By Lori Ehde
Luverne’s music enthusiasts have long been proud of their strong music traditions, both in school and in the community.
Since recently making the list of Best 100 Communities for Music Education in America, Luverne will receive national recognition in that area.
"It’s a nice honor … we’ll accept it," said Luverne High School Band Director Dale Nelson, who shared praise with all Luverne K-12 music educators.
They include Beth Capistran and Seana Graber in grades K-4, Patti Nelson in grades 5 and 6, Beth Behal in grades 7-12 choir, Mary Goheen in grades 6-8 instrumental, and Nelson in fifth grade and high school instrumental.
Earlier this year, Nelson was invited to fill out a survey by the American Music Conference and several partner organizations in the fields of music and education.
The survey asked for information in areas such as musical events in the school and community and the time and money spent on such things.
"I guess I thought we had a pretty good opportunity," Nelson said. "We scored pretty highly in some of these areas, especially with our Tri-State Band Festival being the longest-running band festival in the nation."
Nelson will receive a certificate indicating Luverne’s placement on the list of Top 100 Communities for Music Education in America.
He said this is the fourth year the list of top musical communities has been released, and he noticed there haven’t been very many Minnesota schools on the list.
Another area school joining the Top 100 this year is the West Central School District, which has ties to the Hills-Beaver Creek area.
West Central musical staff member Pat Toben, is the daughter of Dale and Nyla Reker, Beaver Creek.
Also on staff there is former H-BC music teacher Terry Walter.
The West Central District includes the communities of Humbolt and Hartford, S.D.
The survey results were released at the conclusion of Music In Our Schools Month, and information will be used to counter budget cuts that threaten music programs.
According to information from the American Music Conference, studies have shown music education is important to overall academic achievement, but up to 28 million American students currently do not receive adequate music education.
AMC Director Rob Walker said a little funding can go a long way in the area of music education.
"The results show that successful music programs are found in communities that balance measurable resources, such as budgets and buildings, with less tangible assets, such as the will to make quality music education a reality," Walker said.
"The top schools for music education are to be 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."
For more information, see www.amc-music.org.
