Written by John Wood
PITTSBORO, N.C. – Chatham County Schools has been named a Best Community for Music Education by the NAMM Foundation for the sixth consecutive year in recognition of its outstanding commitment to music education. Now in its 25th year, the Best Community for Music Education award recognizes school districts that have demonstrated outstanding achievements in providing music access and education to all students. CCS is one of only two districts in the entire state to receive this award this year.
To qualify for the Best Communities designation, Chatham County schools answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, class hours, facilities, support for music programs, and community music production programs. . Responses were verified by school officials and reviewed by the University of Kansas Institute of Music.
“Chatham County Schools has talented students and dedicated music educators who believe in the power of music. Research shows that high-quality music programs benefit students in many ways,” Academic Services and said Dr. Amanda Moran, Assistant Superintendent for Educational Support. “Music entertains and inspires us, and allows many students to find a safe space where they feel able to express themselves. We believe that music education is one of the many qualities at CCS. We are proud to be one of the top teaching programs.”
“This award recognizes our collaborative partners who work diligently to provide high-quality music education to all K-12 students in Chatham County Schools,” said Sharon, CCS Lead Art Teacher・Mr. Allen stated. “Music teachers are supported by local and district administrators, along with community organizations such as Chatham Arts.
Council, Triangle Youth Music, Northwood Arts Education Foundation, and JMArts, just to name a few. As a result, students receive a comprehensive music education that includes exposure to professional musicians and opportunities for students to share their talents with the community. ”
Research on music education continues to prove the educational/cognitive and social skill benefits for children who make music. After two years of music education, the researchers found that the participants showed greater improvements in the way their brains processed sounds and how they read music scores than other children who were less involved. Did. Additionally, students who engage in music are more likely to not only graduate from high school, but also attend college. Furthermore, children with musical training have better everyday listening skills than children with no musical training. Importantly, listening skills are closely related to the ability to recognize speech in noisy backgrounds, pay attention, and retain sounds in memory. Later in life, people who took music lessons as children show stronger neural processing of sounds. Young people, and even older people who haven't played a musical instrument for up to 50 years, show stronger neural processing compared to their peers. Of course, social benefits include things like conflict resolution, teamwork skills, and how to give and receive constructive criticism.