Best Communities in Music Education

The Council Rock Music Education Program Receives National Recognition

Council Rock has been named a Best Community for Music for the past 13 years!

Newtown, Pennsylvania (April 2024) – Council Rock has been honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from the NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education. Council Rock joins 975 districts across the country in receiving the prestigious award in 2024.

The Best Communities Music Education designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students. Districts that have been recognized by the NAMM Foundation are often held up as models for other educators looking to boost their own music education programs.

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

This award recognizes that Council Rock School District is leading the way with learning opportunities as outlined in the new federal education legislation, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The legislation, signed into law in December 2015, replaces No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), and recommends music and the arts as important elements of well-rounded education for all children. The NAMM Foundation’s Best Communities for Music Education Award and the implementation of the federal ESSA law bring attention to the importance of keeping music education part of the school’s core education for all students.