MVUSD’s Music Program Earns National Recognition

MORENO VALLEY >> In recognition of its outstanding commitment to music education, Moreno Valley Unified School District (MVUSD) has been designated a “Best Community for Music Education” by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation. MVUSD joins just 476 other school districts across the country in earning the award this year, out of a total of more than 13,500 school districts nationwide. Only 12 school districts in California were so honored. “It’s especially gratifying to have our work recognized by such a prestigious national organization,” said MVUSD Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator Greg Solomon. “Our School Board and administration have worked hard to restore and rebuild our music programs because as a district we believe in the power of music, both as a means of students’ self-expression and as a catalyst for student achievement in other academic areas.” NAMM also recognized that MVUSD’s focus on music education puts the district in line with the recommendations of the new federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which calls for making visual and performing arts opportunities available for all students. “Visual and performing arts education has quickly become another one of the very successful initiatives that Moreno Valley Unified is known for, here in California and across the country” said School Board President Jesús M. Holguín. He recounted that at a recent education conference held in Boston, he was pleasantly surprised to attend a session on music education that cited MVUSD as a leader in the field. NAMM says it intentionally releases its list of exemplary school districts during the budget-crafting season to lend a sense of urgency to the idea of funding music-education programs. According to Solomon, no pressure on MVUSD budget writers is necessary, however, as the district had already committed itself to expanding arts offerings by hiring more Visual and Performing Arts teachers for the coming school year. Moreno Valley Unified School District is the third-largest school district in Riverside County and the 23rd largest in California, educating more than 34,000 students in grades TK-12 at 40 schools. MVUSD graduation rates exceed both the state and national averages.