Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 has once again been honored for its outstanding commitment to music education! D64 was given the designation of one of the Best Communities for Music Education, awarded by the National Association for Music Merchants Foundation (NAMM). Previously, NAMM awarded D64 with the SupportMusic Merit Award in 2020.
The Best Communities for Music Education Award was given to 830 school districts across the nation this year. Districts like D64 are picked because they demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students.
“This is a great honor, and we appreciate the NAMM for recognizing what our community sees every day from our music education staff and our students,” said Superintendent Dr. Eric Olson. “Our staff goes above and beyond to ensure our students have a rich and fulfilling music education. Thank you to our educators for their passion and dedication.”
Congratulations to our Instrumental Music Department, led by curriculum specialist Erica Faulhaber & General Music Department, led by curriculum specialist Terry Broeker for all of their hard work in making music education part of a well-rounded education!
District 64 has numerous talented educators and musicians involved in the music program:
- Instrumental Music: Eric Bachmann, Elisabeth Ballinger, Natalie Briggs, Erica Faulhaber, Max Hellermann, Ilona Hutter, Alex Teater, Connor Yoon
- General Music: Terry Broeker, Colleen Carlson, Anne Fong, Margaret Gorcik, Brian Kabat, Jenny Kaputska, Jessica Kwansy, Alaina Knapp, Alyssa LaTragna, Sean Ryabak, Cynthia Seputis, Connor Yoon
The NAMM Foundation is a nonprofit supported in part by the National Association of Music Merchants and its 15,000 member companies and individual professionals. The foundation advances active participation in music-making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving, and public service programs.