By Susan Memoli
Wayland Post Contributor
Wayland Public Schools was one of only 22 Massachusetts districts to receive the NAMM Foundation’s Best Communities for Music Education (BCME) Award. The town’s program is tied with Weston’s for receiving the award the most years in a row (this is Wayland’s 16th).
Now in its 26th year, the award designation is bestowed on districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement for providing music access and education to all students. Over 1,000 districts and individual school sites (public, private, charter and parochial) were recognized for having the highest commitment to producing exceptional music programs.
“This distinct honor is a tribute to our skilled and dedicated music faculty who inspire and skillfully instruct their motivated students. It is also a show of appreciation for a community that consistently supports arts education,” said Wayland Schools Superintendent David Fleishman.
“Music is a sort of magical force which brings people together in a way that not many other things can, and teaching music is vital because it gives students the ability to create it and understand its complexities so they can share it with others,” said Joshua Nuspl, WHS Class of 2025, WHS Orchestra President and Tri-Music Honor Society Chapter President.
Rigorous vetting
To qualify for the award, Wayland 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 by school officials and reviewed by the leading arts educational research firm, Wolf Brown.
The NAMM Foundation is the charitable arm of the National Association of Music Merchants, the global trade association for the music products industry. The foundation works to remove systemic barriers that limit access to music-making and career pathways in the music industry.
