2015 Best Communities for Music Education Survey Now Open

Schools and districts across the country are invited to participate in the NAMM Foundation’s 2015 Best Communities for Music Education (BCME) survey. The BCME program applauds community efforts to provide high-quality music education for all students. Teachers, parents, school administrators, and board members can complete the updated and refined 2015 BCME survey now through Friday, January 30, 2015.

Throughout the survey’s 15-year history, many districts have reported that making the “Best Communities” list supports efforts to preserve and advance their music education programs. "As our school district has just undergone one of the largest mergers in the history of U.S. public education, this designation helped us to protect the quality music programs and teachers in our community,” said Dr. Dru Davison, fine arts advisor for Shelby County Schools in Tennessee. “It was extremely valuable.”

In 2014, more than 2000 schools and districts participated resulting in a record number of designees. The NAMM Foundation designated 376 school districts as Best Communities for Music Education, while 96 individual schools earned the SupportMusic Merit Award for their commitment to providing students with access to comprehensive music education.

The surveys gauge funding, participation, facilities, and other factors that affect access to comprehensive music education. The responses are verified, then the Institute for Educational Research and Public Service of Lawrence, Kansas (an affiliate of the University of Kansas) reviews the data. Districts and schools must demonstrate an exceptionally high commitment to comprehensive music education for all.

Individual Schools - Download the 2015 SupportMusic Merit Award Survey
School Districts - Download the 2015 Best Communities for Music Education Survey

Next spring, 2015 BCME designees will be invited to participate in the second-annual, ‘What Makes Music Education Great in My School’ video contest, sponsored by the NAMM Foundation. Winning schools and districts will be awarded a two-day residency with the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, and the opportunity to host a SupportMusic Community Forum that is webcast nationally. The residency provides music students with the chance to write and record an original song aboard this high-tech mobile recording studio, while the forum brings national recognition to communities that support outstanding music programs.

Learn more and take the survey starting today at http://www.nammfoundation.org/what-we-do/best-communities-music-education.

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, League of American Orchestras, The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, Music for All, Music Teachers National Association, National Guild For Community Arts Education, Yamaha Corporation of America, Young Audiences and VH1 Save The Music Foundation.

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About NAMM Foundation
The NAMM Foundation is a non-profit supported in part by the National Association of Music Merchants and its 9,200 members around the world. The NAMM Foundation works to advance 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, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.