Great Bend USD 428 is celebrating Music In Our Schools Month (MIOSM), now in its 40th anniversary year.

March has been officially designated MIOSM by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), making music education the focus of schools and communities across the nation. This year’s theme is “United Through Music.”

Vocal music instructor Susan Stambaugh said the USD 428 has activities and programs scheduled all month. On Saturday, the Youth Choir will take a field trip to Wichita’s INtRUST Bank arena to see Disney on Ice.

Stambaugh wears several musical hats for the school district. She serves as the vocal music director at Great Bend High School, the K-12 Vocal Music coordinator and the USD 428 Youth Choir coordinator/director. 

Throughout the month, there will be clinicians, speakers and performers at GBHS to highlight and celebrate the importance of music.

Students will also reach out to the community. The Madrigal Pops Singers will perform at club/service organizations, presenting what music means to them and their journey through education. On Monday, March 10, the Madrigals will perform at the Rotary meeting.

The GBHS Orchestra will perform at 7 p.m. Monday in the Auditorium.

GBHS Band students will travel to the Fort Hays State University Band Festival on Tuesday, March 11, and perform in concert with other bands at 7 p.m. in the Beach/Schmidt Auditorium.

Students in grades 6-12 will finish out the month with a vocal concert at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 25, in the Great Bend High School Gymnasium. This year’s concert theme is “I Sing Because …”

“Every day, a music teacher shares with their students the difference that music can mean in our lives,” Stambaugh said. Students can benefit by relating to the music and its text, or by enjoying the sense of community and pride in the accomplishment of a job well done. They may benefit from the bonds of friendships and lasting memories.

On top of that, research shows students in public school music programs have a higher level of engagement in school and score higher on the SAT than non-music students, she said. “It all just points to the fact that music makes a difference!”

According to NAfME, the purpose of MIOSM is to raise awareness of the importance of music education for all children and to remind citizens that school is where all children should have access to music. “MIOSM is an opportunity for music teachers to bring their music programs to the attention of the school and the community, and to display the value that school music brings to students of all ages.”