Ossining School District Receives National Music Award

For the ninth consecutive year, Ossining received a Best Community for Music Education Award from the NAMM Foundation in recognition of its outstanding commitment to music instruction.

Ossining is one of 623 school districts across the country to be named a Best Community for Music Education this year.

The NAMM Foundation, which announced the awards on March 26, recognizes districts that are committed to providing high-quality music instruction to all students as part of a well-rounded education.

To qualify for the award, districts must answer detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for music programs, and community music programs. The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas reviewed all the questionnaires.

Research has shown there are lifelong educational, cognitive and social benefits for children who receive music instruction. One study found that after two years of music education, participants showed more substantial improvements in brain development, as well as reading and listening skills, than their less-involved peers. Students who are involved in music are also more likely to graduate high school and attend college.

A 2015 study supported by the NAMM Foundation found that teachers and parents value music education and consider it an important part of the school curriculum.

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