Metro

The Altoona Area and Hollidaysburg Area school districts were named among 2026’s best communities for music education by the NAMM Foundation this year.

The award recognizes school districts and individual schools nationwide for their leadership in advancing music education and expanding equitable access for all students, according to the foundation’s website.

This year marks the first time that Altoona Area has received the designation, said Brett Keith, Altoona Area High School’s director of choirs. The recognition is in part due to the immense musical support and history that the district’s schools and community have provided, he said.

As a music educator, the designation is an additional affirmation that the efforts of the district’s students, teachers, school board members and administrators are not unnoticed, Keith said.

“We, internally, know the great musical work that happens for all students and how that impacts our communities,” Keith said. “However, it is humbling that professional organizations — such as the NAMM Foundation — also recognize the history, tradition and success of music education and measure it among the best in the country.”

Altoona Area senior Owen Carmel said the district is fortunate to have such a vibrant arts scene. Being a part of that as a member of the high school’s concert chorus, vocal ensemble and performing arts club is “truly an incredible experience,” he said.

“It’s an absolute honor to be able to share music and art with my community,” Carmel said. “I’m very proud of our school for being awarded this honor, and I hope it continues to encourage others to get out there and share their talents with the world around them.”

Keith said Altoona Area’s music students are constantly collaborating with each other, students from other school buildings and with other students throughout the commonwealth.

Their musical journey not only occurs in class, but in after-school rehearsals and performances, he said, noting several students perform side-by-side with other Altoona community arts and music organizations.

At Hollidaysburg Area, where the district has been named one of the best communities for music education by the NAMM Foundation for 15 consecutive years, music education is about cultivating students so they can go into their communities and support what the musical culture looks like, said Scott Sheehan, the high school’s director of bands and music department chairman.

Many students, like junior Ethan Donlan, do that by performing with their church or in the Hollidaysburg community band, Sheehan said, adding others play in coffee shops or alongside the Altoona Symphony Orchestra.

“Our students are very dedicated to their craft,” Sheehan said. “They want to succeed, and they’re willing to spend the time that it takes to perform at a high level.”

Sheehan said receiving the recognition for 15 years means a lot to him because the support received from the community and school district goes back generations.

“It really does,” he said. “I feel very privileged to be able to work here, live here and know this community values music and the arts in the way that they do.”

Although the district has had successful bands, orchestras and choirs through the years, the music department has also grown to include a variety of classes that students enjoy, Sheehan said.

The list includes beginner and intermediate level guitar classes, a songwriting class, lecture and discussion class called rock, rap and revolution — in which students study how rock music came to be and its various influences over the years to other genres like rap, hip hop and grunge — and an AP music theory class.

Senior Nora Stanek, a member of the school’s choir, said it’s often hard starting out in music, especially with more advanced classes, but all of the district’s teachers make it so students feel supported and able to succeed.

“I think the biggest highlight about our music department as a whole is how supported the students are and how much of a family it is,” Stanek said. “It really brings new people in who are willing to try music.”

Donlan said he agrees with Stanek about the music department’s inclusivity.

“It is really neat. It’s just a huge family,” Donlan said. “Everyone is welcome and it means a lot.”

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.