CHESAPEAKE — Chesapeake Elementary has been honored with the Support Music Merit Award from The NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education. 

The SupportMusic Merit Award recognizes individual schools that demonstrate outstanding achievement in providing music access and education to all students.

Two awards are given each year: Best Communities for Music Education  for school districts and the SupportMusic Merit Award for individual school sites. Both reach K-12 schools and districts throughout the U.S. and offer opportunities to increase awareness and support for music programs. Over 1,000 districts and individual school sites (public, private, charter, parochial) were recognized for having the highest commitment to producing exceptional music programs.

“Music education is important to Chesapeake Elementary because it provides a chance for our students to discover their hidden musical talents,” said Deanna Holderby, Chesapeake Elementary music teacher. “Music is cross-curricular. In a music classroom, students are also exposed to mathematics, reading, science, and history, just to name a few”. 

To qualify for the SupportMusic Merit Award, Chesapeake Elementary 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 leading national arts education research firm, WolfBrown.