A tribute is in order, I strongly believe, because I know few people who have been such fierce, honest, and strategic advocates for music and arts education as is Laurie Lock.
You see, Laurie, after 11 years of directing programs and policy at VH1 Save The Music Foundation, is stepping down to care for her daughter full-time.
Of course, Laurie has had great colleagues at VH1 Save The Music who have partnered with her on all of her great work. But if you haven’t had the chance to work with her directly, you will have missed the opportunity to witness a leader with a great passion, who has been one of the great national advocates for certified arts specialists, who never backed off from the real fight that is arts education, and who played a major role in providing more than $48 million in musical instruments to over 1800 public schools in 100 cities, engaging over 1.8 million students. You must add to this the creation of things like guides for school principals, helping to create other organizations, influencing policy, and so much more.
I have learned things from Laurie, and been mighty impressed by her for a long time. In a field with plenty who want to advocate, Laurie did, and did it very well. Lots of guts and a resolve to speak truth to power. I remain grateful for all that she has done, and hope that you will all join me in wishing her the best of luck in this new chapter in her life and career.
I know that Laurie will never go too far from K-12 music and arts education, because in her heart she is devoted to ensuring that all kids get the benefit of what is rightfully theirs to begin with.
One of the smartest things I ever did was to hire Laurie at Save the Music. She has been one of the very few gifted individuals who have heard this calling and made a tremendous impact on music and arts education. I am grateful for her extraordinary contributions she has made, her passionate defense of kids and lucky to call her my friend.
Thanks for the shout-out to Laurie (and to her colleagues at Save the Music, too) who clearly set out the rules and stuck to them. Arts leaders in urban school districts across the country were able to build momentum to sustain programs that resulted in the retention of jobs for music teachers and the distribution of instruments for elementary school kids on a grand scale. Brava!
As the “other Laurie” on many a strategy call with Laurie Lock and my like-minded colleagues at SupportMusic, I have always been impressed by Laurie’s deep passion and commitment for this work and her finely-tuned ear, seizing upon opportunities to tell the story to new audiences in new ways.