Press Release:
The Batavia City School District is proud to announce it has been honored for the first time with the NAMM Foundation's Best Communities for Music Education designation for its outstanding commitment to music education.
Now in its 25th year, the designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in providing music access and education to all students.
To qualify for the Best Communities designation, the Batavia City School District answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program, and community music-making programs.
Responses were verified by school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.
“I am deeply honored to see BCSD’s commitment to music education recognized by the NAMM Foundation. This award is a testament to the rich, vibrant opportunities our incredibly talented and dedicated music department staff continue to provide, ensuring every BCSD student can experience the transformative power of music,” said Superintendent Jason Smith. "As a proud product of our district's music program myself, I am beyond thrilled to see BCSD receive this extraordinary recognition.”
“This prestigious award from the NAMM Foundation is a tribute to the dedication of our music department staff, our students' passion, and our families' unwavering support. Together, we have fostered a thriving music education environment that celebrates creativity and collaboration. I am immensely grateful for our community's commitment to keeping music an essential part of our education system,” said Melzie Case, BCSD Music Department Chair.
Research into music education continues to demonstrate educational/cognitive and social skill benefits for children who make music: After two years of music education, researchers found that participants showed more substantial improvements in how the brain processes speech and reading scores than their less-involved peers and that students who are involved in music are not only more likely to graduate high school but also to attend college as well.
In addition, 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. Not to mention, social benefits include conflict resolution, teamwork skills, and how to give and receive constructive criticism.
