To learn a little bit more about what happens behind the scenes of the BCME, how the application questions were created and how the results are tabulated, SBO recently spoke with the three researchers, who graciously shed light on what some might consider to be one of the more mysterious aspects of this project.
Inspired by annual “Best 100 Places to Live” lists, BCME was established in 1999 to recognize and celebrate schools, their administrators, teachers, board members, parents, and students for their support of music education and their efforts to assure access to all students as part of the core curriculum.
SBO recently reached out to five representatives from this year’s winning communities to get a feel for how their programs have been impacted by this designation, what it means to their school music programs, and how they plan to use this tool to continue to promote the school bands and orchestras in their areas.
Why does the latest and greatest software also seem to be so challenging to figure out, with a hundred new keystrokes and pull-down menus? Do these companies really think that three-inch-thick manuals of well-hidden information will help get people up and running? No wonder great technology goes under-utilized, especially in this era of budget crunching. But wait! The business world brings new software online all the time. What’s missing in this picture for the music education world?
Brooklyn Center High School has received the Magnet School of Excellence Award for the past three years in a row, in part because of the exceptional musical opportunities it offers its students, as evidenced by the fact that 327 of the 738 students participate in the music program. This is a far cry from the 24 kids who were enrolled in band when Chris came on board a decade ago. The most recent affirmation of her efforts came in May of 2011, when Brooklyn Center HS was singled out by the NAMM Foundation as one of the “Best Communities for Music Education” in America.
