The Edmonds School District has once again been recognized by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation as one of the “Best Communities for Music Education” in 2019.
This award recognizes not only musical excellence, but also outstanding teaching, district leadership and support, and community engagement and support. This is the 11th consecutive year the district has been awarded this honor, and 13th time overall.
“Please join me in congratulating our outstanding music teachers districtwide,” said Scott Barnes, the district’s manager of visual and performing arts. “They do incredible work, and help to change lives one note at a time.”
Research into music education continues to demonstrate educational/cognitive and social skill benefits for children who make music. After two years of music education, research 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.
Everyday listening skills are stronger in musically-trained children that in those without music training. Significantly, listening skills 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; 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.
I appreciate the wonderful quality the music program has and the community supports them. I just wish they would support the community by being a part of the tour de terrace program. in all the 27 years we have put on this program they have NEVER been there to represent the high school and we are asked about their non appearance every year. I have begged and pleaded to no avail. its something to think about.