GREAT FALLS — Despite ensembles being unable to perform together, the music community in Great Falls continues to garner praise. For the ninth year in a row, Great Falls has been named among the Best Communities for Music Education by the National Association of Music Merchants.
Great Falls Public Schools music and art supervisor Dusty Molyneaux said that music classes from elementary to high school are facing numerous hurdles in online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, so seeing Great Falls on the list this year is especially reaffirming for everyone involved.
“This was a real shot in the arm to come back from spring break and see this email sitting in the inbox,” Molyneaux said. “Even though all the wonderful things that we do in the community to get an award like this, we can't do right now. But it does give you some fuel for the fire and really kind of just dig in and keep working on planning events and trying to make things as best we can for the kids right now and connecting with them. And making sure that all the great experiences that we have as a district don't go away.”
The NAMM award is given to school districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students.
Great Falls was one of four Montana communities to win the award this year, along with Billings, Broadview, and Missoula.
