For the ninth year running, Spring ISD has been named among the country’s Best Communities for Music Education by the NAMM Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM).
“This award is a testament to the value the Spring ISD Board of Trustees, our leadership team, our teachers, their students and our community place on music education in Spring ISD each year,” Spring ISD Assistant Director of Performing and Visual Arts David Landgrebe told trustees when the board celebrated the award during its June 14 regular meeting. “Most importantly, we know that our families in Spring ISD support the arts, and we’re so grateful for them.”
The award, now in its 23rd year, honors districts for their achievements in providing access to a quality music education for all students. To qualify for the Best Communities designation, districts must answer detailed questions about arts program funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program and community music-making programs. Responses were verified and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.
According to a press release from the NAMM Foundation, this year’s awards program in particular was designed to help shine a light on schools and districts that were successfully adapting, innovating, and persevering in the face of changing circumstances, especially since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Along with existing criteria, researchers this year asked about how schools and districts across the country were addressing challenges posed by the pandemic.
“Music educators, administrators, and communities truly rallied to support and sustain music education through a period of intense change and adaptation,” said NAMM Foundation Executive Director Mary Luehrsen in the release. “We applaud the commitment and efforts of all music educators, school administrators, and community members in providing students the opportunity to explore their creativity through music.”
Research into music education continues to demonstrate the academic, cognitive, and social skill benefits for students who study music as part of an overall well-rounded general education – a point reiterated both by the NAMM Foundation in its press release and by Landgrebe during his remarks to the board.
“We know that our students who are involved in music are more likely to graduate high school and attend college, because they have a teacher and an activity that they connect to,” Landgrebe said, going on to thank Spring ISD music teachers whose work throughout the year makes the award possible.The NAMM Foundation is a nonprofit supported in part by the National Association of Music Merchants and its approximately 10,300 members around the world. The foundation advances active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving and public service programs. For more information about The NAMM Foundation, please visit www.nammfoundation.org.