Lessons From Lobby Day
On March 18th, 2015 I attended my first music therapy lobby day in Springfield, IL. Things I learned that day: 1) People walk very fast in the capitol 2) Being a constituent is powerful 3) Change can be made.
As a member of the Illinois State Task Force, I am dedicated to protecting the practice of music therapy. This can range from title protection for the term “music therapist” to the highest level of security in a state license for music therapists. The rationale for traveling to Springfield was to raise awareness for and educate about two bills (one in each chamber of the Illinois General Assembly) that would enforce national standards for anyone practicing music therapy in Illinois. In practice, this meant walking between various buildings of the Illinois capitol looking for legislators’ offices, trying to get face time with state senators and representatives (often on-the-go), and dropping off packets of information about music therapy and the proposed bill.
While the day itself was fast-paced, my reasons for entering the political arena to advocate for music therapy are long standing. FYI, I’ve never considered myself a politically active, but as a freshman music therapy student I learned to pay attention to those who made decisions when it was announced my university’s music therapy program would be discontinued. (Read more about that experience HERE). Abruptly and absolutely, I found my student experience and professional career path adversely changed by someone who was not convinced that music therapy was important. For me, advocating in Springfield was about proactively reaching similar decision-makers. They had the power to ensure high-quality music therapists were available in Illinois while opening new opportunities for music therapy clinicians.
I won’t lie, I was nervous as I searched for my first appointment walking under the capitol rotunda and rubbing elbows with a lot of people wearing suits. Cold-calling legislators takes audacity and perseverance, but I realized that exercising my democratic rights was a privilege.
With over seventeen states hosting similar music therapy legislation, there is a good chance that a similar opportunity to get involved is available to you. If you are a music therapy professional, student, or advocate please consider attending advertised Hill Days in your state. Here are my top recommendations for lobbying for music therapy per my Lobby Day lessons above:
1. Wear comfortable shoes: Not too comfortable (aka no sneakers) but I would not recommend wearing heels solely for your professional appearance. Flats will allow you to spring into action and climb up two flights of stairs while talking with your legislator should the situation arise. Chances are, you’ll be getting in your 10,000 steps that day too.
2. Target your representatives: I was able to get speak face-to-face with both my state representative and state senator without prior appointments only because I lived in their districts. Legislators have respect for those that vote for them because they work for their constituents. One music therapist said her representatives left a legislative session to talk in hallways and another squeezed in an appointment before a state supreme court judge. Your voice carries more weight than most and can help get your foot in the door to share about music therapy.
3. The democratic process can work: At the end of our lobby day, the music therapists who attended shared the day’s successes. In a nod to the music therapists who couldn’t attend lobby day, many we met with were already aware of the bill due to an email and telephone campaign organized in the previous weeks. Most attendees were able to personally connect with decision makers and earn support for our cause, with some legislators asking to co-sponsor the bills in a show of solidarity. Even the legislators that weren’t completely on board promised to review our information, asked thoughtful questions, and provided their feedback that will help the Task Force negotiate our future steps.
Experiencing the legislative process first hand has both renewed my energy for music therapy and lessened my cynical feelings toward politics in general. Though legislators have earned a reputation for partisanship and gridlock as of late, I feel like my time was not wasted. Thanks to the amazing work of my fellow Illinois music therapists last Wednesday, our voices were heard loud and clear.