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Maine South’s Unified Drumline wins Music for All Advocacy in Action Award

Music for All, an advocacy organization, recently announced the recipients of the 2025 Advocacy in Action Awards, including Maine South High School’s Unified Drumline. The nomination was submitted by David Hutter, director of bands.

Music for All is an organization whose vision is to be a catalyst to ensure that every child in America has access and opportunity for active music-making in their scholastic environment. These awards highlight educators and programs that have created an event or idea that is exceptional in their field and community.

The Advocacy in Action awards are presented each year in seven categories: community involvement; decision-maker engagement; elementary excellence; innovative fundraising; marketing and promotion; parent/booster support; and student recruitment, engagement and retention.

This year, Maine South High School’s Unified Drumline is a recipient in the student recruitment, engagement and retention category. This category recognizes exceptional strategies for student recruitment, retention and engagement.

Unified Drumline was started during the 2023-24 school year based on a suggestion from Maine South 12th-grader Lily Heneghan.

Unified Drumline in action with the band at a Maine South High School football game. Courtesy of Maine South High School

In the program, band students and special education students work together on drumming fundamentals including how to hold drumsticks, how to play the drums, rhythm games and more. Together, they prepare songs to perform at fall assemblies and home football games.

“Music is such an international language that connects people — no matter who you are, what you do or where you're from, music can bring us all together,” Hutter said. “Seeing the Unified Drumline perform at the assembly or at the football game is powerful. At the football game this year, it was the quietest I'd ever heard that stadium because the whole crowd, the thousands of people in the audience, were all completely engaged and wanted to hear what was going on. They were so supportive.”

Advocacy in Action is a signature program of Music for All designed to collect, recognize and share effective practices and initiatives that support music education in our schools.

Additionally, the Advocacy in Action Awards recognize and celebrate the commitment of school administrators, community leaders, teachers and parents who believe in music education and are advocating to ensure that it is part of a comprehensive education for all children.

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