For the sixth straight year, Abilene ISD has been honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education. Now in its 24th year, the Best Communities for Music Education designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students.

To qualify for the Best Communities designation, AISD representatives answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, and support for the music program and community music-making programs. Responses were verified by school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.

“We are excited to receive the news that, once again, our school district has been chosen among the top districts in the country for music education,” Executive Director of Fine Arts Jay Lester said. “This designation results from a long application process that includes surveys about staffing, budgets, scheduling, equipment, enrichment opportunities, and other factors related to music education instruction.” 

Since the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015 and a stated emphasis on a well-rounded education, many school districts have re-committed to music and arts education programs. During the pandemic, music and arts programs were vital to keeping students engaged in school. ESSA provides designated funding for well-rounded educational opportunities through Title IV Part A Student Academic Success and Achievement grants. NAMM Foundation research has revealed that school districts are widely using these grants to address instructional gaps in access to music and arts education.

“Our UIL results have been exemplary over the past 10 years, as have our Texas Music Educators’ Association (TMEA) region, area, and state results,” Lester said. “These results are the product of quality instruction that begins in elementary school and is carried into middle and high school.”

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. In addition, everyday listening skills are stronger in musically trained children than those without music training. Significantly, listening skills are closely tied to perceiving speech in a noisy background, paying attention, and keeping sounds in memory.

Later in life, individuals who took music lessons as children show stronger neural processing of sound: young adults and even older adults who have not played an instrument for up to 50 years show enhanced neural processing compared to their peers. Social benefits include conflict resolution, teamwork skills, and giving and receiving constructive criticism. 

About The NAMM Foundation

The NAMM Foundation is a nonprofit supported partly by the National Association of Music Merchants, its 15,000 member companies, and individual professionals. The foundation advances active participation in music-making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving, and public service programs. For more information about The NAMM Foundation, please visit www.nammfoundation.org.