Generating funds to create a technology-based lab is just the first of many financial dilemmas that tech-oriented music teachers encounter. Among other things, we are often preoccupied with locating funds to upgrade software and hardware — a constant headache due to the rapid changes in technology.

FIG. 1: MENC, The National Association for Music Education, provides a detailed set of guidelines that will enable you to help your students achieve the National Standards.

To address this, you need to have a cost-effective strategy that considers the positive and negative aspects of new purchases versus buying upgrades at a marginal cost. Which is more beneficial to purchase — new computers or new software? Are you expanding the technology curriculum to incorporate additional areas of study? If so, is hardware that is more powerful required? Will the students use the equipment as expected? Is it cost-effective? Is the new software too sophisticated for the students? These are questions that every modern educator faces. And despite everincreasing needs, most educators find it almost impossible to locate funding to improve their lab's capabilities.

The distinction between music-technology labs and computer-science labs is that the latter are funded by each respective school district. As a result, most computer-science departments do not deal with locating funding streams for new equipment and upgrades; the school district makes these decisions. In contrast, most music educators must bear the responsibility of researching funding opportunities to upgrade their labs, which can be frustrating. Here are some suggestions about how to locate resources that can enable you to upgrade or expand the capabilities of your lab.

Maintain a log. Review the music-technology curriculum and document a comprehensive list of everything in your lab. Note whether the present course of study needs to be enhanced by including additional areas of study. Perhaps you need powerful music-composition and sequencing programs. Maybe it's time to obtain multimedia-production software. Define exactly what software or hardware is required and what type of budget is necessary for those purchases.

Document class activities to determine whether your students are academically challenged and to ensure that your lab includes the standard areas prescribed by the Technology Institute for Music Educators (TI:ME). TI:ME lists seven specific curricular areas in music technology that are directly applicable to music instruction in support of the National Standards for Arts Education. These are electronic musical instruments; MIDI sequencing; music-notation software; computer-assisted instruction; multimedia and digitized media; the Internet and communications; and information processing, computer systems, and lab management. To the extent possible, you want to educate yourself and adequately equip your lab to cover these areas. Budget accordingly.

It's important to review the MENC National Standards. They are discussed at MENC's Web site in the section Opportunity-to-Learn Standards for Music Technology at www.menc.org/publication/books/techstan.htm (see Fig. 1). Also read Floyd Richmond's two-part feature series “Music Technology and the National Standards,” in the Spring 2004 and Summer 2004 issues of MET, available for free at www.metmagazine.com. Armed with this information, you can determine what additional purchases will be needed to achieve your goals.

This should be obvious, but work with your school administration. Develop a written need assessment and schedule a conference with the school principal and the district music supervisor to request supplementary funding for your lab. In many cases, the administration or district will contribute a portion of the needed money.

Send an update to your original funders. Outline student achievements, curricular expectations, and supplemental needs for the forthcoming year. You can also telephone previous donors. Describe the positive effects of their contribution and the need to update and expand the curriculum. More often than not, they will try to offer some financial assistance. Keep in mind that the time between requesting financial support and receiving it can be as long as three to six months, depending on how often a funding committee meets. Submit your proposals well in advance.

Many foundations and corporations expect to hear from you. Award recipients often request additional support, particularly if the project is successful. Invite them for a site visit, so they see your students' accomplishments first-hand. That can only reinforce their confidence regarding the educational impact of your project, which will translate into potential funding. (For more tips on building and maintaining relationships with sponsors, see “Finding Funds: The Two-Way Relationship” in the February/March 2005 issue of MET.)

Appeal to home and school associations, as well. Do not be apprehensive about approaching parents for a small grant. These organizations serve as support systems to make the school, including your program, a better place for learning. If you can create a music-parents association with tax-exempt status, by all means, work with them, attend meetings, and present your projected needs throughout the year. (For more on creating a specialized parent association, see “Finding Funds: Parent Power” in the September/October 2006 issue of MET.)

You can do more than you may realize to ease the financial burden. For instance, contact companies and vendors before any purchase and discuss your options, such as a reasonable payment plan or discount. That takes some pressure off you and gives you more time to accumulate the needed funds.

What would life be without the proverbial school fund-raiser? They might not be pretty, but they work! Have students and parents participate in standard fund-raising drives, be it selling candy, pizza, or cheesecake. Consider hosting a special event — they can produce a few thousand dollars.

Don't forget to write letters to parents, alumni, and neighborhood businesses. Most community members want the best education for their children, and they will appreciate being informed about school-related activities and needs. Perhaps you have a parent working in a computer-related area that can help locate funding sources for technology. Use your parent network.

Raising money at any level is a time-consuming and often laborious process. But establishing a positive relationship with various funding sources can prove advantageous over time. Maintain accurate records of funders, maintain communication with them, and make it a point to contact your school-district grant office for advice. Once you develop an understanding of the different levels of funding streams and the most efficient method to access them, you will become more effective at raising the money that your program requires.

Stephen Wilensky is the Music Department chair at Central High School in Philadelphia and is a Temple University faculty member and Fulbright Award recipient. Please email the author with comments, questions, and suggestions for future “Finding Funds” columns at swchs@earthlink.net.