The College Community School District has been honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education. Now in its 25th year, the Best Communities for Music Education designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement for providing music access and education to all students.
To qualify for the Best Communities designation, CCSDanswered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program and community music-making programs. Responses were verified by school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.
“The support of a quality music education and music experience at Prairie is apparent from our youngest general music students to our most advanced music ensembles. District administration, the Prairie staff, and our community members support all of our musical endeavors. On behalf of our district’s music staff, I want to thank the entire Prairie community for supporting music at all levels and buildings in our district. The collective support is why we have been designated as a Best Community for Music Education!” said Justin Sands, Prairie High School Director of Choirs and Music Department Chair.
Research into music education continues to demonstrate educational/cognitive and social skill benefits for children who make music: After two years of music education, researchers found that participants showed more substantial improvements in how the brain processes speech and reading scores than their less-involved peers and that students who are involved in music are not only more likely to graduate high school but also to attend college as well. In addition, everyday listening skills are stronger in musically trained children than in those without music training. Significantly, listening skills are closely tied to the ability to: perceive speech in a noisy background, pay attention, and keep sounds in memory. Later in life, individuals who took music lessons as children show stronger neural processing of sound: young adults and even older adults who have not played an instrument for up to 50 years show enhanced neural processing compared to their peers. Not to mention, social benefits include conflict resolution, teamwork skills, and how to give and receive constructive criticism.
College Community Schools offer music at all levels including general music, band, orchestra, and choir. Orchestra began with 5th graders this year and will be added to each grade until it is offered 5-12. Music education at Prairie is supported by the Prairie Music Association, a parent booster group that offers financial and volunteer support to all music offerings K-12.
About The NAMM Foundation
The NAMM Foundation is a nonprofit supported in part by the National Association of Music Merchants and its 15,000 global member companies and individual professionals worldwide. 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.