Guilford County Schools (GCS) is home to a nationally recognized music program. For the sixth year in a row, the NAMM Foundation named the district one of the “Best Communities for Music Education.”

The designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students as part of a well-rounded education.

“Guilford County Schools Fine Arts Department is ecstatic to receive recognition as one of the Best Communities for Music Education for the sixth consecutive year,” Leigh Ann Little, director of fine arts said.

Research into music education continues to demonstrate educational, cognitive and social skill benefits for children who make music. After two years of music education, researchers found that participants showed more substantial improvements in how the brain processes speech and reading than their peers, and that students who are involved in music are not only more likely to graduate high school but to attend college as well.

Partnerships with organizations and businesses provide GCS students with a broad range of experiences through field trips, in-school visits and a robust curriculum. World-class teachers lead passionately while they help students discover their voices and sounds. “The continued support from the Board of Education, district leadership and community partners have afforded music education in GCS to evolve and continue to engage students at all levels, abilities and in a variety of genres,” Little said. “This support eliminates barriers that would otherwise prevent students from participating in the wide variety of music education courses offered in our schools and enriching music exposure opportunities.”

GCS Arts strives to be the national leader in public school arts education, having earned the 2017 Professional Development in Arts Education federal grant, the 2018 Assistance in Arts Education Development Dissemination federal grant, the 2018 Lang Lang International Music Foundation grant, 2018 John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts District of Excellence in Arts Education, and the 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 NAMM Best Community for Music Education.