Longwood Named Best Community for Music Education

Longwood Central School District has been honored, for the 14th consecutive year, as one of the nation’s best communities for music education by The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation for an outstanding commitment to music education.

The Best Communities for Music Education designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students. To qualify for the Best Communities designation, Longwood 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.

“Being named among the best for music education in America enables us to let others know what we’ve known for a long time – that our music education program is well-supported by our Board of Education and administration, and by our community as a whole,” said Dr. John J. Gallagher, Director of Music and Fine Arts. “Our students are consistently selected for local, regional and state-level music festivals, earning high ratings for their performance abilities and partake in many performance-based opportunities outside of school 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