Owego Apalachin Central School District’s Music Education Program Receives National Recognition

The Owego Apalachin Central School District has been honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education for the fifth year. 

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, OACSD answered detailed questions about music class participation, performance opportunities, collaborative projects, instruction time, facilities, and support for the music programs. Responses were verified with school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas. 

“Our district-wide approach and the support from the entire Owego Apalachin community are among the contributing factors to receiving this designation,” said Dr. Corey Green, OACSD superintendent, adding, “It is wonderful that our music education program is being recognized and celebrated once again for the vast opportunities that our students experience during their time with us. These opportunities and this award would not be possible without our excellent music staff, talented students, supportive administrators, and continued community support.”

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. 

For more information about The NAMM Foundation, visit www.nammfoundation.org.

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