Richland Two’s music education program receives national recognition for fourth straight year

Richland School District Two is one of the Best Communities for Music Education. Richland Two Coordinator of Fine Arts, Dr. Wendy Campbell says the NAMM Foundation is recognizing Richland Two for the fourth straight year for its commitment to providing music access and education to all students.

“The Richland Two community supports the arts and values an arts-rich education. The Best Communities for Music Education recognition is confirmation that every student receives an arts education foundation that will serve them well their entire lives. Our music teachers are among the best in the nation and pour their hearts and souls into students every day; therefore, this national recognition is a celebration of their hard work,” Campbell said.

To qualify for the Best Communities for Music Education designation, Richland Two answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program and community music-making programs.

According to the NAMM Foundation, 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.

The NAMM Foundation is a nonprofit supported in part by the National Association of Music Merchants and its approximately 10,300 members around the world. The foundation advances active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving and public service programs.