20-05-2025
Music program at Chesapeake Public Schools gets nationally recognized
CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — Music classes in Chesapeake are in the national spotlight, as the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation is naming them a . Orion Burke, supervisor of music at Chesapeake Public Schools, said getting this designation was a team effort across the entire school division.
'One of the things that I love most about my position is being able to go into classrooms and just see music being made,' Burke said.
From the teachers, to the parents and students, Burke said it took an entire community to get recognized by the NAMM Foundation. Burke said NAMM is a governing body that sets national standards for music programs. To keep up this momentum, Burke is spearheading the Tech Lab School at Oscar Smith Middle School next year.
'Students will learn to compose music, to use digital audio workstations, to set up microphones and everything that they need to create music and be in the digital age,' Burke said. 'We do the classical thing really well, but we also want to do the digital.'
On a national level, the Oscar Smith High School Chamber Orchestra just completed a performance in Atlanta. About 25 young performers went on stage for the American String Teaching Association National Orchestra Festival.
'That's a huge honor,' Burke said. 'There's only a handful of schools in the entire nation, maybe 15 or 20 schools who are selected for this. They went down to Atlanta for this and did a wonderful job.'
Growing up in Chesapeake, Burke came around full circle to wind up in this position. He believes music programs not only helps kids perform well in other subjects through critical thinking it keeps them interested in school.
'I truly believe art is the human side of what we do,' he said.
Other school divisions receiving this distinction in the Hampton Roads and Eastern Shore regions include Hampton City Schools, Newport News Public Schools, Norfolk Public Schools, Northampton County Public Schools (Va.), Suffolk Public Schools, Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools and the York County School Division.
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