Shine the Spotlight on Your Music Program
Your passion for music education deserves recognition! The NAMM Foundation invites you to apply for the Best Communities for Music Education (BCME) award, a national honor now celebrating its 26th year. This annual award is presented to school districts, and independent or private schools that demonstrate commitment to providing access to music education.
Winning this award not only highlights your dedication to music education but also strengthens community pride and advocacy for music programs.
Encourage your school or district to apply and forward this information to a school representative today!
Application deadline: February 28!
Apply Today
What Makes a Best Community for Music Education?
Like any community, a thriving music education community requires broad participation, a sense of belonging, and structure. The Best Communities for Music Education Award recognizes that a healthy music community is defined by a wealth of passion and commitment from leaders who leverage every resource to expand opportunities for children to learn and grow through music-making.
The districts and schools recognized by the Best Communities for Music Education Award demonstrate a high standard of excellence that other communities aspire to.
Throughout the award’s 25 years, the Foundation has recognized thousands of school districts and schools in 43 states. From rural to metropolitan, large and small, public and non-public, The NAMM Foundation proudly honors the diversity of educational communities that support students’ musical growth.
Why Participate:
- National recognition
- Community recognition and pride
- Increased visibility of music education in your district, school, and community
- Program validation of your school or district’s support for music education
- Program auditing tool for evaluating your music program
Important Information
Two Types of Applications Available:
- The Best Communities for Music Education Award (BCME): For school districts
- The SupportMusic Merit Award (SMMA): For individual schools (independent or private, not affiliated with a district)
Application Guidelines:
- Only one application per school or district is allowed
- For-profit after-school music programs are not eligible to apply
Deadline:
- All applications must be submitted by February 28
Who Should Complete the Application:
- A qualified district representative should complete the application due to the specific information requested. A district administrator should gather on behalf of the district or school or work in partnership with the music educator or fine arts supervisor.
Criteria:
- Student demographics
- Teacher/student ratio
- Music education participation rates
- Music education and/or fine arts requirements for graduation or as required by the curriculum
- Knowledge of music education electives
- Teacher qualifications
- Standards for assessing music education
- Music facilities
- Budget
