Keith Hancock
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Keith Hancock named 2017 Music Educator Award recipient

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Southern California music teacher recognized for his significant and lasting contributions to the field of music education
Tim McPhate
GRAMMYs
May 15, 2017 - 2:36 am

Keith Hancock of Tesoro High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., has been announced as the recipient of the 2017 Music Educator Award presented by The Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Foundation. As the 2017 honoree, Hancock will attend the 59th Annual GRAMMY Awards on Sunday, Feb. 12 and attend a range of GRAMMY Week events. He will also receive a $10,000 honorarium. 

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California choir teacher honored with Grammy Music Educator Award

Hancock has taught choral music for 15 years at Tesoro High School, where he directs more than 250 students in five curricular and four extra-curricular ensembles, and oversees the music production/audio engineering program. Last year, Hancock was selected as a Music Educator Award finalist and he was recently awarded as the Secondary Vocal Music Teacher of the Year for Orange County, California. 

The Tesoro High School music program was chosen as one of 13 GRAMMY Signature Schools nationwide for 2015. Under his direction, the Tesoro choirs have performed to rave reviews in Spain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, England, and Ireland, as well as at Carnegie Hall in New York. In addition, ensembles under his direction have won two Golden State Choral Competitions and three Barbershop Harmony Society high school quartet championships. 

A former faculty member at the Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music at Chapman University, Hancock has earned three degrees (summa cum laude). As a performer, he has sung at Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, the Orange County Performing Arts Center, and with the Cypress Pops Orchestra, in addition to performing at various venues around Europe and Asia.

In addition to Hancock, nine music teachers were announced as finalists for the Music Educator Award. The nine finalists will each receive a $1,000 honorarium, and the schools of all 10 finalists will receive matching grants.

View A Complete List Of 2017 Music Educator Award Finalists

Nominations and applications for the 2018 Music Educator Award are now open via www.grammymusicteacher.com.

 

 

Keith Hancock at the 59th GRAMMY Awards

Keith Hancock, 2017 Music Educator Award recipient

Photo: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

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Keith Hancock: Music Educator Award "Means The World To Me"

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The Southern California-based music teacher makes his case for the importance of music in schools and gives a shout-out to his mentors
Tim McPhate
GRAMMYs
Oct 6, 2017 - 12:41 pm

It goes without saying: Keith Hancock, the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum's 2017 Music Educator Award recipient, is a big believer in the benefits of music education.

Keith Hancock On Funding The Arts, Music Mentors

And there is plenty of research to back him up. Indeed, a variety of studies point to music having a profound effect on children, from helping to raise IQs, increasing vocabulary and reading skills, and boosting reading and mathematics aptitude.

"Funding the arts is such a crucial part of the well-rounded child. Even Congress has come out and said that," said Hancock, who will be among the Academy's Special Merit Awards recipients honored during "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends," airing on PBS on Oct. 13. "So it's our duty as public citizens to support public education and specifically music education. It really helps to feed the whole child. [For] some students, this is the way they connect to campus: being involved in a music program."

Hancock, who has taught choral music for more than 15 years at Tesoro High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif, directs more than 250 students across various ensembles, in addition to overseeing the school's music production/audio engineering program. In paying music education forward and making a difference in his students' lives, Hancock is thankful for the tutelage he received from some of his own teachers.

"My university professor, Dr. William Hall from Chapman University, who was one of the leading choral conductors in the world, really mentored me musically and taught me how to teach music," says Hancock. "And my high school music educator, Carlita Hutton, from Brethren Christian high school, showed me really how to teach people."

Tune in to "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" on PBS on Oct. 13 at 9 p.m. on PBS. In addition to Hancock, honorees will include Lifetime Achievement Award recipients Sly Stone, Charley Pride and Shirley Caesar, and Trustees Award recipient Thom Bell. Artists scheduled to pay tribute to the honorees include Andra Day, Dwight Yoakam and Kirk Franklin.

"GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends": Performers And Full Set List

 

The Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum's Music Educator Award

The Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum's Music Educator Award

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2020 Music Educator Award Finalists Announced Recognizing 10 Top Teachers

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10 music teachers from across the country will receive cash honorariums with one award recipient to be announced during GRAMMY Week
GRAMMYs
Jan 6, 2020 - 6:00 am

The Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museuem have narrowed down a field of more than 3,300 initially nominated music teachers from across all 50 U.S. States to 10 finalists for the 2020 Music Educator Award. This year's 10 finalists come from 10 cities across nine states. Initial nominations were submitted from all 50 states.

The annual Music Educator Award recognizes teachers 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. Congratulations to this year's 10 finalists:

  • Elizabeth Bennett - Buffalo Grove High School, Buffalo Grove, Ill.
  • Stephen Cox - Eastland High School, Eastland, Texas
  • Victor de los Santos - Santa Ana High School, Santa Ana, Calif.
  • Geoffrey Gould - Swift River Elementary School, Belchertown, Mass.
  • Elizabeth Hering - Churchill High School, Livonia, Mich.
  • Jason Majerczak - Drexel Hill Middle School, Drexel Hill, Pa.
  • Chris Maunu - Arvada West High School, Arvada, Colo.
  • Lynne Ruda, Lancaster High School, Lancaster, N.Y.
  • Mickey Smith Jr. - Maplewood Middle School, Sulphur, La.
  • Kokoe Tanaka-Suwan - Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls, Bronx, N.Y.

Each year, one recipient is selected from the 10 finalists and recognized for their remarkable impact on students' lives. The seventh annual honoree will be flown to Los Angeles to attend the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards and a range of GRAMMY Week events. The nine additional finalists will receive a $1,000 honorarium, and the schools of all 10 finalists will receive matching grants. The remaining 15 semifinalists will receive a $500 honorarium with matching school grants.

The matching grants provided to the schools are made possible by the generosity and support of the GRAMMY Museum’s Education Champion Ford Motor Company Fund. In addition, the American Choral Directors Association, National Association for Music Education, NAMM Foundation, and National Education Association support this program through outreach to their constituencies.

Nominations for the 2021 Music Educator Award are now open at www.grammymusicteacher.com. The award is open to current U.S. music teachers, and anyone can nominate a teacher —students, parents, friends, colleagues, community members, school deans, and administrators. Teachers are also able to nominate themselves, and nominated teachers are notified and invited to fill out an application.

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The Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum's Music Educator Award

The Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum's Music Educator Award

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2020 Music Educator Award Quarterfinalists Announced

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189 music teachers from across the U.S. have been selected out of over three thousand nominations as quarterfinalists for the annual honor presented by the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum, with support from Ford Motor Company Fund
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jun 11, 2019 - 4:04 pm

The benefits of music education are as wide-ranging as they are long-lasting, and it all starts with the passion and dedication of those who choose to teach. In this spirit, the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum have announced this year's quarterfinalists for the Music Educator Award. The 189 teachers selected come from 179 cities across the U.S. and are in the running to recieve cash honorariums, with generous support and resources provided by the Ford Motor Company Fund. 

Read the full list of 2020 Music Educator Award quarterfinalists

Established to recognize current educators from kindergarted through college in public or private shools, the Music Educator Award honors teachers who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the field of music education and demonstrate a commitment to the broader cause of maintaining music education in the schools. Each year, a recipient is chosen from 10 finalists and recognized for their remarkable impact on students' lives. Last year's winner was Dr. Jeffrey Redding of West Orange High School in Winter Garden, Fla. 

This year's seventh annual honoree will be flown to Los Angeles to attend the 62nd annual GRAMMY Awards and a full lineup of GRAMMY Week events. The nine finalists will be awarded a $1,000 honorarium, and the scholls of all 10 finalists will receive matching grants. Additionally, 15 semifinalists will receive a $500 honorarium with matching school grants, all made pde possible by the GRAMMY Museum's Education Chamption Ford Motor Company Fund. 

The next step for this outstanding group of music educators is to await the semifinalist annoucement in September. The award is open to current U.S. music teachers, and anyone can nominate a teacher—students, parents, friends, colleagues, community members, school deans, and administrators. Teachers are also able to nominate themselves, and nominated teachers are notified and invited to fill out an application. 

For more information, visit www.grammymusicteacher.com.  

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Music Educator Award

Photo: WireImage.com

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Incredible Educators: 10 Finalists Announced For 2019 Music Educator Award

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Meet the nation's best music teachers in the running for The Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum's ultimate educator honor
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Dec 12, 2018 - 12:30 pm

For students of all levels, the benefits of music education are clear. But it's the teachers providing the instruction who make the most lasting impression.

Today the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum announced 10 finalists for the 2019 Music Educator Award, which recognizes current educators, kindergarten through college, who have made a significant and lasting contribution in the field of music education.

Coming from 10 cities across six, these 10 names represent the nation's elite music educators, and were selected from over 2,800 initial nominations from all 50 states.

  • Jeremy Bradstreet, Dublin Coffman High School, Dublin, Ohio
  • Victor de los Santos, Santa Ana High School, Santa Ana, Calif.
  • Elizabeth Hering, Churchill High School, Canton, Mich.
  • Henry Miller, Sierra Vista Middle School, Lake Forest, Calif.
  • Amy Rangel, Glendale High School, Burbank, Calif.
  • Jeffery Redding, West Orange High School, Orlando, Fla.
  • Scott Sheehan, Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School, Hollidaysburg, Pa.
  • Mickey Smith Jr., Maplewood Middle School, Sulphur, La.
  • Craig Snyder, Penncrest High School, Garnet Valley, Pa.
  • John Weatherspoon, Lake Worth Community High School, West Palm Beach, Fla.

The award is open to current U.S. music teachers, and anyone can nominate a teacher—students, parents, friends, colleagues, community members, school deans, and administrators. Teachers are also able to nominate themselves, and nominated teachers are notified and invited to fill out an application.

From these finalists, one recipient will be selected as the sixth annual honoree and be flown to Los Angles to attend the 61st GRAMMY Awards and various GRAMMY Week events. The nine additional finalists will receive a $1,000 honorarium, and the schools of all 10 finalists will receive matching grants. Fifteen semifinalists will receive a $500 honorarium with matching grants as well. The matching grants are made possibly by the generous support of the GRAMMY Museum's Education Champion Ford Motor Company Fund.

Does all this make an incredible music educator come to mind? Nominations for the 2020 Music Educator Award are now open at grammymusicteacher.com

Education Champions: 2019 Music Educator Award Semifinalists Announced