TOWSON, MD. – Bang the drums and blow the horns! Baltimore County Public Schools has been named again as one of the nation’s "Best Communities for Music Education." The 2015 designation was made by the National Association for Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation.
This year, 388 school districts were selected as Best Communities for Music Education and 120 individual schools received Support Music Merit Awards. Baltimore County Public Schools first received the Best Communities honor in 2004 and has every year since 2006.
“We are quite proud of our music program and all of our arts instruction,” said Superintendent Dr. S. Dallas Dance. “We value arts education for its role in nurturing emerging artists and arts patrons and because we know that the arts strengthen 21st century skills – innovation, communication, critical thinking, and collaboration – needed to excel in all disciplines.”
The body of evidence linking arts education and overall student success continues to expand. At the beginning of this school year, Dr. Nina Kraus, a Northwestern University brain researcher, released a new study showing that participation in music education improves brain function and sparks language development.
In BCPS, music classes are mandatory and yearlong for all kindergarten through eighth-grade students. The school system employs more music teachers than any other Maryland jurisdiction, and students can choose among extensive offerings including courses in electronic music, world music, and Advanced Placement music theory.
Students perform throughout the community in choral groups, jazz ensembles, steel bands, orchestras, and marching bands. In addition, partnerships with some of the area’s leading arts organizations, such as the Hippodrome Theater and Lyric Opera Baltimore, provide opportunities to see and interact with professional performers. A partnership with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra allows students to learn from and perform alongside professional musicians, and the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras serves as ensemble-in-residence at a BCPS school, George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology.
In a NAMM Foundation press release, Mary Luehrsen, executive director of the NAMM Foundation, said, “Ensuring that every child has access to music in schools requires commitment by students, teachers, and those who determine school budgets. We commend the districts and schools that have earned the Best Community designation this year. They join with so many that believe as we do that there is a vital link between do-rei-me and the ABCs.”
Now in its 16th year, the Best Communities program evaluates schools and districts based on funding, staffing of highly qualified teachers, commitment to standards, and access to music education. Researchers at The Center for Public Partnerships and Research, Kansas (an affiliate of the University of Kansas) led the data review. Designations are made to districts and schools that demonstrate an exceptionally high commitment and greater access to music education.
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