The William Floyd School District has been honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The NAMM Foundation for outstanding support and commitment to music education! This is the third consecutive year that the district has earned this honor, and the ninth time in district history including 2004, 2006, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
“I am so incredibly proud to announce that once again, the William Floyd School District is being recognized for its exceptional dedication to music education,” said Dr. Amy Mason Sckipp, coordinator of music, William Floyd School District. “You will not find a more passionate and masterful music faculty anywhere. Our students shine in performances and that is a direct result of the combined efforts and support from their families, our Board of Education, administration and educators who value music as part of a well-rounded education.
This honor, presented to just 935 school districts and 88 individual schools all across the United States, recognizes and celebrates the top communities for music education. It also recognizes and celebrates outstanding efforts by teachers, administrators, parents, students, and community leaders who have made music education part of a well-rounded education. Designations are made to districts and schools that demonstrate an exceptionally high commitment to and access to music education.
“Music education is an integral part of the overall academic experience and the William Floyd Music Department is the best of the best,” said Kevin M. Coster, Superintendent of Schools, William Floyd School District. “On behalf of the entire district, I congratulate our faculty, staff, students and parents on this well-deserved honor. I am so proud of all that our amazing faculty and students continue to accomplish each year.”
Image from the annual Music Faculty Scholarship Concert featuring music educators performing for a great cause!
Members of the award-winning music faculty include: Mabel Andia, Juliana Asselta, Julia Bellante, Tomas Bradbard, Diana Brown Hoppe, Zachary Carrillo, Kaylee Cardone, Jason Castoro, Christine Coffill, Dawn Conefry, Joseph Cordaro, Jonathan Dignam, Lauren Farrell, Ryan Feldscher, Caroline Feryo, Gabriella Forgit, Christine Furlani, Amanda Gardner, Garry Helbock, Kimberly Hyland, Sharon Kitzis, Katelyn Levine, Jessica Marks, Christopher Miranda, Leanna Ozman, Margaret Pizzarelli, Allison Prestia, Donia Rivera, Garrett Rode, Berkeley Rousseau, Maria Rueda, Jessica Salaway, John Sapanaro, Kailey Schnurman, Michelle Seifert, Mick Singh, Joel Staub, Debora-Ann Tomko, Sarah Weber and Dara Wolfert, along with Dr. Amy Mason Sckipp, coordinator of the music department, and, Nancy Slane, music department clerical.
In addition to earning this prestigious national award for the ninth time, the entire music department was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2018 for its rich history in music education and for creating notable music experiences for students.
According to the NAMM Foundation, research into music education continues to demonstrate educational/cognitive and social skill benefits for children who make music. After two years of music education, researchers found that participants showed more substantial improvements in how the brain processes speech and reading scores than their less-involved peers and that students who are involved in music are not only more likely to graduate high school but also to attend college as well. Additionally, everyday listening skills are stronger in musically-trained children than in those without music training. Significantly, listening skills are closely tied to the ability to perceive speech in a noisy background, pay attention, and keep sounds in memory. Later in life, individuals who took music lessons as children show stronger neural processing of sound: young adults and even older adults who have not played an instrument for up to 50 years show enhanced neural processing compared to their peers. Not to mention, social benefits include conflict resolution, teamwork skills, and how to give and receive constructive criticism.
About The NAMM Foundation
The NAMM Foundation is the charitable arm of the National Association of Music Merchants, the global trade association for the music products industry. The foundation works to remove systemic barriers that limit access to music-making and career pathways in the music industry. By investing in bold ideas and innovative solutions, we strive to build inclusive and thriving musical communities. For more information about The NAMM Foundation, please visit www.nammfoundation.org.