M3 Music Program In Abington Receives National Recognition

ABINGTON TOWNSHIP, PA —The Abington Township School District's Modern Music Makers (M3) program is now in the national spotlight.

The Abington Senior High School has received national recognition through an Advocacy in Action award, presented by Music for All.

M3 is being recognized in the Student Recruitment, Engagement, and Retention category, which recognizes organizations that demonstrate a commitment to building and sustaining a high-quality school music program.

The school will be featured on Music for All’s Advocacy in Action Archive, where their program and ideas will be available for music educators to emulate around the country.

Meanwhile, for the fourth year, Yamaha has selected 40 exceptional music educators under age 40 —including a teacher in the Abington Township School District —for possessing action, courage, creativity, and growth while going above and beyond when instructing music programs.

The 40 Under 40 music education program honors music educators at all grade levels.

Yamaha chose Kevin Longwill, a Music Industry Teacher at Abington Senior and Middle Schools and the director of M3 (Modern Music Makers).

“I was ecstatic. I was so very appreciative and honored to have been considered to be doing something worthwhile with teaching, and I hope that it lends credence to modern musical practices and might encourage someone else, current and future teachers, to be willing to try something new with their teaching.”

Hundreds of nominations were submitted by students, parents, teachers, local instrument dealers, and mentors, highlighting the music educators who positively impacted their community and students.

The Advocacy in Action awards are presented each year in seven categories: Community Involvement, Decision-Maker Engagement, Elementary Excellence, Innovative Fundraising, Marketing and Promotion, Parent/Booster Support and Student Recruitment, Engagement, and Retention.

The awards program recognizes and celebrates the commitment of school administrators, community leaders, teachers, and parents/guardians who believe in music education and are advocating to ensure that it is part of a comprehensive education for all children.

Advocacy in Action is a signature program of Music for All, designed to collect, recognize, and share effective practices and initiatives that support music education in our schools.

About Music for All

Music for All’s mission is to create, provide, and expand life-changing experiences through music.

Its vision is to be a catalyst to ensure that every child in America has access to and opportunity for active music-making in their scholastic environment. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization, Music for All’s events and programs serve more than 600,000 attendees annually —more than 1.3 million since 1975.

Programs include the Bands of America Championships for marching bands, a summer music camp for students and teachers, festivals for concert bands and orchestras, national honor ensembles for students, and educational webinars, podcasts, and online resources for teachers.