31
Speaker
And today we have got a good one because we have Leon Tiener here who is currently the executive director for the Iowa Alliance of Arts Education, although he has a very big background in music education, and we'll get to that in a minute.
00:00:47
Speaker
So we are glad to have him here. We're going to talk about the Alliance and we're going to talk specifically too about mentoring programs, which are so important nowadays, and advocacy.
00:00:58
Speaker
with our districts and things with teachers. So we just want to welcome Leon to our podcast. Well, excellent. It's just, I'm looking forward to having a nice conversation, Aaron, I think we're going to have a good time.
00:01:10
Speaker
I think we are too. You know, I was thinking about this last night, looking forward to this particular podcast. And there are things about you, because I've known you now for quite a while. And the things I always love, first, I know if I'm going to be around Leon, number one, we're going to have fun, but we're also going to be serious about our topics.
00:01:30
Speaker
I mean, we're serious about music education, but we can also be fun people in that. and And then I always remember when whenever we've been involved in a meeting together or some kind of thing, I'm like, I'm going to learn something today.
00:01:44
Speaker
I don't know what it is yet, but I'm going to learn something today.
Leon Tiener's Teaching Career and Insights
00:01:47
Speaker
And just the energy, I've always thought this about you, but just the energy and the passion that you bring to our state, to music, educat not just music education, fine arts education. And I've always just appreciated all those things. So I've been looking forward to this podcast because I was like, this is going to be a great one.
00:02:08
Speaker
Well, well, well, thanks so much. And like the the feeling is mutual. I think for me, the one of my favorite things I get to do is go around and just talking to teachers. And, you know, going traveling around the state, getting to talk to teachers, you know, ah of all like beginning teachers, you know, experienced teachers, everyone. And that's really ah you draw, I think, energy and i think commitment and drive from talking to them. So anyway, we're going to have a good time.
00:02:37
Speaker
You do. And with that kind of a position. I mean, I think your position that's so interesting because you get to go into a ah lot of classrooms. Right. So you see a lot of teaching styles and a lot of different ways to do things in the classroom. I think that would be a really interesting position to be in.
00:02:57
Speaker
Yeah, it's it's interesting because ah i i i was i was I was a band director for like 35 years, 36 years, 35 or 36 years. And then the last 12, 13 years, ah I have been, I teach for the North Iowa Area Community College. I taught at Wartburg for a couple years.
00:03:19
Speaker
I do music student teachers, a class for them for University of Iowa, and then also co-administrator of the mentoring program. So and then doing lots of clinics for schools.
00:03:30
Speaker
And so really, I'm in a lot of different classrooms across the state doing different things, but also get a chance to work with. I think my youngest student is six and my oldest is 72. So you ah so you you have a wide range. And the thing yeah i think that's really important about that is it really informs you of what's going on.
00:03:53
Speaker
that you you you may be watching a beginning teacher, you may be watching an experienced teacher, you're in schools, you're talking to classrooms classroom teachers. But also I think with my work with the Alliance, it really helps inform when we're talking to decision makers and legislators.
00:04:09
Speaker
Because I can say when I'm talking to a legislator or an organization, no, I've been to the school. I've been to the school in your district. I've talked to these teachers and this is what's happening. So everything kind of informs everything else.
00:04:23
Speaker
Well, and that's so important because you have that interactive perspective. I was in the classroom. This is what I'm seeing. This is what I'm hearing. I mean, you're right there, which is what we need because anybody can give information when they're not there and they don't really know, but it's like, no, I was there.
Leon's Personal Journey in Music and Mentorship
00:04:43
Speaker
Right, yeah, and the other thing too is like since with my work with the Alliance, I go to all the professional organization meetings, conferences as well. And so, you know, you you go to Educational Theater Association, you go to Iowa Thespians, you go to Art Educators, you go to Iowa Music Editors, Iowa Choral Directors, Iowa Band Directors, Iowa String Teachers, I mean, all of them.
00:05:04
Speaker
And so you get a chance to talk to all the teachers, but also you get to talk to students as well. yeah And so I like ah like we just had finished our advocacy day um ah in January at the state capitol and ah really great advocates are our high school and college students, you know, because I you connect with them and I say, would you come and talk? And all I want to you to talk about your experience.
00:05:30
Speaker
Talk about the experience that you have every day in your classroom as far as the importance of arts education. And it's it's very, very powerful. Well, I loved that day. we're We're going to talk about that more.
00:05:42
Speaker
um Can I back up for a second? Because I didn't quite ask the question, but just a little bit about your personal background, your music journey. You kind of just touched on it a little bit. But when you got started with music, just a little bit.
00:05:55
Speaker
Yeah, more it was kind of interesting. ah Like I said, i my I was a band director, but I didn't play in a band till I was a freshman in high school. ah i Yeah, i I started trumpet lessons in seventh grade.
00:06:08
Speaker
ah The school I went to didn't have a band. And so I had played piano since I was like a little kid. And then in seventh and eighth, I started trumpet lessons in seventh grade and then didn't play in a band till I was a freshman.
00:06:24
Speaker
ah But the minute I played in a band, i thought, this is it. This is what I want to do. um You know, I was in choir for four years. I did speech. I did some drama things.
00:06:35
Speaker
But I knew that I wanted to be a band director. ah So I went University of Northern Iowa for both my bachelor's and master's degrees. um I taught three years. At at that time, it was Brit Community Schools. Now it's West Hancock.
00:06:49
Speaker
And then i taught 30 some years at Hampton and Hampton Dumont. And then ah after that, ah then i became well, I had been on the Alliance board and then about 10 or about 10 years ago, then I became executive director of the Alliance.
00:07:09
Speaker
I had been co-administer of the mentoring program since it started in 2006. ah And so then since then, uh, taught, like said, uh, music education. I did classes for our community college in Mason city. So I did music theory, oral skills, music history, applied trumpet, applied piano, applied French horn, whatever they needed.
00:07:30
Speaker
I did a two year kind of fill in at Wartburg college, uh, ah during a sabbatical leave and did um for two years there, did wind ensemble and symphonic band.
00:07:41
Speaker
And the last seven or eight years um also did a music, um the music teaching seminar class for the University of Iowa. So working with ah music teachers that are out ah in the field right now, meeting with them once a week, ah just talking about really just practical issues, you know, ah communication, rehearsal planning, ah classroom management, ah interview skills, all these really yeah practical things. So it really is kind of a wide ranging process.
00:08:15
Speaker
area of, I mean, just a lot of experience, like I said, and everything we do informs everything else. So I think it really ah helps you keep attuned to what is going on. Yeah, I would agree. I didn't, I forgot that you did a little stint at Warburg.
00:08:30
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. It was, oh, Dr. Hancock had a sabbatical and then it ended up, that was 2020. Yeah. So we went to the COVID experience. So 2020 2022.
00:08:43
Speaker
So I did band there for two years ah and they were kind of in a transition. So I was just kind of to help fill in, you know, while they were transitioning. So, and that, that was really interesting too, just to go in and see, getting to work with college students in in a band program, but also they, a lot of them were obviously music education people as well.
Founding and Structure of the Iowa Alliance of Arts Education
00:09:05
Speaker
So that was very, very interesting. I had great students there, too. So it's been fun. Well, and what an interesting time to go in and do that. Yeah. On top of everything else.
00:09:17
Speaker
Yeah. And I think, too, that's a thing that was really like, especially it helped really inform you what COVID did to arts education in the state of Iowa because you lived it.
00:09:28
Speaker
Yes. And I was just talking with teachers last week and it's really interesting. And they were going through and they were talking about their freshmen and sophomores were just kind of a little bit behind. And they said, yeah, these were the COVID classes.
00:09:41
Speaker
You know, and it's and if this is a nationwide thing. And ah it's interesting, like even like when we talk to legislators about that, we we go in and we say, do you understand what this did to education?
00:09:55
Speaker
Or even like I was working with student teachers and they said, no, I took conducting over Zoom or I took techniques classes over Zoom, you know, and at that's what we did.
00:10:08
Speaker
You know, but again, it was one of those things that experience really helped you focus in on this is what the needs are because of just the situation we all live through. So.
00:10:20
Speaker
Well, and I think the one thing. I mean, I don't think there was anything positive from COVID, but for the fine arts teachers, so many of us have kids for multiple years. Yes. I think we were much easier to adapt help going back in because we knew what, what had been lacking. I mean, we knew exactly where we had to pick up, where,
00:10:40
Speaker
You know, a third grade teacher, not knowing those kids and first in first and second grade at all and knowing what got done, you know, they had a lot more struggle, I think, than we did. Because I think we were just like, okay, this is where we're at. It's not where I want to be right now, but we're going to get there.
00:10:56
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. And it was interesting to just going through in some ways, the younger teachers, it was almost easier. They had no preconceived notions. Like for one, zo their first year of teaching was, you know, basically the Zoom COVID year, but they had no preconceived notions. I need to be here.
00:11:13
Speaker
And so they just they just kind of muddled through it. It's like, you know, um and in some ways it was almost easier because they could say, OK, like you said, it's It's not the student's fault. We just have to take them where they are.
00:11:26
Speaker
ah So yeah, it's been an interesting times, but it was, ah yeah, it was it really helped though inform where we need to go educationally. Yes.
00:11:37
Speaker
So as far, okay, so with the Alliance, you didn't start out with the Alliance right away as the executive director, did you? Or did you step right into that? I know you've been with the Alliance for many, many years.
00:11:48
Speaker
I started on the executive board ah in the late 90s. I was president of Iowa Band Masters Association, and then I was asked ah to be on the board.
00:12:00
Speaker
So I served on the board ah at that time And it was, I remember the first board meeting I went to and observed, it was in Des Moines.
00:12:11
Speaker
And I was so impressed with the organization ah because you you sat around and you, of course, you have music teachers, art teachers, drama teachers, everybody from all these different artistic disciplines.
00:12:24
Speaker
And it was so interesting sitting down, observing the meeting, and you could not tell who taught what. because people had a very global perspective on the importance of arts education.
00:12:37
Speaker
And a thing about the Alliance was breaking down the silos between the artistic areas, between the fine arts areas and realizing, no, we're doing what is important, the benefit for all students rather than for art or drama or music or or whatever.
00:12:54
Speaker
And that's impressed me so much. These people were very, very passionate and, I mean, that was kind of the whole concept of the Alliance anyway, is we were breaking down the silos in between so that arts education speaks with a unified voice.
00:13:11
Speaker
And to me, that was just super, super exciting. And ah they had some really, really strong people who really wanted lived that philosophy. And I just, I was just super, super impressed with that.
00:13:24
Speaker
So I love that about the organization that it's an umbrella organization. It's all of fine arts. And, you know, it goes back to the old saying that good teaching is good teaching. It doesn't matter if you're a dance teacher or an art teacher or drama. I mean,
00:13:41
Speaker
We're all of like you said, we all have the same overall goals and expectations and things. Yeah. And it works. It's it's such a strong ah it's ah it's such a unified voice, especially like like when we go.
00:13:57
Speaker
There's certain things the Alliance doesn't have to do because we have very strong fine arts organizations in the state. you know, we have very, that do excellent professional development, do great things for the individual members, but the Alliance is the one is is one that connects them all together.
00:14:14
Speaker
And we, which helps us speak with a unified voice. And really it we're it's a more powerful thing than us all individually, you know? And so that, so ah how the Alliance is structured ah was just done very wisely by the board. Um,
00:14:32
Speaker
In fact, it's really interesting. i have meetings coming up. ah South Dakota is looking at starting an arts education alliance. They have like an arts and culture alliance, but not an arts education alliance. so And the alliance director from South Dakota and I have been friends for Well, probably about 10 years now, since i ever since I started.
00:14:52
Speaker
And so I've been meeting with them. And then this summer, I'm going spend two or three days ah with them and just sitting down and saying, all right, here's how we did it. This is what we've learned.
00:15:04
Speaker
This works. This doesn't work. you know ah Because again, South Dakota being very rural, ah you know even more rural than Iowa. So that's one of those things. I think the concept of it, I think has served us really well.
00:15:18
Speaker
Would you say you're answering all kinds of questions all at once? I'm bouncing back and forth. Would you say Iowa is one of the first states that established an organization like this or?
00:15:31
Speaker
That I don't know. It's it's interesting. ah A lot of states, um because with my position with the Alliance, i I work, we work with national organizations as well.
00:15:43
Speaker
So like Americans for the Arts, we had a a group of Alliance directors that met, also one with the Creative States Coalition, also in part meet with Arts Midwest, which is another group of like 10 Midwestern states.
00:15:58
Speaker
Every state's structured differently. A lot of them, their arts and culture and their arts education advocacy group are the same people. it's all It's all under one.
00:16:10
Speaker
ah Some have separate, you know, like in Iowa, we have like the Iowa Cultural Coalition, which we helped resurrect, which advocates for arts and culture in the state, you know.
00:16:20
Speaker
And that's the one thing we looked at is, you know, we thought it was best that we those be two separate organizations which worked best for our state, you know because of what the way things already were set up.
00:16:34
Speaker
Now, I have a friend like from Alabama ah and theirs is all together. She does both. others you know ah it just It just depends on the state.
00:16:45
Speaker
In Iowa, I think the thing that helps us work is the communication between all of our groups.
Communication and Legislative Support for Arts Education
00:16:54
Speaker
And I think that's the thing that's super, super important is that with the Alliance, in addition to all our arts education groups, you know that are all members of our board, how it's structured, you know so we have all the professional arts education groups, but we also have context with the Iowa Department of Education. So their finance consultant sits on our board.
00:17:14
Speaker
I work closely with the Iowa Arts Council and their arts learning manager. We also have like the Iowa Association of School Boards. We're having someone from the school administrators of Iowa on our board as well.
00:17:27
Speaker
And the fact that we say I'll sit down and communicate with each other, I think is something that's really, really strong is that, I mean, I can just pick up the phone and with the alliance,
00:17:39
Speaker
um We're talking the Department of Education or we're talking to the Iowa Arts Council or like even like this morning, we're working on something with there's some legislation ah that's going to the Iowa legislature right now that we need guidance on.
00:17:52
Speaker
So one of my board members is the former national president of the Educational Theaters Association. So I just called Helen, said, Helen, here's what I need. We want to speak with a unified voice with the Educational Theater Association nationally.
00:18:06
Speaker
And so it's one of those things within a little bit, we're able to connect all these things. And the communication thing is key. because where we get in trouble is when we if we don't communicate.
00:18:19
Speaker
And then you're getting mixed messages. And so it's, ah yeah, it's a balancing act. I remember I had a friend that came to one of my they one of their first alliance meetings, and you have all these very high-powered, passionate people sitting around a table at once.
00:18:35
Speaker
And it's kind I was like, and he said, this is pretty chaotic. And, you know, but it was like, well, it's like when you go into a classroom, And it's you think it's noisy, but no, it's creative, you know, and going. get and Yes, you've been there, Aaron, you know. Yeah. e yeah It's not like people sitting there very quietly. It's just people on all these ideas are all going around.
00:18:59
Speaker
And it's like it's very and you just got to channel that. So it's it's it's really interesting. But I think that's where the energy of the group comes is the vitality and the buy in of each of the members.
00:19:11
Speaker
Well, and i think I think that your organization, i mean, I'm a member too, but it's so important have that unified voice. Because when you go in as a unified voice, that's much more powerful than just, oh, the choral people came in about this or whoever.
00:19:28
Speaker
General music teachers are looking at this, you know. But when you're coming in as fine arts all together, that's pretty powerful. Right. power Yeah. Yeah. Because there's sometimes obviously you will advocate for a single like something instrumental or art or whatever. Like if you're talking about a licensure thing or um some things that would affect theater more than the others, of course you will do that.
00:19:52
Speaker
But on the other hand, we're talking about just basic the importance of arts education in our schools. And you can go in and say, no, our organization represents thousands of teachers in the state of Iowa.
00:20:08
Speaker
And then you also have, you know, your other stakeholders, you have parents, you have parent groups, you have business people, you have all those as well. But you understand that, like you said, we're speaking with that unified voice.
00:20:18
Speaker
It really um there's you get more bang for your buck rather than I'm here, you know, by myself. you know Let me backtrack on one more question because I'm nerdy and I always have to know these things. But back to the alliance, the start of it, was it just kind of started by one person or was how did that kind of come about?
00:20:38
Speaker
Okay, it started during the farm crisis in the eighty s And so we had some- Wow, didn't realize it was that. Okay. So it was during the farm crisis in the 80s, they were, obviously schools were in trouble. There were a lot of funding cuts to schools.
00:20:52
Speaker
And so they were really cutting fine arts programs in the state. And we had some very visionary leaders back then and Steve West being one of them. I remember ah Steve West was like one of the founding members of the Alliance.
00:21:07
Speaker
And didn't know that either. Oh yeah. No, Steve West.
Mission and Policies of the Alliance
00:21:11
Speaker
Steve I'm learning. Yeah. Steve West and West was an integral part of the founding of the Alliance.
00:21:20
Speaker
Yeah. He was in it from the very beginning. So, uh, Steve West, it was Larry Branstetter, who was uh, uh, a theater teacher from red Oak. We had was Joel Christensen at that time was president of the Iowa band masters.
00:21:34
Speaker
ah He was the the band director at Iowa state. Mark Lehman was with the president of the Iowa choral directors. We had people from art educators of Iowa and it was really interesting. They, they realized that we will speak.
00:21:48
Speaker
with again, breaking down those but silos and speaking with a unified voice. I mean, West music really was without West music, the Alliance wouldn't have existed. When we first got going, you know, they we a lot. fact, West Music did a lot of our ah the paperwork, did a lot of ah just funding things for the alliance.
00:22:10
Speaker
ah In fact, they used to go and like for them when we got the mentor program, we used to are all the the finances like checking all of that was done through West Music.
00:22:21
Speaker
Robin Wallenta was also on our board. Robin served the full nine years on the board. And so um seriously, without West Music, I really don't think the Alliance would have survived.
00:22:33
Speaker
Because when it first started out, we needed, you had to have, you know, it's it literally started from zero. And, you know, so we've been around now since the middle, I think it was 1986. So we're getting there. So it's, yeah, we have a long, so it's great to be on a West Music podcast because without West Music, I wouldn't be here today.
00:22:54
Speaker
That, I just learned a ton. I didn't know any of that. Well, I didn't join until I was a new teacher by that time, but probably mid-90s. Yeah. So what would you say? I did a little research on your website.
00:23:07
Speaker
What would you say would be just the general vision and mission of the Alliance? Yeah. OK, like our just our this is just our mission statement is the permission of the Alliance is to increase awareness, recognition and support of policies, practices and partnerships that advance quality arts education for all Iowans.
00:23:28
Speaker
And really what we're looking at and that can mean, ah ah the ah The awareness thing is just an ongoing. I mean, that's one thing we will do. I mean, every year when we go to the legislature, we say we've ever since COVID, we just adopted the arts education is essential.
00:23:44
Speaker
This is not an extra. This is not anything. No, this is essential as for what a well-rounded education is. we look We also look at some policies, practices, and partnerships.
00:23:55
Speaker
Now, policies can be things like at the state level. It can be at the local level, but things that are going to support ah quality arts education. And the other thing, too, again, is the partnerships.
00:24:07
Speaker
That is super, super important. Like I talked about, the fact that ah just when we look at the structure of our executive and our advisory board, we try to be as far-reaching as possible.
00:24:19
Speaker
You know, ah on our executive board, we have representatives of we have of ah drama, of strings, of art, music, speech, all of those. On our advisory board, we have like Thad Driscoll, ah the executive director of the Iowa High School Music Association.
00:24:36
Speaker
ah Like Stacey Hanson, executive director of the Iowa High School Speech Association. um We have people from Iowa Association of School Music Dealers, but also the Iowa Arts Council, ah Iowa Dance, ah Iowa Department of Education, as well as all the professional arts education organizations in the state.
00:24:57
Speaker
And really what it does is it helps us inform what is exactly going on. It's kind of like when I talked earlier, the fact that I'm in classrooms really, really helps.
00:25:09
Speaker
But when you have a wide board like that, like with our advisory board, we meet with them twice a year. And that's exactly to see what do you see are the greatest needs?
00:25:20
Speaker
What do you see are the issues that are facing? What are you hearing from your organizations? you know um And so I think that is just how the board is structured, I think really helps us stay current and really helps us stay they ah going through as far as really what is exactly going on because we're everybody's in the classroom. I think being in the trenches super, super important.
00:25:49
Speaker
Oh, it's very important. It's very important. When the when when the alliance kind of started really gaining steam, i if I'm remembering this right, as I was going through my career, was advocacy it a really big initial kind of what I want to say promotion? Or I mean, yeah, it was advocacy and we did a lot of programming.
00:26:12
Speaker
ah We did a lot of professional development ah for teachers. ah The thing that we would do is we would partner with the Iowa Department of Education going through that. And so ah like we've worked closely with the fine arts consultant at the Department of Education because really what it did is it gave us immediate validation as far as can we provide professional development for your teachers?
00:26:40
Speaker
And of course, if we partner with the Department of Education do that. The other thing that I was passionate about is when i was a class when I was in the classroom, it was always very frustrating for me when we had teacher professional development days and we would have professional development and none of it would ever apply to the fine arts teachers.
00:27:00
Speaker
And I hear that and at time and time again. And so that was a thing ah that was so we, as we looked at it, okay, let's have fine arts teachers develop professional development opportunities for fine arts teachers.
00:27:16
Speaker
And so that's been a thing that has been really, I think, super important that we did a lot of work on. And we continue to do
Professional Development and Mentoring Programs
00:27:25
Speaker
that. Like we have our fine arts education summit ah coming up.
00:27:29
Speaker
um We do that every two years. And so we have we're part of the fine arts advisory team for the Department of Education. So right now that will be on June 17th.
00:27:40
Speaker
It's coming up and at DMACC and Ankeny. and registration for that's going to open up on April 1st. So we have a whole day of professional development designed by Iowa teachers that we can provide. And this is a collaboration between the Iowa Department of Education, the Iowa Arts Council, and the Alliance.
00:28:01
Speaker
And that literally came about, again, um when we passed Fine Arts Standards. is we were just sitting i we we were sitting at scenic root bakery in Des Moines.
00:28:13
Speaker
I just drove down, had a new fine arts consultant and we just sat down and with also with Jenny Knabel with the Iowa Arts Council. And they said, what do you see as the thing that teachers need?
00:28:27
Speaker
And I said, it's it's professional development because we had adapted new standards. No one, everyone was, what's going on? these all about? And in their area. So it makes sense. Yes. And so literally just sitting around that ah and having coffee, we said, this is what we need. And then some said, well, I can provide funding for this and I can provide funding for this and we can do this.
00:28:51
Speaker
And by the three organizations collaborating together, it came up, now we do it every two years. And so ah it was just, again, it was that collaboration and that communication that made the difference.
00:29:05
Speaker
And the same thing like with our mentoring program, you know, that came about in 2006. Same thing. And that literally was ah sitting down with a fine arts consultant and out her boss from the Iowa would Department of Education. They said, what do you see as the need for education in the state of Iowa? And and we said, it's mentoring.
00:29:28
Speaker
And. Literally, that's how it started. And then we got a block grant and then Liz Fritz and ah and I and Roseanne Malik, who was the of DE e consultant at that time. We sat down and literally around a kitchen table in Decorah, Iowa, ah we just sat down and said, all right, let's design something.
00:29:50
Speaker
And then it just kind of all worked from there. you know I think in Iowa, kitchen table meetings work very well. Yes. A lot of things get hashed out around a kitchen table. Like you get the right people and we figured this out.
00:30:05
Speaker
Yeah, exactly right. You know, it's lots of times it's the kitchen table or the parking lot conversation where the real, is you know, you have the meeting and then every, and then all of a sudden you're walking to the car and then you have the parking lot. It's like, it's like going to Camp David, you know, you build You know, and you sit around and then all of a sudden people have time to process and they go, well, what do you think about this?
00:30:30
Speaker
Oh, I could do this. And that's, yeah. Or I tend to be one of those people that I might have a middle of the night light bulb. And then i I always have a notepad sitting by my bed. I'm like,
00:30:41
Speaker
well, this might be a good idea. I'm just going to write that down. So I remember it tomorrow morning. off Well, before we go on to mentoring, just back to advocacy for one more minute. um I think administrators, at least in my opinion, i think they're getting smarter because I think years ago for fine arts teachers, you know, with PD, they didn't know what they didn't know what they didn't know, or they didn't know where to send us or what to do.
00:31:08
Speaker
So I think like you said, for us to come kind of grassroots, what about this? This would make a lot of sense for our team. Oh, yeah. Okay. That kind of sounds like a good idea. And that's in your area.
00:31:19
Speaker
And I know a lot of a lot of districts nowadays are even sending... teachers out. They're giving them the option on a PD day. Do you want to go visit another district, another music person, another art person? And I mean, that's so valuable for us more than sitting in a ah math scores reading meeting. You know, it's I think they're getting smarter.
00:31:41
Speaker
Right. Yeah. And I think a lot of right i think a lot of it is just it's an an awareness thing that you you keep sending. You know, it's all out there. I think now, um like with the transitioning of what AEAs provide, we're in a transition period right now.
00:31:56
Speaker
We went through this whole phase where we were ah we worked through the AEAs. We would go around to all of them. We had teams of teachers, ah fine arts teachers that would do professional development.
00:32:07
Speaker
We're in a transition phase right now. And we've had that discussion a lot ah with the Alliance and our Executive Advisory Board of what can we do to fulfill the needs of the teachers.
00:32:19
Speaker
ah You know, and so it's like our our fine arts education summit this summer is like it's a one day thing. But that's one of the things we're looking at to the future is what can we provide for teachers um is that that's current, that's something they can use. And so, ah yeah, it's going to be an ongoing thing. ah But I think the professional development aspect, I think, is super, super and important.
00:32:46
Speaker
ah because it's and something all teachers need. And I think, and i I'm just a firm believer, you have fine arts teachers develop professional development for fine arts teachers.
00:32:58
Speaker
You got to have people from the trenches do it because they're the ones that know what's going on. Well, yeah, I 100% agree with that. um Quick question about the summit. Is that open to any fine arts teachers? Do you have to be a member of the Alliance? I think I've gone once or twice. I remember going down to Des Moines.
00:33:17
Speaker
No, it's all it's open to anybody, you know, ah we will. It's like we have obviously it's we cater. yeah I mean, a lot of it is to like a classroom teacher, but we also have like teaching artists that will come.
00:33:31
Speaker
ah We're do also having a STEAM thread through this as well. So have somebody from the STEM Council are coming and they are doing a presentation on some some STEAM type related activities that are possible to the STEM Council.
00:33:49
Speaker
ah We get ah you know some performing artists, ah the The other thing that we're trying to get is like ah curriculum directors, some administrators, all of that so that they can see.
00:34:01
Speaker
um We have i think it's 24 breakout sessions, which is kind of fun. And we have it set up so that we have a thread for each fine arts area.
00:34:17
Speaker
So some of are gonna be like general knowledge, but some others like if I am a ah general music teacher, here's a thread I can follow. If I'm ah a high school drama teacher, here's what I can follow. If I'm an ensemble, ah a band choir orchestra, here is a thread. That's something we very specifically look at so that for the day, there's specific sessions that will apply, but also there are general interest sessions as well.
00:34:45
Speaker
um So what we're doing this year, instead of having a keynote, we are decided we're having Iowa teachers be the keynote. It's going to be it's like a round-robin interview session. I'm really excited about it.
00:34:57
Speaker
And we have five exemplary teachers of five art forms who are going to interview each other. And so they're going to start out at... And so it's going to go through. We're goingnna talk about the artistic processes and how we are incorporating them into our dance class, our art class, our music class, our drama class, our speech class, all of those.
00:35:19
Speaker
But they're going to interview each other. So ah it's it's really going to be exciting. And the thing I like about it. is it's Iowa teachers talking to Iowa teachers.
00:35:30
Speaker
So it's not like, okay, I'm from California and this worked in when I taught in San Francisco or whatever. No, I teach in Waving Grass, Iowa, and this is what works in Waving Grass.
00:35:42
Speaker
You can do it too. ah I just find that very exciting and ah <unk>s it's going to be fun. I just really look looking forward to it. So, we'll get That will be sending stuff out. It'll be on the Alliance website. It'll be the ah ah the Iowa Arts Council website. But we have pre-registration starting on April 1st.
00:36:00
Speaker
Well, I would love to attend again or whatever. it was i i remember it. It's been a few years. but It's fun. It is fun. And it's fun people. And it's it's those conversations, you know, maybe they don't happen right during the session, but they happen on a break and you end up talking with somebody and networking and and there's so much content there to collect. But, okay, so let's go back to the mentor program. Would you like to just, you already said how it kind of started.
00:36:31
Speaker
um but Would you like to just kind of talk about how that works and how it helps new teachers or any teachers? Sure. Yeah. OK, the mentor program started in 2006. And really how that ended up literally again, we were sitting around a table ah and it was Roseanne Malik, who was the fine arts consultant at that time of the Department of Education, her boss.
00:36:52
Speaker
And at that time, I was just chair of the Iowa Bandmasters Association Mentor Committee. And then Liz Fritz was chair of the, it was a group called the Music Mentors of Iowa.
00:37:04
Speaker
And so we thought, okay, how, are what are we going to do? ah First of all, we need to combine forces. It was the same thing using the like kind of the model of the alliances rather than the band directors having something, the choir directors having something, you know, the music, the music, IMEA having something.
00:37:25
Speaker
We thought we need to expand this out to everyone. But we had a kind of so we it started out fairly small. We did block grants the first year. And we gave ah through the Alliance and we like gave, for example, Iowa bandmasters, Iowa co-directors, whatever, all of them, here's some money to use to do maybe a session geared to first year teachers at your conference, you know just to kind of get the ball rolling, which then gave us a year.
00:37:52
Speaker
And so ah Liz Fritz and Roseanne Malik and I, like said, we sat down and designed a program, had to come up with a budget And so we did get funding and we got it started.
00:38:05
Speaker
And so what we really have is two, three components of it. The first was the professional development component, which was providing professional development specifically geared to the beginning teacher.
00:38:18
Speaker
And so we did, we do a fall symposium for beginning teachers. We've done, we've recorded some podcasts for for beginning teachers. So that was kind of professional development aspect. The second one was scholarships.
00:38:31
Speaker
We were, be one of the things we felt was so important was to get your beginning teacher connected to their professional organization. Because especially in Iowa, we've got a lot of rural teachers who are the only one of their area in their building or sometimes in their entire school. you know They could be K-12 music or they could be K-12 art. you know And we thought it's super, super important to get them connected to their state professional organization.
Impact and Expansion of the Mentor Program
00:38:57
Speaker
So we provide scholarships for that. And then the third was was the mentoring assistance. ah So the Iowa choral directors had some mentoring and ah assistance. They were doing some really good things there.
00:39:10
Speaker
And at that time, Iowa bandmasters had a group called the IBA Retired Directors, the IBARD group, which is organization of retired teachers. And I was the mentor chair for IBA. And as we sat down and we were thinking, we thought, wait a minute, we've got a group of people here that have knowledge and we've got beginning teachers that need knowledge.
00:39:33
Speaker
Why don't we connect these two together? And the other thing that was so important was that the the retired teachers have time. They can come during a school day. They can come into the classroom.
00:39:46
Speaker
And so this was about the same time that the state of Iowa was starting their mentor program. And so we had we worked with them to realize, no, this isn't to go through and like supplant what you're doing. This too is to enhance what you're doing.
00:40:02
Speaker
Because what we will do is we will provide discipline-specific mentoring. So for example, ah like when I, okay, I live in Hampton and we had a beginning band director there after I left and her mentor teacher in the school was the English teacher.
00:40:20
Speaker
One of the the best teachers in the school. So as far as this is how I connect with students, this is how I build relationships, this is how I do classroom management. All of those things, which like you said at the beginning, Aaron, good teaching is good teaching.
00:40:35
Speaker
I don't care if you're teaching, you know, underwater basket weaving or the the top orchestra. Good teaching is teaching. But going through, but what she really needed this was be discipline-specific mentoring.
00:40:47
Speaker
And once we explained that, and the fact that we were able to do this at no cost to the local school district, then we had it. So the first time, at that this was during the Obama administration.
00:41:01
Speaker
And at that time, there was money available for teacher quality. And the Iowa Department of Education had applied for a teacher quality grant. And what they needed as part of this grant application was an example of an existing mentoring program for beginning teachers in the state ah to use as a part of their application process.
00:41:22
Speaker
And so at that time, Roseanne Malik, who was the fine arts consultant, said, can we use the Alliance Mentoring Program as part of this application? I said, well, sure. So anyway, they we were part of that. And then this was accepted. So for eight years, we were funded by ah federal grant.
00:41:41
Speaker
So we got anywhere from $50,000 to $75,000 a year to help run the mentoring program. And so as it kept going, we expanded out. So it just it was a a matter of time. We had some money. we were able to expand. So right now, we're working with seven organizations.
00:42:00
Speaker
We started small and kind of worked the kinks out. So right now we're working with seven professional fine arts organizations. ah At the end of the Obama administration, we're in our 10th year now. At that time, we had the structure, we were growing, but we had no money.
00:42:17
Speaker
ah The federal grant was done. And so at that time, ah that's about the same time that the alliance was able to hire a lobbyist. And our lobbyist is Larry Murphy.
00:42:29
Speaker
And so ah we sat down and he was intrigued by this whole idea. Before he was a lobbyist, he was a member of the legislature and he was in the Appropriations Committee and the Education Committee.
00:42:40
Speaker
So it was like an awesome combination. He knew the he knew how it worked and he knew the people to talk to. So we sat down and so Larry and I, we started beating with legislators and you could tell they got it, especially legislators from rural schools.
00:42:59
Speaker
Because, no, they have one choir director or they have one art teacher. We've got to save, you know, we've got to help these people. So anyway, we we went in in with a dollar amount and they came back. ah was We went in for $100,000. They came back with zero.
00:43:15
Speaker
ah And so went in. but but So that I'm going to negotiate. Yeah. it's all we kind And so we negotiated. So we anyway, we ended up a meeting in the middle. And they said, we will give you $25,000 if you match that $25,000. And so, which got us to $50,000 a year budget.
00:43:32
Speaker
and so which got us to a fifty thousand dollars a year budget ah so we said So that's what we agreed on. So that was 10 years ago. So the alliance has raised a quarter million dollars ah to go through and match this. And then the last few years now, we've gotten that raised to $50,000 from the legislature because as our program has grown, our needs have grown.
00:43:57
Speaker
So but right now, what we've done is we've expanded. COVID was interesting. ah Because what happened when the school shut down, there still was a great need for mentoring.
00:44:09
Speaker
And I remember i I just I was going for a walk and I'm going, what are we going to do? And I thought, Dahlia, this is stupid. Do virtual mentoring. Everything else is on Zoom and phone calls. We can do that. by And so because before we only we only had in-person visits and that was awesome.
00:44:26
Speaker
And so we did that during COVID and then we kept it because it was so valuable because we compensate our mentors for in-person time, meals, mileage, hotel and their time.
00:44:37
Speaker
And so we do this. up We'll do the same for a week. Virtual mentoring. And sometimes a teacher doesn't need three hours or four hours. They need a half an hour, an hour.
00:44:48
Speaker
You know, I need help here. What do you think? I just had a really bad day. ah What do I do? Or I need some assistance here. And that can be done you know over Zoom. ah So.
00:44:59
Speaker
We've expanded that. We've expanded the scholarship to $500 a year. We've expanded it to the first two years of teaching. We used to limit mentor visits. We've been able to have unlimited mentor visits right now.
00:45:13
Speaker
And what has helped that is when the school is basically shut down for a year, And in some places longer than that, we had carryover funds of contributions that, you know, that of matching contributions that ah so we were able to expand that out. And so that has helped us.
00:45:32
Speaker
ah So like this past year, we had over. five I think it was 530 mentor visits in 56 counties last year.
00:45:44
Speaker
Wow. it's it's It's just the last two years, it's just gone through the roof.
Teacher Retention and Appreciation of the Mentor Program
00:45:50
Speaker
ah And that's been really, really cool. We've brought on the Iowa High School speech Speech Association as a participant, which is really great. So we have like art educators of Iowa, Iowa string teachers, Iowa music educators, Iowa choral directors, Iowa bandmasters,
00:46:05
Speaker
ah Iowa Thespians and Iowa High School Speech Association. So we've really expanded that. so So right now, every first and second year teacher can have unlimited meant virtual and in-person mentor visits.
00:46:20
Speaker
We provide free professional development and we provide a $500 scholarship first and second year to pay their professional dues and ah attend professional conferences in the state of Iowa.
00:46:35
Speaker
um It's been really interesting. Just this last September, we got a chance to talk about the mentoring program at the National Federation of High School Associations meeting in Chicago. So there were maybe like Thad Driscoll, who is the head of IHSMA. It was like people of his ah stature or position from throughout the whole United States.
00:46:57
Speaker
And I got about 10 minutes to talk about the mentoring program. And that was interesting. Cause I've talked to we've talked to other states, but that, in fact, I just had a meeting yesterday with Music For All, people from Music For All ah with Bob Morrison and his group with Quadrant Research, the the National Federation of High School Associations. ah And so we're looking at ah using the Iowa model or people talking about what we're doing in Iowa ah and seeing and replicating it in other states. Also in that meeting, we had ah some teachers from from Idaho.
00:47:35
Speaker
ah And they're at the very beginning of that. And so we made those connections just, I guess, just two days ago now. And so we're going to be mentoring talking we're we're going to be mentoring Idaho.
00:47:46
Speaker
ah Otherwise known as the Other Iowa. It's the other Iowa. I think it's true. Yeah. And so, yeah. So it's been kind of interesting. But we've had like discussions with, we've met with teachers from Missouri, Minnesota, Wisconsin, you know, just neighboring Midwestern states, you know.
00:48:05
Speaker
ah So that's the thing that's been cool is just going in. And we're still, we're still learning. We're still expanding, you know, because we've it's been since 2006. But, yeah. but ah The needs of teachers are changing.
00:48:20
Speaker
And really, one of the big things right now we're looking at is teacher retention. Because there's such a shortage of teachers in the state. Well, nationwide, you know, but obviously for Iowa, we're looking at because with that mentoring program, if we can get them through those first two years.
00:48:38
Speaker
Then they get their permanent certificate. You knowll they have that provisional teaching license for two years. If we can get them through the first two. And the thing is, a lot of times that relationship that's established between the mentor teacher and the beginning teacher extends far beyond the two years.
00:48:54
Speaker
I mean, I'm still working with teachers I worked with 10 years ago. Uh, you know, because you create that relationship. Uh, and so that's the thing that's super, super important.
00:49:05
Speaker
So I think the, I think people are look kind of looking to Iowa to learn what we've learned because we made mistakes. There's things we tried and it didn't work.
00:49:17
Speaker
Uh, The legislature, the thing that's been really cool with the legislature is we've like we've been funded, we've got legislation passed 10 years in a row now to fund this program.
00:49:28
Speaker
And it didn't matter which which political party was in power because it doesn't make any difference. This is not a political issue, this is a kid issue. And it's going to, this is the power of what we can do.
00:49:41
Speaker
And each year I bring in, what when we talk to legislators, we bring in beginning teachers. Because I can sit there, I says, you don't worry about, I will, so I talked and I will do all the boring stuff.
00:49:53
Speaker
I will do with all will do all the statistics. said, this is what we've done. We've expanded this. We're in this many schools. We've helped this many teachers. We provided this. And then you just turn it loose and you left the beginning teacher said, can you tell your story?
00:50:07
Speaker
And it's just boom. Everything, it happens time and time again. ah The thing that was really interesting this year, and this was done on purpose, is that we had a band director who's now teaching choir as well and a choir director who's now teaching band as well.
00:50:27
Speaker
you know, and we had a public school and a one was a public school teacher, one was a private school teacher. But we're going through and showing i thought I was going to be a choir director, but now I'm teaching choir and band.
00:50:39
Speaker
I thought I was going to band director and now I'm teaching band and choir, you know, because especially in smaller schools, that's what's happening. And for them to go in and see the mentoring program is something that can really help them because they've already graduated.
00:50:58
Speaker
Their license says they can teach music K-12. But do they have the expertise to teach music K-12? Some do, some not, you know?
00:51:09
Speaker
And so that's the thing that we have the power to, ah with the the way the mentoring program is set up. um We had a band director last year who had taught for 25 years and now was teaching band and general music.
00:51:26
Speaker
So she got a general music mentor. You know, it just happened to be Michelle Swanson from UNI, like, you know, like the perfect general music mentor. But Michelle said, I will help this teacher, you know.
00:51:39
Speaker
And so it's one of those things. It's how how the grant is set up. A beginning teacher is someone who's teaching that area for the first time. And so the thing that's great about this, it's really responsive to the needs of the teacher.
00:51:53
Speaker
Because I was i was just talking to a teacher ah last week. and said, I'm the high school choir director, the band director's leaving. I think I'm gonna have to do high school band next year.
00:52:08
Speaker
And I'm going, okay. And luckily i knew the students said, okay, we can do this. we you know here's and we'll we'll And we'll get them set up. Uh, you know, uh, so it's, and I, in fact, I had an email this morning, uh, from a school district and they said, we have someone that is currently teaching math and they want to be a choir director.
00:52:30
Speaker
They've decided they want to be a choir director. Now they are X amount of credit short of getting their music certification. What do they need to do? And can they get a mentor? I'm going, yes, here's the person you need to contact, contact here.
00:52:44
Speaker
to get the right answer. And even though they've taught 15 or 20 years, if they decide to do become a choir director, they they get the mentoring. So that's the thing I like about it. It's very responsive to the needs of the teacher.
00:52:58
Speaker
First of all, when you go speak at these at these out-of-state conferences, they need to give you more than 10 minutes. You know, it was so fun. That's my first comment.
00:53:09
Speaker
No, it was, we got one. It was, and we're going through. And the thing that was so funny was I was the fourth speaker. We had 45. I was like 50 minutes and I was the fourth one. I literally thought I was going to get two minutes, you know, because you know how that goes. We had it was awesome. Every speaker was awesome and everybody followed. And so I just talked really fast for 10 minutes and everything in.
00:53:35
Speaker
But it was about the thing is, since, you know, being in it from the very beginning, You really see, you know, it's it's so much fun to watch the growth, but also see the impact it makes.
00:53:49
Speaker
Like we had we had the beginning teachers we had in Des Moines ah in in January literally tell the legislator, if I did not have this mentor, I would not have made it through my first year of teaching.
00:54:03
Speaker
And that's what I was going to ask you as you were talking. I was going to ask you, what is the feedback from the the teachers been like, the mentees? Because that's so important. That really tells you this is valuable.
00:54:16
Speaker
This is important. You've helped me. Right. Yeah, that that's the thing that's the most powerful, the number of times that They said, if I didn't have this, I wouldn't i wouldn't have made it.
00:54:30
Speaker
You know, I mean, we literally have teachers giving them lesson plans. You know, just saying, I'm teaching. I mean, I had one that went in and he ended up having to teach a music appreciation course.
00:54:42
Speaker
He found out two days before he was a first year teacher. He was the band director starting in the and then found out he had to teach music appreciation two days before class started.
00:54:55
Speaker
And he's going, you know, you're good. What do I do? Run. No, I just don't. yeah so No, but really you run to your mentor and you just go. And that's the thing is, and that's really quick because you can go through because with ah the connections that we have, because each of the organizations has a mentor chair.
00:55:18
Speaker
So, for example, like for Julie Schneiders does the Iowa choral directors ah and Michelle Swanson was was helping with Iowa music educators. So as a music teacher, if you go in and say we found out there is a band director here that's got to teach general music or whatever.
00:55:34
Speaker
It's one quick email. and I say, all right, here's we need someone in that area that has expertise in this area. um I had just had a meeting ah couple days ago, and that was a question that people from from Idaho had was matching up the teachers. You know, it's just going in. How do you do it? and i said, well, you try to get people from the same area.
00:55:56
Speaker
But also, it's more to me. The thing that's more important is that you got to have if if it's a middle school teacher, you got to someone who's taught middle school. If it's an elementary teacher, you got someone who's taught elementary because that's a specific skill as well.
00:56:11
Speaker
you know Right, right. You have to have that. I know with like AOSA, with the ORF organization, we have a mentor program that I was part of for a short time. And that was our challenge was we're not all in Iowa. So sometimes the people that matched would be somebody on the East Coast and somebody on the West Coast. Well, the challenge was just trying to figure out time schedules to get together. You know, we're in Iowa, at least we're we have proximity. So that helps.
00:56:40
Speaker
Yeah, and it's like I said, the the addition of doing virtual mentoring has been a game changer. Yeah. i've i've done I've done Zoom meetings at 9.30 at night.
00:56:52
Speaker
you know ah You know, they just said, Leon, I've got a need, you know, and I know a lot of mentor other people do as well. You know, it's just one of those things where it's, you it's helping that, just helping them through those first two years so they realize they're not alone.
00:57:07
Speaker
Secondly, it's someone from the outside looking in. you know, cause you see it differently. Uh, and I think the thing is what I always tell my mentees is you really get to design what you want. It's not evaluative at all.
00:57:24
Speaker
It's like, okay,
Advocacy and National Participation in Arts Education
00:57:25
Speaker
what do you see? Or, or what, you know, I need i just need some help. Uh, and so, yeah, that's the thing I like about it. And it's very close to the ground. We're really, and we can move quickly,
00:57:36
Speaker
And the other thing that is super, super important is it's a program of the Iowa Department of Education. Because the Alliance, we have we have a contract that as a vendor through the Iowa Department of Education.
00:57:53
Speaker
so we are So we sign contracts with the Iowa Department of Education every year to provide this service to Iowa schools, which I see is super, super important because it gives us immediate credibility with a local school district.
00:58:09
Speaker
that this is a program of the Department of Education. The thing that is very unique when I talk to other states, to me, it's the collaboration between your legislature, your Department of Education, and your professional arts education organizations.
00:58:22
Speaker
It's the three people that really do need to be involved. And so that, I think, ah is super, super important, but im also really unique thing about this ah program. Well, and I was so impressed with, because this was the first year I've ever come to the advocacy day down at the Capitol.
00:58:40
Speaker
And I'm so glad West Music thought it was important because they immediately said, no, we always send a few people down. Yes. And you should go. And it was just a great day because you are you are delightfully surprised by these legislatures.
00:58:58
Speaker
yeah that's that I totally support fine arts. What can I do? I mean, right you don't even have to sell it to me. I mean, I'm sold. Right. Yeah. And that's the thing that we found because this was our 10th one.
00:59:10
Speaker
um I guess the COVID years, we kind of, you know, had we had to just do things virtually. And again, quick, a quick shout out to West Music. Thank you for being the sponsor this year. ah That was awesome. ah But also the thing is, once you come in and that's the thing with the Advocacy Day is you come in with a consistent message every year.
00:59:31
Speaker
you come in with a positive message. This is what arts education does for your students. This is what it does for your school. This is what it does for your community.
00:59:42
Speaker
ah Now, we have specific asks, of course, every year. ah ah we We did get the fine arts consultant position in Iowa Code, which is huge.
00:59:52
Speaker
ah That we got one of our first years. I think we got a legislative win, I think, ah Either our first advocacy that we had, but at that time they were reducing ah the fine arts consultant position at the Department of Education.
01:00:06
Speaker
And so right now we have it in Iowa code that it has has to at least be a halftime position, which is a huge win because there's only two positions are in Iowa code is talented and gifted in fine arts.
01:00:19
Speaker
So that but that was a big win. But I think the important thing we needed to do is, again, like this year, we targeted new legislators. And last year, we targeted new legislators.
01:00:31
Speaker
You know, ah yeah, because of COVID, we we didn't have that in-person contact. And, you know, you can do, you can send all the emails you want.
01:00:42
Speaker
But like you said, getting to spend that five minutes which alleges with a legislator, hand them a packet of information and just kind of tell your story for those five minutes is so impactful because it builds that relationship.
01:00:56
Speaker
And the minute they see, ah oh Iowa Alliance for Arts Education. Oh, yeah, I remember them, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. You know, yeah. Yeah. So it's ah it's it's it's always a fun day, especially when you have people do it for the first time. That was me.
01:01:13
Speaker
Yeah. you know, I remember the first time I did it, I was scared to death and I was awful. ah But you just get better. You just get better. Well, and I thought it was really smart, as you said earlier in the day, that you had undergraduates.
01:01:27
Speaker
And some high school students involved too, because they're telling their story, their experience of their fine arts classes, and they're doing it right now. Yeah. And to have those voices there, I thought that was really impactful. That just, I was really impressed with that.
01:01:43
Speaker
Yeah. I tell them because ah I just say they are the most effective advocates. And what I have to learn is to shut my mouth. Yeah. You know, it's like, yeah, because I just let, and that's what I tell them.
01:01:56
Speaker
You just tell your story because you're living it. ah And the same thing like with the beginning with the mentor program. i will I said, I will do the boring stuff. I will say, you're the facts. You tell your story. And it works.
01:02:09
Speaker
It just, is it works every time because it's ah it's so impactful. it Well, it sounds like the mentorship program really is making a big difference because that is a huge issue currently in our country is losing teachers.
01:02:23
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, it's really interesting. I'm part of a group right now, and that's the whole focus of it. ah It's like Lynn Tuttle, who is the president of the American String Teachers Organizations.
01:02:35
Speaker
They also have people from Music for All, um and there's and then we have, there's also college people. it's Every state's set up a little bit differently. So I also work with the Arts Education Partnership.
01:02:48
Speaker
which is a nationwide organization that advocacy and ah ah informational work for arts education. So I've got connected with them and now I'm connected with another mentor group there um and just learning what other states are doing.
01:03:05
Speaker
And then we'll kind of talk about here's what we're doing in Iowa. Here's what's worked for us. ah Now, that may not work in your state, but here's what we've learned. And then also I learned from them going, oh, I never thought of that. That's something we could add.
The Benefits of Joining the Alliance
01:03:19
Speaker
So again, it's that sharing of ideas that's so important.
01:03:23
Speaker
Yeah, and I'm excited to hear that there are are these similar type programs going on in other states because that's really important. I mean, all across art, everywhere. Yeah. so what would you say, as kind of a final question here, what would you say to arts educators to encourage membership in the Alliance?
01:03:43
Speaker
Okay.
01:03:46
Speaker
Yeah, I think I think a lot of no, I get it. I get it because it's one of those things, even though your professional organizations are members, our strength comes from the individual membership, you know, going through. And I think the one thing that we the alliance can do is it's like we had talked about just in the last hour. It's being able to speak with this unified voice and being able to do things that you individually cannot do.
01:04:13
Speaker
And that your individual membership, that $35 membership to be an individual member is really what makes all this possible. Because the fact that we have that individual membership helps it make it possible. Like we are a partner at the Arts Education Summit.
01:04:31
Speaker
We have connections with the Department of Education. We have connections with the Iowa Arts Council. We have connections with with it the school board association, the school administrators of Iowa. We can provide immediate assistance, like just for ah advocacy.
01:04:48
Speaker
The number of times the alliance is, okay, we have a school board meeting coming up. They're gonna look at cutting this. Can you give us some information? Yep, here we go. ah i just have I just did that last week.
01:05:00
Speaker
A teacher was going in. I need some information on arts education. Okay, here's here's bullet point things. We can send it to you right away. We also have it's the access, what the Alliance has, is that your membership makes it possible for your concerns to be at the table in Des Moines.
01:05:22
Speaker
at the table when we go, like later this month, we're going talking to ah the Iowa congressional delegation. So our senators and representatives in Washington, D.C.
01:05:34
Speaker
ah So we're organizing people there. So I think it's a quick way of really being able to work to provide professional development for teachers, to provide mentorship for teachers and to provide advocacy for teachers.
01:05:50
Speaker
And it helps us support that community. for something that you obviously don't have time to do because you're the ones in the trenches making the magic happen.
Conclusion and Personal Insights with Leon Tiener
01:06:02
Speaker
You know, so I think it's one of those things where yeah the bang for the buck is incredible. Because there's some things that just would never have happened if the Alliance hadn't been able to be there at the table when decisions are when decisions are being made.
01:06:17
Speaker
Well, you've just been amazing. But we always end our podcast with a quick ah lightning round of random music questions. Okay. And I know you don't know what they are, so that's fine.
01:06:31
Speaker
There are no wrong answers. Okay, good. ah Do you have a favorite musical?
01:06:39
Speaker
Les Miserables. Ooh, that's a good one. Well, since you're you were a band person, would you prefer a March by John Philip Sousa or Carl King? Oh.
01:06:54
Speaker
Okay. Oh gosh. That's, that's a hard one. You know, i mean, Carl, I mean, being an island, but I've got to go. I've got to go with John Philip Sousa. I've got to. Okay.
01:07:09
Speaker
Yeah. Fair enough. No, that was, that was given to me by a band friend. She said, you have to ask him that question. I said, well, that's,
01:07:18
Speaker
Now, since you're from the northern part of the state, I have to ask you this question. Do you have a favorite song from the Music Man? Yeah. yeah Okay. i Let's see. Let's see what I'm going say.
01:07:34
Speaker
I'm going say Till There Was You. Oh, that's a good song. I love that song. That's a good answer. You know, I was going to say you got trouble, you know, but I don't know number of times I've done the Music Man.
01:07:51
Speaker
Oh, I don't know how many times I've done it. ah but oh But just, I know, I think there's just something about Till There Was You. I just, it's just a nice little ballad. I just think it's a nice song.
01:08:01
Speaker
It is a good melody. Okay. Which of these two instruments do you think is too loud in performances? Tubas or timpani? but Okay, your tubas can never be too loud.
01:08:15
Speaker
Okay.
01:08:18
Speaker
No, timpani, yeah. Very rarely when I work with bands, do I ever say I want less tuba. It's like bass is in a tuba, you know? you go in and say, okay, no, are you nine times out of 10, no, I need more bass sound. And when we talk about- More bass, yes.
01:08:36
Speaker
We need more bass. We got to talk about how a band's going to listen, okay? Well, it doesn't carry as much as the higher pitches. They just kind of pierce through where the- Exactly right. Okay, then your last one,
01:08:48
Speaker
is just a favorite in your lifetime musical memory. Oh, okay. Yeah. It's the one. You've done many things.
01:08:58
Speaker
Yeah. No, I'm going to say it was when I was a freshman in high school. And like I said, I never played in a band. I never played in a band. And I remember where I was sitting. I remember the piece of music.
01:09:14
Speaker
ah we were playing the William Byrd Suite, um which is like a classic for band. And I remember the band played a crescendo and we did it just right. And I got goosebumps.
01:09:25
Speaker
I remember it. I remember where I was sitting and I was 14 years old, a farm boy, you know, ah probably with manure on my shoes, you know, but But seriously, I remember where I was sitting and the band played Reshendo and I got goosebumps.
01:09:41
Speaker
And I thought, this has not happened in any other class in the school. And I remember I was 14. I said, I'm going to be a band director. I just, I just, it was, it was, it was done.
01:09:52
Speaker
And so it was just, then it was singular. I know I'm going to be music major and I'm going to do this. And yeah. So I think I probably have, I mean, I've had like a million since then. Of course. I think it's probably the most important because it just shaped the whole rest of your life.
01:10:09
Speaker
That's a good memory. Yeah. This is why I enjoy these podcasts because i I get to hear these things and I... I find out more about people. It's just, it's so great.
01:10:22
Speaker
Yeah. In fact, I did an honor band. Okay. I went to Turkey Valley to high school, which is in Jackson junction. oh Sure. Yeah. I mean, it's literally in the middle of a cornfield. And I remember I got to work with their band and I did an honor band there. And it was so cool when I worked with a band is to walk in the band room and say, and tell them the story. said, no, I was sitting right there. Cause I remember it.
01:10:46
Speaker
You know, I say that is why I am here today, because I sat here and that band played crescendo, you know, so. I've always had a second generation connection to Turkey Valley because my cooperating teacher and colleague, Carolyn Bowman.
01:11:00
Speaker
Yes. Waverly. She started. started at Turkey Valley. So I always, we always had this Turkey Valley. I heard about Turkey Valley all the time. Oh yes. Oh yeah. I've never yet been there, but I know lot.
01:11:13
Speaker
Well, you should, yeah, it's no, it was, it was, it was, it was a great place to go. I had really good, really good music teachers. ah You know, I was the accompanist for the choir.
01:11:24
Speaker
So I did that, you know, and obviously played trumpet in the band. So yeah, it was fun. Well, this has been an amazing conversation. So I just want to thank you, Leon, for joining us and thank everybody for listening or if you're watching.
01:11:37
Speaker
But this has been our Play Now Play for Life podcast with Aaron. And if you enjoyed this episode, consider subscribing. You can leave a rating and a review. And Leon, do you want to tell us the website address or where we can find the Alliance?
01:11:52
Speaker
Information about the Alliance, about how to join the Alliance is on our website. It's Iowa Alliance and then the number four, ArtsEd. So at Iowa Alliance, four number four, artsed.org.
01:12:05
Speaker
Perfect. And you can find us at westmusic.com slash play now play for life. And we're also on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and X. And you can find those links in the description.
01:12:18
Speaker
So play now play for life is a podcast by West Music.