McKinney ISD has been honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education.

This marks the third straight year that the district has been recognized.

Now in its 20th year, the Best Communities for Music Education designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in their efforts to provide music access and education to all students. To qualify for the Best Communities designation, MISD answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities and support for the music programs. Responses were verified with school officials and reviewed by the Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.

The Eddins Elementary Honor Choir was invited for the third time to perform as a TMEA Invited Choir at the 2019 TMEA State Conference. (Courtesy of Eddins Elementary/Caroline Ringel)

“It is always gratifying to receive recognition on a national level for the quality work of our elementary and secondary music teachers,” said Dr. Dan White, MISD director of fine arts. “They work very hard to provide the best possible music education for all of our McKinney ISD students. Receiving this award for the third consecutive year speaks to the consistency and dedication of our fine arts teachers.”

Research into music education continues to demonstrate educational/cognitive and social skill benefits for children who participate in music programs. After two years of music education, research found that participants showed more substantial improvements in reading scores and how the brain processes speech than students who did not participate in music. In addition, researchers found that students who are involved in music are not only more likely to graduate high school, but also to attend college as well.

Social benefits include conflict resolution, teamwork skills and how to give and receive constructive criticism, and 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.

About The NAMM Foundation
The NAMM Foundation is a nonprofit supported in part by the National Association of Music Merchants and its approximately 10,400 members around the world. 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.

Source: The NAMM Foundation

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