Auburn Enlarged City School District has been named as one of the 2023 Best Communities for Music Education by the NAMM Foundation.
This distinction recognizes the efforts of teachers, administrators, parents, students, and the community to further music education.
Superintendent of Schools Jeff Pirozzolo thanks the staff and the program they built, a program he says continues to improve every year.
While the NAMM Foundation, the philanthropic supporting organization of the National Association of Music Merchants, gives no specific reasons as to why a district is chosen, Auburn has had several noteworthy accomplishments related to music this year.
The high school participated in the Electrify Your Symphony Program which saw orchestra and band students train with Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s original string master and head of the program, Mark Wood, while choir students received vocal lessons from Laura Kaye, who has worked with such artists as James Brown, Aretha Franklin, and Sean Lennon. This culminated in roughly 300 students taking to the school’s stage in March for a concert.
Pirozzolo also announced his intention to bring back instrumental education to 4th grade students across the district, something that was abolished in 2012 along with the closure of West Middle School.
“I’ve promised the community and the schools and students and staff when we see some financial gain that I would absolutely be looking at bringing back our 4th grade instrumental program,” Pirozzolo told Finger Lakes News Radio, “so, if our budget gets approved, we’re going to hire two more music teachers to expand our elementary music program from not only 5th and 6th grade instrumental, but bringing back that 4th grade instrumental program.”
The school budget vote will be on May 16th.
Other area school districts to receive this distinction from the NAMM Foundation include Skaneateles, Ithaca, and Jordan-Elbridge Central School Districts. A full list of this year’s recipients can be found on the foundation’s website.
