Mount St. Mary Academy Receives SupportMusic Merit Award For Second Consecutive Year
For the second consecutive year, Mount St. Mary Academy received the SupportMusic Merit Award from the NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education!
The SupportMusic Merit Award recognizes individual schools that demonstrate outstanding achievement in providing music access and education to all students.
The NAMM Foundation gives out two awards each year: Best Communities for Music Education (BCME) for school districts and the SupportMusic Merit Award (SMMA) for individual school sites. Both reach K-12 schools and districts throughout the U.S. and offer opportunities to increase awareness and support for music programs. Over 1,000 districts and individual school sites (public, private, charter, parochial) were recognized for having the highest commitment to producing exceptional music programs.
Mount St. Mary Academy’s Fine Arts Department continues to be a substantial program for the school, including two choir groups, chorus classes, dance education, numerous orchestra ensembles, and the only all-girls high school marching band in New York State. The MSM Marching Band consists of a full instrumental band, Dance Team, Baton Twirlers, and Color Guard. This year, 35% of the student body participated in the school’s marching band.
Since their establishment in the Fall of 2002, the MSM Marching Band has performed all over the United States and internationally, including both the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Tartan Day Parade in New York City, Walt Disney World, Washington, DC, and Royal Caribbean Cruise Ships to the Bahamas. Locally, the band has performed at various events around Western New York, including the Ken-Ton Memorial Day Parade, the Niagara Electric Lights Parade, The Niagara Celtic Heritage Festival, and the Lewiston Peach Festival. The Mount St. Mary Academy Jazz Ensemble recently competed at the 2025 Darien Lake Music Festival and won First Place in the AA Jazz Category.
“Our students are very passionate about the arts and music education,” says Principal Katherine Spillman. “Our programs continue to thrive not only because of their talent and determination, but the dedication from our incredible music educators.”
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.
