Warren Township has been awarded the NAMM Foundation’s Best Communities for Music Education (BCME). This is the township’s sixth year being one of the recipients of this award, putting them in the top 20th percentile for best music education in the United States.
The BCME Award is a highlighted program of The NAMM Foundation that recognizes and celebrates school districts and schools for their support and commitment to music education and efforts to assure access to music for all students as part of a well-rounded and fulfilling education.
The award recognizes the hard work and dedication each of the teachers and administration has put into their students and their community to not only be nominated for this award, but to also be one of two townships in Indianapolis to be a recipient.
“Despite the pandemic, music is still an important part of Warren students' education, and I'm pleased that the NAMM Foundation recognized that,” performing arts instructor Jill Wynalda said.
The NAMM Foundation pushes for active participation in music making across the nation by supporting scientific research and public service programs. A supporting organization of NAMM, the NAMM Foundation is funded by NAMM Members through trade association activities and private donations.
This being Warren Township’s sixth consecutive nomination and year being a recipient, it was no surprise when administrators got the announcement during the second semester of this year. Students and teachers alike were ecstatic when the award was confirmed to be for Warren Township.
“We have great music educators in Warren Township, and I was really impressed with their creative ideas and flexible instruction solutions,” Wynalda said.
The 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years have presented many new challenges and difficulties for students and staff in Warren Township such as lack of attendance, technological problems and some even having to quarantine for two weeks for contact tracing. Despite this being one of the toughest school years in recent history, the music department has continued to push and motivate students to finish strong.
“There was an additional section of the application this year that dealt specifically with music education during the pandemic. Our district's elementary, middle school, and high school music teachers provided examples of how they adapted their music classes to virtual instruction and socially-distanced music-making,” Wynalda said.
Music teachers and instructors have continued to make education their priority doing whatever necessary to continue teaching during the pandemic.