Clarence Earns Best Communities for Music Education Designation

A love for music continues to flourish for students and staff at the Clarence Central School District, as it received the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The NAMM Foundation for the 21st consecutive year.

“Clarence’s ongoing recognition as a community that values and supports music education reflects the strong commitment of all stakeholders,” said Heidi Kohler, the District’s Music Department Chair. “Because of this support, our students are able to grow and thrive as young musicians.” 

Opportunities for students to develop their appreciation range from early elementary music classes to pairings with instruments, building to musical classes and extracurriculars at Clarence Middle School and performance opportunities locally and nationally with Clarence High School music ensembles.

In the past year, the District has seen new offerings like unified music at Clarence High School, which brings together students with and without intellectual disabilities to learn and perform together. Ledgeview Elementary School also staged its first musical with a production of “Seussical KIDS.” 

“It is exciting and rewarding to show that we are committed to providing meaningful performance experiences for all learners. We are proud to be able to offer new opportunities for diverse learners to learn and grow in their musical collaborations,” Kohler said.

Many studies have found positive impacts for students in music education, including a University of Southern California study that found that students who started music education before age 8 were more hopeful about the future, and younger students who received musical training scored higher in key measures of positive youth development.

More information about the Music Department at the Clarence Central School District can be found at https://www.clarenceschools.org/music.