District 7 is proud to announce that we have been designated one of our nation’s Best Communities for Music Education by the NAMM Foundation!
District 7 has a longstanding commitment to the arts - ensuring they are a core component of the educational experience. Recipients of this honor demonstrate an outstanding commitment to excellence in music education and to providing access for all students based on music education funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program, and partnerships with community programs.
Research into music education demonstrates educational/cognitive and social skill benefits for children who make music. These include higher rates of improvement in how the brain processes speech, in reading scores, and in everyday listening skills that 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 compared to their peers. Not to mention, social benefits include conflict resolution, teamwork skills, and how to give and receive constructive criticism.
The NAMM Foundation is a nonprofit that advances active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving, and public service programs.
Congratulations to our teachers, students, administrators, and community for supporting music and the fine arts in D7!