The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation awarded Minnetonka Public Schools its coveted Best Communities for Music Education Award. This is Minnetonka's 8^th consecutive time being recognized!

NAMM recognizes schools, teachers and community leaders for their outstanding efforts in supporting music education and integrating many diverse and advanced music classes into the school's core curriculum. Research into music education continues to demonstrate educational/cognitive and social skill benefits for children who make music. After two years of music education, research found that participants showed more substantial improvements in how the brain processes speech and reading scores that 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. Everyday listening skills are stronger in musically-trained children that in those without music training. Significantly, listening skills are closely tied to the ability to: perceive speech in a noisy background, pay attention, and keep 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. Not to mention, social benefits include conflict resolution, teamwork skills, and how to give and receive constructive criticism.

The Best Communities for Music Education program evaluates schools and districts based on funding, staffing of highly qualified teachers, commitment to standards and access to music instruction. Through this rigorous evaluation, NAMM honors the best schools in the nation for music education.

Minnetonka schools is honored to receive this recognition and plans to continue inspiring students to excel in music and arts education.