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Student Resources

Why Band?

Why you should have music in your life:

Keep Band in Your Life! (video)
Jack Stamp on Why Music Matters (video)

Princeton Dean of Admission regarding High School and Extracurriculars (article)
Fran Kick on Fun, Good, and Work (video)
“Why, at many schools, band is the best extra-curricular activity” (article)
Bobby Knight on Drum Corps (video)
Quality extra-curricular activities can be crucial to college admissions (article)
Why Band is Important (video)

Provided by Mr. John Boyd, Director of Bands, Princess Anne High School, Virginia Beach, VA

Where Music Thrives

Loudoun County: Best Communities for Music Education

(May, 2025) Loudoun County is honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education. Now in its 26th year, the Best Communities for Music Education designation is awarded to school districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement to provide music access and education to all students.

Loudoun County has earned this designation for 17 years, and was one of over 1,000 districts and individual school sites (public, private, charter, and parochial) that were recognized in 2025 for having the highest commitment to producing exceptional music programs.

School districts in blue were designated as the "Best Communities for Music Education" in the US in 2025.

School districts in blue were designated as the "Best Communities for Music Education" in Virginia in 2025.

Map Sources: Esri,. TomTOm, Garmin, FAO, NOAA, USGS, OpenStreetMap, NAMM, NCES.

Independence High School: Virginia Honor Band

Independence High School has been recognized as a Virginia Honor Band annually since its opening, a designation granted by the Virginia Band & Orchestra Directors Association (VBODA). To earn this distinction, a school must receive superior ratings at both the Marching Band Assessment in the fall and the Concert Band Assessment in the spring.