This week, 527 school districts and 92 schools nationwide are being recognized by The National Association of Music Merchants Foundation for their outstanding music education programs. Ector County Independent School District is one of the districts.
In cooperation with researchers at The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas, and based on survey results, The NAMM Foundation each year selects school districts to be recognized as being among the Best Communities for Music Education (BCME), while individual schools with excellent music education receive the SupportMusic Merit Award (SMMA).
Now in its 18th year, the awards program recognizes outstanding efforts by teachers, administrators, parents, students and community leaders who have made music education part of the curriculum, a news release said.
The designation takes on added significance this year with new research showing strong ties between K-12 students who participate in school music education programs and overall student success, the release said. A recent study of students in the Chicago Public Schools by brain researchers at Northwestern University, detailed in Neuroscientist and Education Week, builds on previous findings that participation in music education programs helps improves brain function, discipline and language development.
