For the third 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 27th year, the program continues to spotlight and celebrate school districts and individual schools across the United States for their exemplary dedication to music education and their ongoing efforts to ensure equitable access to music learning as part of a well-rounded education.
 
Recipients of the 2026 Best Communities for Music Education Awards were selected through a comprehensive application and review process that evaluates key indicators, including instructional time, participation rates, and community support. To uphold the program’s rigor and credibility, all applications were independently reviewed and verified by WolfBrown, a leading research and evaluation firm specializing in education and the arts.
 
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 displayed 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 each individual within it.
 
ABOUT THE NAMM FOUNDATION
The NAMM Foundation is the charitable arm of the National Association of Music Merchants, the global trade association for the music products industry. The foundation works to remove systemic barriers that limit access to music-making and career pathways in the music industry. By investing in bold ideas and innovative solutions, we strive to build inclusive and thriving musical communities. For more information about The NAMM Foundation, please visit www.nammfoundation.org.
 
“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 education provides for our students and community are immeasurable. The music faculty in the Rocky Point Schools are remarkably hardworking and dedicated professionals. Students love participating in the music programs offered in Rocky Point, and our wonderful staff is to be praised for creating such joyful and noteworthy experiences for the children. We are honored to be the recipients of this distinguished level of recognition. We hope this designation is met with an abundance of pride from the community, and we hope this acknowledgment will continue to help to raise awareness and support for our music program. Receiving this award is an illustrious accomplishment and this validates and supports how important and relevant the music is to educating the whole child. We would like to acknowledge and thank all of the administrators, Board of Education members, and parents in Rocky Point for their continued support of our music programs. We are truly honored to serve the students of this fantastic community and we are thankful to be part of such a terrific school district.”