A total of 10 music teachers from 10 cities across eight states have been announced as finalists for the first annual Music Educator Award presented by The Recording Academy and GRAMMY Foundation. In total, more than 30,000 initial nominations were submitted from all 50 states. The inaugural recipient will be announced in January.
The Music Educator Award was established to recognize current educators (kindergarten through college, public and private schools) who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the field of music education and who demonstrate a commitment to the broader cause of maintaining music education in the schools.
Music Educator Award Finalists:
Lisa Bianconi
Kurn Hattin Homes for Children, Westminster, Vt.
Charles Cushinery
Ed W. Clark High School, Las Vegas
Andrew DeNicola
John P. Stevens High School, Edison, N.J.
Vivian Gonzalez
South Miami K–8 Center, Miami
Kent Knappenberger
Westfield Academy and Central School, Westfield, N.Y.
Kathrine Kouns
Horizon High School, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Glen McCarthy
George Mason University, Fairfax, Va.
Steve Vutsinas
Grassfield High School, Chesapeake, Va.
Jo Wallace-Abbie
Plano West Senior High School, Plano, Texas
Mary Jo West
George Mason High School, Falls Church, Va.
This special award will have its inaugural presentation at the Special Merit Awards Ceremony & Nominees Reception honoring recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award, Trustees Award and Technical GRAMMY Award during GRAMMY Week 2014.
One recipient will be selected from 10 finalists and will be recognized for his/her remarkable impact on students' lives. The honoree will be flown to Los Angeles to accept the award, attend the 56th Annual GRAMMY Awards ceremony and receive a $10,000 honorarium. The nine finalists will receive a $1,000 honorarium and the schools of all 10 finalists will receive matching grants. The honorariums and grants provided to the finalists and schools are made possible by the generosity and support of the GRAMMY Foundation's Education Champions Box Tops For Education, Converse, Ford Motor Company Fund, Journeys, and Microsoft Surface, with additional support from Universal Music Group.
Applications for the second annual Music Educator Award are currently available online at www.grammymusicteacher.com. The deadline to nominate a teacher is March 31, 2014. The application process will adjust each year to allow the broad array of effective teaching styles and methods used in the discipline to be recognized and awarded.