Malverne schools receive designation for music education

The National Association of Music Merchants Foundation has honored several Nassau County school districts as the Best Communities for Music Education, including Malverne, which has received the distinction five times.

Roughly 4 percent, or 527, of the nation’s districts are being acknowledged in 2017 and roughly 30 percent are in New York.

Other districts in Nassau County that received the award included: Bellmore, earning the distinction for the second year; Merrick, for the third year; Baldwin, for the fourth year; Glen Cove, for the second year; and Rockville Centre, for the first time.

Districts are considered for the distinction by completing a survey and sending it to the NAMM Foundation, which then analyzes the results with appointed faculty members from the Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas. The judges look at a district’s accessibility to music programs, music program funding, music education facilities, district and school support and other factors that contribute to music education as a whole.

Sharon Bryant, the senior project manager who has been with NAMM for 19 years, said that being named a “Best Community” fosters “community pride and recognition from school administrators, board members, parents and community leaders.”

According to Bryant, the Best Communities for Music Education distinction holds school districts to higher standards, allowing music education to be viewed as important as subjects such as math or science.

The NAMM Foundation is a nonprofit that advocates for music education, funds scientific research studying the relationship between playing/listening to music and physical/mental well-being and hosts music-related programs and opportunities. The NAMM Foundation also sponsors the SupportMusic Coalition, which joins music educators, businesses, nonprofits and concerned residents in an effort to bring music education to schools and communities.