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In a choral singing career that dates back to grade school, Glen Howard has enjoyed a succession of "mountain-top experiences"—from singing in the Atlanta Symphony Chorus under the direction of the late great Robert Shaw to performing before 100,000 Russians in Red Square while on tour with The Choral Arts Society of Washington. Today, he sings in three choruses and is starting a men's a cappella group.
He can't imagine a life without singing, which makes the recent financial crises all the more alarming to him. As a consultant to groups that fund the arts, he talks regularly to philanthropists who are looking at their list of grantees and thinking, "Who am I going to cut back on? Who am I going to cut out entirely so that I can focus on those organizations or those missions that are most important to me?"
Singers need to be able to explain clearly and forcefully why their choral organizations are essential to the life of their community. "Like it or not, the arts seem to fall at or near the bottom of the philanthropic food chain," he says. "The message has to be carefully tailored to the donor audience and it means doing your homework. What is valuable to that corporation? Where do they want their brand to be seen? Where do they want to be seen as a good corporate citizen? In front of what audiences?"
Which Story to Tell?
Talking about the importance of the choral art form is an art in itself, Howard says. "The story I would tell would depend upon who I am with and what I am trying to accomplish," he says. "If I am with a fellow singer, I may talk about the transformative experience of singing in Red Square. That was an unbelievable feeling, but it is not going to move an elected official or a corporate donor."
Funders and elected officials need data, Howard says. "You need to be able to say to an elected official, 'The arts contribute $X million to our local economy, and $Y million in tax revenues.' Or, 'The achievement of those who sing in choruses is shown to be X percent higher because of their exposure to the arts.'"
"If you can combine compelling data with a compelling story about the impact of the arts on a child or on a senior or an unemployed person or a returning offender—the impact it has had on their lives—that is what gets results." ~Glen Howard
Combine data with a compelling story and you have a winning formula, Howard says. "We are creative people. We are arts people. Storytelling is a part of that," Howard says. "If you can combine compelling data with a compelling story about the impact of the arts on a child or on a senior or an unemployed person or a returning offender—the impact it has had on their lives—that is what gets results."
What is the Value of Music?
Choral music has intrinsic value—on that most would agree—but Howard believes the best advocates also consider its instrumental or functional value in the community. For example, studies show that participating in a chorus can encourage healthy aging, reduce medication costs, and reduce doctor visits. "So the message to an organization that cares about health is not 'Gee, you should care about our music,' but rather, 'If you support our music, it will, in turn, support what you care about,'" Howard says.
To a corporate funder interested in workforce development, an effective advocate might point to studies that show that the most competitive workforce is a creative workforce. "What is the best source of teaching and nurturing creativity?" Howard says. "The arts."
"We need to know what the connection is between the arts and what is important to these donors," Howard says, "and push those buttons as hard as we can."
One easy way to push those buttons—that every singer can do—is to sign up for the Arts Action Fund, sponsored by Americans for the Arts. "Whenever there is a threat or an opportunity in their locality or in Washington," says Howard, who serves on the organization's board "we can unleash thousands or tens of thousands of emails and phone calls to say to our elected leaders, 'We care about the arts and we vote. Don't ignore us.'"
