Ossining Receives National Recognition for Music Program

For the eighth consecutive year, the NAMM Foundation has selected Ossining as one of the best school districts in the country for music education.

The Best Communities for Music Education Award recognizes Ossining’s commitment to the arts and music as part of a well-rounded education, as well as its outstanding efforts in providing music education and access to all students.

The NAMM Foundation recognized 583 districts and 135 schools across the country for their music programs. The organization, which was founded in 2006, is supported in part by the National Association of Music Merchants and its roughly 10,300 members around the world.

“This is the eighth year in a row the NAMM Foundation has designated Ossining as a Best Community for Music Education, and it is a great honor each year to receive this national recognition,” said Bradley Morrison, the district’s director of cultural arts. “The Ossining School District and our community take great pride in the quality of our music education program, our outstanding teachers and our talented students.”

To qualify for the Best Communities for Music Education Award, districts must answer detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for music programs, and community music-making programs.

Research on music education has found that it provides educational, cognitive and social benefits for children who participate. A Northwestern University study found a link between students in community music programs and lifelong academic success.

(Photo: Roosevelt School fifth-graders perform at their Winter Concert in January 2018.)