For the second consecutive year, the Rocky Point School District’s Music Department has been named a recipient of the prestigious “Best Communities for Music Education” designation from The NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education.

Now in its 26th year, the Best Communities for Music Education designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement for providing music access and education to all students.
To qualify for the Best Communities designation, a rigorous application process that included detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program and community music-making programs was submitted in February. Responses were verified by school officials and reviewed by the leading arts educational research firm, WolfBrown.

WHY IS MUSIC EDUCATION IMPORTANT?
Research continues to demonstrate educational, cognitive and social benefits for children who are involved in music programs. Students involved in music programs display increased development of fine and gross motor skills, growth in language abilities, improvement of emotional progress, building of self-confidence, and contributes to success in collaborative settings. After two years of music education, studies found that participants showed substantial improvements in how the brain processes speech and reading ability. Listening skills are stronger in musically trained children than in those without music training. Music classes/ensembles in the Rocky Point School District all have a very natural and inherent connection to Social Emotional Learning. Classroom music and performing ensembles (band, chorus and orchestra) promote the building of community, discipline, and respect. Neuroscience suggests that when people create music or move/dance together, pathways in their brain light up to mirror the emotions and behaviors that the other person is feeling. Creating, performing and moving to music offer our students an opportunity to develop important skills that support positive social emotional health including the ability to name and identify their own feelings, think critically about the world around them, and practice self-regulation for positive behavior management. Students acquire important social skills through the various avenues of music offered in our schools. Our music education model requires the collective interaction of all students and the instructor. Our music teachers encourage students to establish their own musical goals, create an environment where students can formulate solutions for individual or group inaccuracies (as opposed to simply providing the answers) and nurture supportive pathways for students to navigate performance anxiety. Tolerance, helpfulness, patience, and other cooperative attitudes are consciously cultivated. Other social benefits include conflict resolution, teamwork skills, and methods for offering and receiving constructive criticism. The ensemble setting requires sensitivity to the total group and awareness of the role of everyone within it.

"Music education is thriving in the Rocky Point School District," said Mr. Craig Knapp and Ms. Amy Schecher, Rocky Point Elementary and Secondary Music Department Chairpersons respectively. "The impact that music experiences provide for our students and community are incalculable. The music faculty in the Rocky Point Schools are extremely hardworking and dedicated professionals. Students love participating in the music programs offered in Rocky Point, and our wonderful staff is to be commended for creating such joyful and memorable experiences for the children. We are honored to be the recipients of this designation, and we hope it is met with great pride from the community and continues to help to raise awareness and support for our music program. Receiving this award is a distinguished accomplishment and this validates and supports how important and relevant the music program is in Rocky Point. We would also like to acknowledge and thank all the administrators and Board of Education in Rocky Point for their continued support of our music programs. We are truly grateful to serve the students of this amazing community, and we are thankful to be part of such a wonderful school district.”