Conrady Music Program Recognized For Outstanding Achievement

HICKORY HILLS, IL — Conrady Junior High School has been honored with the SupportMusic Merit Award from The NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education. The SupportMusic Merit Award recognizes individual schools that demonstrate outstanding achievement in providing music access and education to all students.

To qualify for the award, Conrady music faculty 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 with school officials and reviewed by the Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.

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.

Conrady Junior High School serves the Hickory Hills, Palos Hills and Bridgeview communities. The music program includes directors Rob Slater and Aubrey Malito and over 250 young musicians. The principal is Adrienne Muñiz.

The NAMM Foundation is a nonprofit supported in part by the National Association of Music Merchants and its 15,000 global member companies and individual professionals worldwide. The foundation advances active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving, and public service programs.