Salem-Keizer Music and Theatre Facebook Page

In an effort to strengthen support for music and theatre education, we launched a focused advocacy initiative using social media as our primary platform. Recognizing the importance of visibility and community engagement, we turned to Facebook to share the stories and successes that reflect the impact of our programs. Our advocacy initiative leverages the Salem-Keizer Public Schools Music and Theatre Facebook page to celebrate student achievements, highlight program events, and share impactful stories.

By showcasing the value of music and theatre education, we aim to engage the local community, build broader public support, and advocate for sustained investment in the arts.

Students are at the center of everything we do, and their growth, creativity, and accomplishments deserve to be seen and celebrated. Parents, teachers, and administrators are essential partners who support and sustain these programs, while community members often serve as audiences, donors, and advocates. By focusing our advocacy on these groups, we aim to foster a deeper sense of pride, connection, and investment in the arts across our entire district and beyond.

While initiating the project was fast and simple, the bigger chunk of time has been spent identifying and creating content that people want to see, so we can continue to build the audience for the page and reach more people.

May 2023: Met with District Communications Team to set up page in compliance with District Expectations

May 2023: First Posts (Oregon State Band/Choir/Orchestra Contest Results)

Weekly (Thursdays): Calendar of Upcoming Events for the following week and a half

Daily: Special Events, Posters supporting specific program events, Live Videos of Performances, Pictures at Events

Monthly: Spotlight on Students, Awards, etc.

Annually: National Music in Our Schools Month project

Program Associate for Music and Drama (Teacher on Special Assignment) – creates the majority of the content, including creations, pictures, and videos, and develops new ideas to highlight student, staff, and program success.

Our primary tool was the Salem-Keizer Public Schools Music and Theatre Facebook page, which provided a widely accessible platform to share content and engage with the community. We used a mix of photos, videos, student interviews, and event highlights to tell our story. Additional resources included collaboration with teachers and school leaders for content, Canva for graphic design, Google Docs for planning and scheduling posts, and data analytics tools within Facebook to monitor engagement and refine our approach.

We have used many means to expand the reach of our advocacy initiative, including, but not limited to:

• Personal reach-outs to all of our friends to like the page
• Personal reach-outs to local music stores and other businesses to like the page and share posts
• When featuring students, reach out to parents for permission and include a link and invitation to like the page
• Feature and tag people, encouraging them to share
• Share posts on our personal pages and encourage others to do so as well

Each time we have started a new initiative or shared really big news, we have seen a bump in followers. In the past 28 days, we have had over 61,000 views on our Facebook page. This large reach has allowed us to recruit for 6 positions that need to be filled for next year, increase audience size at some of our most prestigious events, and share performances with the community, even when they aren’t able to attend in person.

No Cost

The biggest obstacle we have faced and will always continue to face is respecting student privacy in a public setting. To avoid creating issues, we do personal reach-outs to the families of any student that will have their name/picture shared on our Facebook page to request permission.

Yes, our advocacy initiative has been, and continues to be, effective. We have several data points supporting that:

• Continued growth in the number of followers and interactions
• Facebook Page Insights show a trend of rising interactions with the page
• Comments from other school districts and colleges sharing that they have seen our page and it is “the best they have seen.”
• Other districts have “borrowed” ideas from our Facebook page to use on their own

Our advocacy initiative increased visibility and appreciation for the music and theatre programs across the district. By consistently showcasing student talent, teacher dedication, and the wide range of performances and events, we strengthened community pride and support. Engagement on our Facebook page grew, with more families, staff, and community members interacting with posts, attending events, and sharing content. The initiative also helped elevate the perception of the arts as an essential part of a well-rounded education, which in turn has sparked conversations about funding, resources, and long-term support for these programs.

• The more you put into the page, the more you will get out of it.
• Take time to interact with other social media people, sharing each other’s content to increase visibility.
• Be prepared to respond professionally to occasional negative comments (hug your haters)