The NAMM Foundation’s 15th annual Best Communities for Music Education (BCME) survey is now open for participation by school districts and schools across the country. The survey acknowledges and celebrates U.S. schools and districts for their commitment to and support of comprehensive music education in schools. Nearly 2,000 schools and school districts participated in the survey last year, resulting in a record number of designations.
Teachers, parents, school administrators, and board members are invited to complete the 2014 BCME survey online now through Friday, January 17, 2014. Past designees report that receiving a Best Communities designation significantly improved their ability to preserve and advance their schools’ music education programs amid budget cuts.
Last March the NAMM Foundation designated 307 school districts as Best Communities for Music Education, and 66 individual schools earned the 2013 SupportMusic Merit Award for providing students with access to comprehensive music education.
The BCME program requires each school and district to detail the particulars of its access to music instruction. Responses are reviewed by researchers at The Institute for Educational Research and Public Service of Lawrence, Kansas (an affiliate of the University of Kansas) and the NAMM Foundation. The surveys – one for districts and one for individual schools – can be downloaded for review.
The 2014 BCME designees will be announced on March 18, 2014. nammfoundation.org
