B-BP Named Best Community for Music Education

Pictured here are members of the district’s music department, along with Superintendent of School Dr. Vincent Butera, Board of Education President Rebecca Campbell and Chairperson for Music and Art Paul Weber.

The Bayport-Blue Point School District has been named a 2014 Best Community for Music Education by the NAMM Foundation. 

This year, 376 school districts were chosen  out of more than 2,000 national applicants. This award recognizes that the district has set the bar high for music education by offering students access to a comprehensive music program that is part of the core curriculum.

Paul Weber, Chairperson for Art and Music states, “This distinction from the NAMM Foundation proves the support and dedication that the Community, Board of Education, and District Administration give to the Arts Program here in Bayport-Blue Point Schools.  This is an honor that we all share and should be proud of”.

The Bayport-Blue Point School District currently offers instrumental instruction in the areas of orchestra and band to students in grades 4 through 12.  Vocal instruction is offered to students in grades 3 through 12. 

In addition to these performance groups, students are able to advance their knowledge of the discipline of music by enrolling in extra-curricular performing groups (Instrumental Jazz Ensembles, Vocal Jazz Ensemble, and Chamber Orchestras), Music Department Electives (Music Theory, Comprehensive Foundations of Music), and Advanced Placement Music Theory.  Elementary Classroom Music Instruction is provided in Kindergarten through grade 5, and General Music instruction is also provided in grades 6 through 8.  Also to be mentioned are the All-District Band, Chorus, and Orchestra Performing Groups, and the award-winning High School Musical Production.

Now in its 15th year, the BCME program evaluates schools and districts based on funding, staffing of highly qualified teachers, commitment to standards, and access to music instruction. The NAMM Foundation, with the assistance of researchers at the Institute for Educational Research and Public Service of Lawrence, Kansas (an affiliate of the University of Kansas), evaluate participants on these factors. Designations are made to districts and schools that demonstrate an exceptionally high commitment and greater access to music education.

“These schools and districts make a strong commitment to music education in the core curriculum, supporting its essential value to a well-rounded education for every child,” said Mary Luehrsen, NAMM Foundation executive director. “Strong, engaging programs that offer students access to music cannot thrive in a vacuum. The Best Communities designation and the SupportMusic Merit Award bring hard-won visibility to music classes, programs and departments that are keeping music education alive in our schools.”

Photo provided by the Bayport-Blue Point School District