Columbiana Middle School Band Receives National Recognition for Music Education Advocacy
Columbiana, Alabama - January 18, 2023 – Columbiana’s Columbiana Middle School has been honored with the Advocacy in Action Award in the Student Recruitment, Engagement, and Retention from Music for All, Inc. for its outstanding commitment to music education advocacy.
The Advocacy in Action Award designation is presented to music programs, schools, and communities across the United States that demonstrate outstanding achievement in local efforts to provide access to music education for all students.
To qualify for the Advocacy in Action Award Designation, Columbiana Middle School submitted a detailed description of its music program and project; Free Beginner Band Initiative Submissions were reviewed by a national panel of educators, administrators, and community and business leaders. As a result, the Columbiana Free Beginner Band Initiative was named a 2023 Award Recipient in Student Recruitment, Engagement, and Retention.
“Music Education at Columbiana Middle School is larger than it has been in the five years I have been in place as the band director, and as a result, we are seeing better student attendance at school, students engaged in the overall school, and an anticipation that even greater things are to come,” said Matt Martindale, Band Director of Columbiana Middle and Shelby County High School. “The impact of this award is a springboard to demonstrate the great work at CMS. Our band program is mostly publicized about our high school students and their accomplishments, but this is our foundation and future. And the future is very bright.”
Research continuously indicates student engagement in sequential music learning improves brain function while developing empathy, self-confidence, and collaboration skills. Additionally, art students demonstrate higher attendance, graduation rates, and academic achievement than non-arts peers.
Columbiana Middle School’s submission will be part of the Music for All Advocacy in Action website (advocacy.musicforall.org), a clearinghouse of practical advocacy examples that can be adapted and replicated by programs nationwide. Music for All ultimately hopes to inspire others across the nation to take action in their communities by collecting, recognizing, and sharing outstanding examples of local advocacy efforts.
Since 2020, the Columbiana Middle School Band has more than doubled and is projected to grow to its largest size in school history in the next three years. In addition, every beginner student in 6th grade is usually provided with an instrument free for their first year of instruction. As a result, the band program has seen an increase in student participation at local, district, and state band events.
In addition, the band students have continued into further music study with a retention rate of 80% from year to year. As a result of growth at CMS, the band at Shelby County High School will continue to grow in the coming years.
About Music for All
Music for All is one of the largest and most influential national music education organizations supporting active music-making. Music for All is unique in that it combines programming at a national level with arts education advocacy.
Music for All’s mission is to create, provide, and expand positively life-changing experiences through music for all.
Music for All believes music and arts education is core to a student’s well-rounded education and must be available to all students. Therefore, music for All is an advocate for music and arts education. Its educational programs support the efforts of instrumental music and choral teachers at high and middle school levels and provide positive life-changing experiences for students.
Music for All’s vision is to be a catalyst to ensure that every child across America has access and opportunity to participate in active music-making in their scholastic environment.
For more information about Music for All, please visit www.musicforall.org.
