Revitalizing Indiana’s Arts Advocacy: The Newly Revamped Indiana Arts Education Network

Indiana’s arts and music educators have long recognized the power of creative learning to transform lives and communities. Now, as our state’s education system evolves—with high school diploma requirements shifting to emphasize workforce development—arts education stands at a pivotal crossroads. Enter the newly revamped Indiana Arts Education Network, an independent 501(c)(6) nonprofit dedicated to championing the value of music and the arts for every Hoosier student.

A New Era for Collaboration and Advocacy

The Indiana Arts Education Network has relaunched with renewed purpose: building a robust coalition of educators, administrators, and community partners to ensure that the arts remain integral to every student’s education—even as state graduation pathways adapt to new economic realities.

What sets this next chapter apart? As a 501(c)(6) organization, the Indiana Arts Education Network represents a new era of collaboration between educators, business leaders, policymakers, and community partners. The Network is designed to foster stronger connections between arts education and Indiana’s broader economic and workforce priorities. Through this work, the IAEN aims to serve as a trusted resource for helping connect ideas, share best practices, and interpret how evolving state policies impact arts education across all levels. The Indiana Arts Education Network also aspires to encourage partnerships that highlight the role of the arts in developing essential skills such as communication, collaboration, and creativity — preparing students for success in college, career, and life.

At its core, IAEN seeks to be a unifying voice for arts education advocacy and advancement in Indiana — bringing together stakeholders to ensure that the arts remain an essential component of every student’s learning experience and every community’s vitality.

Navigating Changing Diploma Requirements

Indiana’s recent high school diploma changes are designed to align more closely with workforce needs—nudging academic programs toward credentials, internships, and technical skills. The Indiana Arts Education Network must respond with clarity and purpose: music and arts programs are not distractions from workforce development, but essential pipelines for the skills modern employers demand.

Research consistently links arts education with higher student engagement, lower absenteeism, and improved academic achievement. A study by the Arts Education Partnership found that students who participate in the arts are more likely to graduate high school, attend college, and be workforce-ready. The National Endowment for the Arts reports that at-risk students with high levels of arts involvement are twice as likely to graduate compared to their peers with limited access. These are outcomes that serve both individual learners and Indiana’s economy.

The Arts: Building Indiana’s Future Workforce

Today’s employers value critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and adaptability—traits cultivated every day in music rooms, studios, and theaters across the state. The arts empower students to solve problems, work as a team, and communicate ideas—skills prized from advanced manufacturing to health care to technology.

The Indiana Arts Education Network is committed to making this case, not just at the Statehouse but in every community. The Indiana Arts Education Network wants to connect arts education directly to workforce readiness, and expand the understanding of the skills learned through the arts to those who have not been involved in arts education.  National initiatives like the NAMM Foundation’s Careers in Music campaign underscore how arts training lays the foundation for a wide spectrum of future jobs—spanning music technology, arts administration, sound design, therapy, and beyond.

Moving Forward—Together

As Indiana moves forward into a new era of workforce-focused education, it’s more important than ever for music and arts educators to lift each other up and celebrate the power of the arts in every child’s life. The newly revitalized Indiana Arts Education Network warmly welcomes all performing and visual arts educators to join this growing community. Together, we can ensure the arts remain a vibrant part of every student’s education—helping shape Indiana’s future and nurturing the hearts, minds, and creativity of the whole child.

To learn more, connect with fellow advocates, or join as a member, visit  https://www.inartsednetwork.org and let’s send a clear message: in Indiana, workforce readiness and a vibrant arts education go hand-in-hand.

Article by Tim Cox

Director of Educational Outreach, Music for All

Interim Executive Director, Indiana Arts Education Network

IMEA Fall Publication 2025