Flathead music program earns award

Flathead High School is among 118 schools in the nation to receive a SupportMusic Merit Award from the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation.

This is the second consecutive year Flathead has received the award as part of the Best Communities for Music Education program.

The merit award is given to individual schools that demonstrate outstanding achievement in working to provide access to music education for all students.

Schools that have been recognized by the foundation are often held up as models for other educators looking to boost their own music education programs, the foundation said in a press release.

To qualify for the award, Flathead answered 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.

The foundation’s SupportMusic Merit Award and the implementation of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act bring attention to the importance of keeping music education part of the school’s core education for all students while also highlighting music’s vital role in students’ overall success in school, according to the foundation.