NAMM Foundation Invites Educators to Participate in 2014 Best Communities for Music Education Survey

The NAMM Foundation’s 15th annual Best Communities for Music Education (BCME) survey is open for participation by school districts and schools across the country. The survey acknowledges and celebrates U.S. schools and districts for their commitment to and support of comprehensive music education in schools. Nearly 2,000 schools and school districts participated in the survey last year, resulting in a record number of designations.

Teachers, parents, school administrators, and board members are invited to complete the 2014 BCME survey online now through Friday, January 17, 2014. Past designees report that receiving a Best Communities designation significantly improved their ability to preserve and advance their schools’ music education programs amid budget cuts.

"The Best Communities for Music Education designation gave our district the opportunity to shine the spotlight on our outstanding music teachers, students, and community partners,” said Heather Crocker, Director of Communications for Blaine County School District in Idaho. “In the true spirit of education, our music teachers passed the recognition on to their students and community partners. Programs like Best Communities are critical to the future success of music education."

Last March the NAMM Foundation designated 307 school districts as Best Communities for Music Education, and 66 individual schools earned the 2013 SupportMusic Merit Award for providing students with access to comprehensive music education.

The BCME program requires each school and district to detail the particulars of its access to music instruction. Responses are reviewed by researchers at The Institute for Educational Research and Public Service of Lawrence, Kansas (an affiliate of the University of Kansas) and the NAMM Foundation. The surveys – one for districts and one for individual schools - can be downloaded for review.

In conducting the annual BCME survey, the NAMM Foundation is joined by advisory organizations in the fields of music and education: Americans for the Arts, The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, League of American Orchestras, The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, Music for All, Music Teachers National Association, National Guild For Community Arts Education, National Parent Teacher Association (PTA), Yamaha Corporation of America, Young Audiences, and VH1 Save The Music Foundation. The 2014 BCME designees will be announced on March 18, 2014.

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About The NAMM Foundation
The NAMM Foundation is a nonprofit organization with the mission of advancing active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving and public service programs from the international music products industry. For more information about the NAMM Foundation, please visit www.nammfoundation.org.

Teaser photo © 2013 Courtesy of Stuart Holmes Photography