Members of the band for Evergreen Park High School perform in December 2023. The music department was recently honored with a national award from the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation. Evergreen Park High School District 231)Evergreen Park High School received the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The National Association of Music Merchants Foundation, a gesture the school says reiterates the importance of music education in its classroom.
“Music education provides an opportunity for every student to not only express themselves with the universal language of music, but to appreciate the many different aspects of life by affecting their audience, society, and themselves,” said Ken Kazin, band director, in a written statement. The answers were reviewed by staff at the Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas, which assisted the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation in the decision making process.
There are many benefits to increasing musical literacy in schools, the district said in an email message touting the award. Students who take music classes show improvements in how their brains process speech and reading. High school graduation and college attendance is also more likely among students who take music courses in comparison to students who skip music, the district wrote.