The NAMM Foundation’s Best Communities for Music Education Returns
The NAMM Foundation has announced the application period for the 2021 Best Communities for Music Education (BCME) is now open until January 31, 2021. The annual recognition program is now is in its 22nd year and offers a revised “special edition” to reflect the current realities of music education in the time of COVID-19.
BCME is a signature program for The NAMM Foundation that “recognizes and celebrates school districts and schools for their support and commitment to music education and efforts to assure access to music for all students as part of a well-rounded education.” In 2020, 754 school districts and 148 schools were recognized with the award.
On receiving the distinction, Greg Warnokowski, director of fine and performing arts of Farmingdale School District in New York, said, “Receiving this prestigious award celebrates and validates our teachers’, students’, and community’s commitment to music education. In every one of our buildings, we display the BCME congratulatory posters for all to see. We are so proud to be recipients of the Best Communities for Music Education Award and to be recognized nationally.”
Interested applicants should complete the 2021 survey, developed in partnership with the Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas, by the January 31 deadline. The survey questions are “aligned with goals for equity and access to music education for all students, and also with national standards for music education. New to the 2021 survey is a section devoted to school districts and schools to share stories and experiences teaching music during COVID-19.
In a time with so much uncertainty and adaptation for teachers, schools, and school districts, The NAMM Foundation encourages participation now more than ever. BCME awardees see many benefits, including national and community recognition, a send of community pride, increased visibility for your music education program, program validation, and program auditing tools to help continue to make improvements to your excelling program.
Please visit https://www.nammfoundation.org/what-we-do/best-communities-music-education for more information and access to the 30 to 45-minute survey.