Best 100 communities for music education. (Association News).

The results of the third annual nationwide survey of best communities for music education has been announced. MTNA co-sponsored the survey, along with the American Music Conference (AMC), the National School Boards Association (NSBA), VH 1 Save the Music and Yamaha Corporation of America.

"MTNA is proud to continue its co-sponsorship of this important survey," says MTNA Executive Director Dr. Gary L. Ingle. "Our members are a vital part of the music education environment in their communities. That is why we have been a part of this effort since its inception."

Communities in twenty-nine states are included in the list, led by New York with nineteen and Pennsylvania with eleven. The list includes fifty-six communities making their first appearance, six returning from the 2000 survey, eighteen repeating from 2001 and twenty three-time districts.

Thousands of public school and independent teachers, school and district administrators, school board members, parents and community leaders, representing communities in all fifty states, participated in the Web-based survey during February, March and April.

The survey results show successful music programs are found in communities that balance measurable resources, such as budgets and buildings, with fewer tangible assets--such as the will to make quality music education a reality. The top schools for music education are found in urban communities and rural ones, in wealthy areas and not-so-wealthy ones, but the common thread is that they benefit from the support of parents, teachers, school decision-makers and community leaders who value music education highly.

"The survey demonstrates that excellent music instruction is more than a process--it's a partnership," says Ingle. "Successful music programs result from the cooperative efforts of public school teachers, independent music teachers in the communities, parents, administrators--everyone who's in a position to influence students. Having physical resources isn't a cure-all. A quality musical environment is something a community must want for its young people and work together to achieve."

For more information about the nationwide music education survey and the organizations that sponsored it, call the American Music Conference at (800) 767-6266 or visit www.amc-music.org.