KATY [April 13, 2019] – It has been a historical year of nominations and awards for the Katy Independent School District. For the past 16 years, Katy ISD has received the “Best Communities for Music Education” designation from the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education. Of NAMM’s 21 years of announcing the recognition, the District has been awarded the designation 18 times total.
The Best Communities for Music Education designation is presented to districts that demonstrate outstanding efforts by school communities in supporting music education as part of the school district’s core curriculum. This year, NAMM Foundation recognized 724 school districts and 98 individual schools.
“No matter what type of music you like, playing or listening to music has its benefits for our students, such as brain development, increasing human connections and even helping to relieve stress,” said Katy ISD Executive Director of Fine Arts Mike Ouellette. “Our Katy ISD fine arts educators continually demonstrate an outstanding achievement in their efforts to provide music access,” added Ouellette.
To qualify for the Best Communities designation, Katy ISD answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program and community music-making programs. Responses were verified with school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.
