The economic challenges facing public schools and music education are immense. In this context, music teachers and supporters will need to engage in persuasive advocacy to protect resource allocations to music programs. It is worthwhile to consider the model of music education advocacy that allowed music to be adopted into the Boston Public Schools in the early 1800s. This article uses Aristotle's structure of "ethos," "pathos," and "logos" to provide insight into how the early music education advocates built the tools for persuasion to support music education advocacy. The challenges of using rhetorical language and evidence are addressed, and questions are asked about the future directions for music education advocacy. (Contains 23 notes.)