As a multi-year recipient of the National Association of Music Merchant’s (NAMM) Best Communities for Music Education Award, the Lower Moreland Music Department has worked tirelessly to cultivate a passion for music in its students over several generations. However, after another six-year cycle, the Music Department is yet again ready to undergo an extensive curriculum review process to foster a sense of community and passion in the next generation of talented LM musicians.
As several high school students have already duly noted, there have been several recent additions, resurgences of previously taught electives, and tweaks to the music elective selections. With musical electives like a “Singing and Vocalization” course to an inspiring “Musical Theatre” elective, the music department has notably ensured that every student is given the opportunity to expand their horizons and discover what truly scratches their “musical itch.” Furthermore, with the “Creativity and Collaboration” course no longer required for students after this year, students are able to further deepen their understanding in their individual musical aptitudes while simultaneously developing a sense of community within the elective of their choosing in either the Art or Music department.
However, to get a better sense of what went into the process of making these changes, I spoke with Lower Moreland’s enthusiastic Music Department Chair, Mr. Glen DeGeorge.
To start, Mr. DeGeorge gave me a thorough rundown of the processes that all of the music faculty and administration go through to ensure that students are provided with the materials they need to succeed musically.
He first explained the procedure that he, along with the music team, completed this year. Since 2025 marks the first year of this strenuous process, they first honed in on creating a game plan for tweaking the curriculum and mission statement while also focusing on other areas of improvement. With their game plan in place, they then began the process Mr. DeGeorge expressed as one of the greatest parts of their year one protocol: creating, conducting, and collecting surveys.
Aimed at collecting information on positive trends and areas of growth from faculty, community members, students, and alumni alike, these surveys are generally mass distributed for respective individuals to fill out. In fact, you may have even noticed these emails and surveys occasionally popping up in your inbox.
However, whether you let these surveys marinate in your email inbox or take the time to complete them, there is one thing I gathered from my interview with Mr. DeGeorge that you should remember: “You leave a lasting impact through this process with us— it’s important to us, it [student success] is a driving factor, and student fun, engagement, community and music making is first and foremost.”
Mr. DeGeorge and the music department’s dedication to student success is additionally manifested through their subsequent actions. For instance, after the carefully curated surveys were distributed and information was collected, the department developed both short and long term goals to target the given feedback. Fortunately, we will see the implementation of these goals next year through a grander music elective selection.
Despite these immediate changes, it’s vital to be aware of the other, less immediate policies and changes. With the second and third years of these processes holding opportunities for piloting new software and revising or writing new curriculum, a multitude of new opportunities and pathways will open up for students to dive into music making in Lower Moreland.
Change can be scary, but in the words of Mr. DeGeorge, students should think of the department’s curriculum renewal as a remake of a movie, where a simple modern twist is added to the already fundamentally strong curriculum. There will undoubtedly be endless opportunities for the next generation of Lower Moreland students to enjoy that will create an everlasting impression on them.
I’d like to thank Mr. DeGeorge for giving me the opportunity to learn more about the grueling process that the department has to go through to create such an amazing environment for us students— it is truly inspiring!
