ALBANY – As a kick off to Music in our Schools Month, Music Educators from all over New York State came together in Albany on Monday, March 2, to spend the day meeting with legislators to advocate for the continued support of music in our schools.

Music educators from NYSSMA Zone 8 – which covers Chenango, Delaware, Otsego, Schoharie, and Madison Counties – held meetings with several NYS legislators, on Monday. The legislators included Assemblyman Clifford Crouch, Assemblywoman Claudia Tenney, Assemblyman Pete Lopez, Assemblyman Bill Magee, Senator James Seward, Senator Tom Libous, and Senator John Bonacic.

Among this group of Music Educator were Gregg Maistros, Gregg Norris, Amy Hoxie, and Julie M. Solomon from Chenango County; Ann Monaco and Andrea Reece from Otsego County; Diane Krick and Jonelle Rabeler from Delaware County; Cassandra Olin from Schoharie County; and Nick Anderalli, Holly McCoy, and Bill McCoy from Madison County.

This group represented and advocated for the two million plus music students and over 10,000 music educators of New York State. The music advocates spoke to the legislators about their concerns with Governor Cuomo’s latest education reform proposal, the lack of State Aid information for our schools, the Gap Elimination Adjustment, the effects of the Tax Cap, and asked for their continued support for Music In Our Schools.