Glendale Community College earns music school accreditation

PHOENIX — The National Association of Schools of Music notified Glendale Community College of their music school accreditation, the institution announced Monday.

GCC becomes the first community college in Arizona to be admitted to the NASM’s list. All three state universities are accredited as well.

The accreditation signals that GCC’s music program meets and exceeds an established set of standards for all music schools across the country. It’s purely voluntary, though many programs apply because of potential improvement and growth.

“The faculty, staff and students of the music program at GCC are thrilled to have earned this distinctive honor,” GCC performing arts department chair Dr. Donald Smith said. “We are deeply grateful to the administration for their unwavering support of our endeavor and we look forward to utilizing the NASM accreditation to help us improve and better serve our students and community.”

To earn accreditation, GCC’s music program wrote a “comprehensive self-study” addressing the high standards set by the NASM. Then, the organization then visited GCC’s campus to verify the validity of the self-study, observe classes and performances, interview campus personnel and review transcripts of recent graduates.

In becoming one of over 600 accredited members across the country, GCC is required to repeat the application process every five years twice then every 10 years thereafter.

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