Tomball ISD Receives National Recognition for Music Education Support
Tomball ISD has been honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education.
Celebrating 25 years, the Best Communities for Music Education designation is awarded to school districts across the nation that demonstrate outstanding achievement to provide music access and education to all students.
To qualify for the Best Communities designation, Tomball ISD answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, and support for the music program and community music-making programs. Responses were verified by school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.
Tomball ISD has continued to excel in providing exceptional student opportunities across all disciplines, and specifically in the realm of music. All Tomball ISD elementary students receive weekly music classes, and secondary student music enrollment in Tomball is among the highest in the state.
“I am thrilled that NAMM recognized Tomball ISD as one of the 2024 Best Communities for Music Education,” said Tomball ISD Director of Fine Arts Paulette Tomlinson. “This is the first time Tomball has been recognized with this award, but comes as no surprise at all – it is confirmation of what we already know! The award is a testament to the incredible teaching and learning that happens daily in our music classrooms as well as the support from Tomball administration, school board, families, and community that is second to none. I am proud to work alongside our teachers who strive each day to provide our students with world-class opportunities in music. Congratulations, Team Tomball!”
Research into music education continues to demonstrate educational/cognitive and social skill benefits for children who make music. After two years of music education, researchers found that participants showed more substantial improvements in how the brain processes speech and reading scores than their less-involved peers and that students who are involved in music are not only more likely to graduate high school, but also to attend college as well. In addition, everyday listening skills are stronger in musically trained children than those without music training.
Significantly, listening skills are closely tied to perceiving speech in a noisy background, paying attention, and keeping sounds in memory. Later in life, individuals who took music lessons as children show stronger neural processing of sound, young adults and even older adults who have not played an instrument for up to 50 years show enhanced neural processing compared to their peers. Social benefits include conflict resolution, teamwork skills, and giving and receiving constructive criticism.
Source: Tomball ISD
