Zakiya Hooker performs during Celebrating John Lee Hooker: King Of The Boogie at The GRAMMY Museum on March 29, 2018
Photo: Timothy Norris/Getty Images

Zakiya Hooker
news
GRAMMY Museum July Content Lineup: Blues Royalty Zakiya Hooker, Country Star Brett Eldredge & Much More
The upcoming month's digital public programs also include Butch Walker, Christie Lenée, MAX, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Lettuce, The Jayhawks and more, plus The Road to the GRAMMY Awards digital exhibit
As the summer heats up and music fans remain stuck in doors, the GRAMMY Museum has announced its next round of new and never-before-released digital content for the month of July. The Museum's Public Programs digital series features new intimate sit-down interviews with artists and musicians recorded via Zoom, while the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles remains closed until further notice in light of COVID-19.
Highlights include acclaimed songwriter/producer Butch Walker, virtuoso guitarist Christie Lenée, pop sensation MAX, GRAMMY-nominated funk fusion band Lettuce, Zakiya Hooker at Celebrating John Lee Hooker: King Of The Boogie, plus country star Brett Eldredge appearing with his recent producers and co-writers Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk the day after the release of his fifth album, Sunday Best. Check out the full July lineup below:
DIGITAL PUBLIC PROGRAMS
7/1 – Matoma
7/6 – MAX
7/8 – Christie Lenée
7/9 – The Immediate Family – LIVE (via Zoom)
7/11 – Brett Eldredge with Producers Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk
7/13 – Ray Wylie Hubbard
7/15 – The Jayhawks
7/18 – Jake Troth
7/20 – Alec Benjamin
7/22 – Butch Walker
7/25 – Zakiya Hooker
7/27 – Lettuce
7/29 – To Be Announced
In addition to new content posting on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of each week in July, GRAMMY In The Schools Mini-Lessons will be posted on Thursdays.
On Friday, July 10, the Museum will also unveil its latest digital exhibit, The Road to the GRAMMY Awards.
Since the Museum opened 12 years ago, it has offered more than 900 Public Programs. The Museum is also releasing exhibit slideshows featuring items from past exhibitions. The Museum continues to release digital educational content and lesson plans as part of the GRAMMY In The Schools Knowledge Bank, continuing its mission of paying tribute to our musical heritage and bringing our community together through music.
For more information about the GRAMMY Museum, how to become a member and to access its catalog of digital content, visit their Digital Museum.

Photo: Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
list
5 Things To Know About Yoshiki: A Musical Childhood, Upcoming Tour & Playing Through Pain
The multi-hyphenate rock and classical musician dropped by the GRAMMY Museum for an intimate chat with the Museum’s curator, as well as a performance of some stripped-down songs.
A select group of fans and die-hards got up close and personal with Yoshiki when he popped into the GRAMMY Museum for an intimate chat and performance.
A multi-hyphenate in the truest sense of the world, Yoshiki has spent the past few decades balancing his work as a musician, songwriter, composer, producer, fashion designer and winemaker, producing a diverse and robust body of work. As the leader and co-founder of X Japan, he helped inspire the rock scene's striking visual kei movement, something that wasn’t always easy — in the early '80s, it was hard for him to even get a cab in Tokyo with his big, blonde, spiked hair.
He’s since gone on to found another musical supergroup, The Last Rockstars, and he’s become a big name in the classical world, producing several studio albums and collaborating with everyone from George Martin to Bono to Sarah Brightman. He has penned music for TV and film, written a concerto for the Japanese emperor, and even launched his own celebrated line of kimonos, Yoshikimono.
Yoshiki has lived a truly fascinating whirlwind of a life for the past few decades, and he was happy to open up about much of it in this week’s conversation. Here are five things we learned at the GRAMMY Museum event "The Drop: Yoshiki."
He Has A Long History With & Bold Future In Classical Music
Yoshiki sat down with Jasen Emmons, the Museum’s Chief Curator, for an hour-long discussion about the star’s career in the music industry, which he says was first nurtured when he was given a piano at age 4. He took to the instrument pretty much instantly, choosing to play in his darkened bedroom because he liked the vibe. His music-loving parents kept giving him instruments — one each year for his birthday — leading him to take up everything from the trumpet (which he quit after seeing a picture of himself playing) to the drums.
He’s become wildly famous for both his percussion and piano skills, and this fall, will embark on a four-city tour of classical venues. On his Requiem tour, which begins in October, Yoshiki will become the first Japanese artist ever to headline Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, and the Tokyo Garden Theater.
His Upcoming Classical Tour Is Inspired By His Late Mother
The name "Requiem," Yoshiki said, comes from a piece he wrote for his mother, who passed away in 2022. When she died, he told Emmons, he couldn’t stop crying for three or four days. Yoshiki went to seek the help of a doctor, who told him he just had to embrace his grief.
He turned to composing, and as he told the room, "my tears turned into melody," and the solemn concerto slowly emerged. It’s still unfinished — there’s no strings arrangement yet, he says — but it’s one of the pieces he’ll be performing on tour later this year.
Yoshiki Works A Lot, But At His Own Pace
Speaking of tours: Yoshiki also gave fans in attendance some hints about future tours, saying he’s working to bring the Last Rockstars back to the states sometime in the future, noting that they’re working on a new record but poking fun at his work load and perfectionism by joking, "Everything I’m involved in takes time."
That includes "Angel," the new single from X Japan due to be released July 28. At the show, he performed an abbreviated classical arrangement of the song with Orchid Quartet and the singer Beverly. It’s an arrangement he’ll also most likely be performing on his classical shows, though Yoshiki says the X Japan version of the track will be much more rock-focused, with ample drums and guitar.
Yoshiki said that he wrote "Angel" some time ago, and that he composes music pretty much constantly. "Melodies fall into me even now," he said, noting that the frequency with which he hears music is "pretty much endless."
When he composes a song, he added, it’s just about transposing the vision in his head. Actually laying it down in a studio gets more complicated, Yoshiki said, in part because he views recording as a "compromising process" that never quite sounds like he envisions in his mind.
He Thinks Rock And Classical Music Have A Lot In Common
As far as Yoshiki is concerned, any good melody can become both a rock track and a classical cut. He cited the example of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto no. 2, which he says has a second movement that he thinks sounds like Celine Dion — or, as he joked, does Celine Dion sound like Rachmaninoff? He thinks it can go either way, showing Emmons and the audience what he meant by playing a few bars of some of his more rock-oriented tracks on his piano.
Yoshiki Has Given His Entire Body And Soul To Performing
Though he looks to be about 30 years old, Yoshiki is actually well into his fifties and years of feverish performance have taken a toll on his body. That’s clear in We Are X, a movie about the history of X Japan, where viewers can see Yoshiki getting frequent cortisone injections into his neck and back. He told Emmons he thinks he’s had hundreds at this point, as well as two neck surgeries. (He might even have a third one, he said.)
That’s because, as he explained, he likes to play "every single show as if this was my last stage," and always tries "to give 1,000 percent." Yoshiki says he doesn’t always realize the pain he’s in until after he’s left the stage, though he does seem to think it’s all worth it, since as he told the audience, "I was given this life. I just want to go all the way."
Of course, Yoshiki was also full of jokes at the event, telling silly stories about his first time getting acupuncture, when he was so new to the process that he worried about whether he’d be able to take a bath after the procedure, lest water seep in though all the holes left in his body. He poked fun at his last-minute whims, including flying Beverly over from the Philippines just for the show. He also told a story about eating Fugu, or blowfish, every single day for the three months he was just in Japan, in part because that’s what his staff kept ordering for him.
Amidst wrapping up the show with performances of "Miracle," "Red Swan," and "Endless Rain," Yoshiki stopped for a moment to call out to his friends in the audience, including Lollapalooza co-founder Marc Geiger and Joelle Benioff, the mother of Yoshiki’s good friend, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff. (The latter was actually sitting in the seat that Yoshiki had sponsored in the Clive Davis Theater, which is pretty cool.)
Yoshiki wrapped up the evening by addressing the audience in a way that seemed both soft and sincere, saying, "because of you, I’m still here creating music" and adding, "I hope the music I create can help you, too."
6 Things To Know About Bonnie Raitt: Her Famous Fans, Legendary Friends & Lack Of Retirement Plan

Photo Courtesy of the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum
news
212 Quarterfinalists Announced For The 2024 Music Educator Award
The Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum have announced the quarterfinalists for the 2024 Music Educator Award, which recognizes educators who have made a significant contribution and demonstrate a commitment to music education.
Today, the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum have announced a total of 212 music teachers as quarterfinalists for the 2024 Music Educator Award, which recognizes current educators — kindergarten through college across 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. The quarterfinalists, who hail from 197 cities, were selected from more than 2,000 initial submitted nominations. In addition to the quarterfinalists, 123 legacy applicants from 2023 will also be eligible to win the Music Educator Award this year.
Semi-finalists for the 2024 Music Educator Award will be announced this September. The ultimate recipient will be recognized during GRAMMY Week 2024.
A joint partnership and presentation between the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum, the Music Educator 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.
Each year, one recipient is selected from 10 finalists and recognized for their remarkable impact on students' lives. The 10th annual honoree will be flown to Los Angeles to attend the 2024 GRAMMYs, officially known as the 66th GRAMMY Awards, as well as 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. Fifteen semi-finalists will receive a $500 honorarium with matching school grants.
Read More: 8 Artists Who Were Inspired By Their Teachers: Rihanna, Adele, Jay-Z & More
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.
Learn more about the Music Educator Award.
See the full list of the 2024 Music Educator Award quarterfinalists and legacy applicants below:
2024 MUSIC EDUCATOR AWARD QUARTERFINALISTS
Name | School | City | State | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Casie Adams | Martinsburg High School | Martinsburg | West Virginia | |
Bruce Adams | Sam Houston High School | San Antonio | Texas | |
Miguel Aguiar | Southwest High School | San Antonio | Texas | |
Derek Alexander | Orville Bright Elementary School | Chicago | Illinois | |
Dawn Amthor | Wallkill Senior High School | Wallkill | New York | |
Jonathan Anderson | University High School (Volusia) | Orange City | Florida | |
Christopher Andrews | Hephzibah High School | Hephzibah | Georgia | |
Jeanne Andrews | Pauline J. Petway Elementary School | Vineland | New Jersey | |
Justin Antos | Dwight D. Eisenhower High School | Blue Island | Illinois | |
Javier Arau | New York Jazz Academy | New York | New York | |
Andrea Armour | Christian County Middle School | Hopkinsville | Kentucky | |
Timothy Arnold | Orono High School | Long Lake | Minnesota | |
Shawn Athey | Veterans Memorial High School | Corpus Christi | Texas | |
Elizabeth Baker | Mary Martin Elementary | Weatherford | Texas | |
Jeremy Bartunek | Greenbriar School | Northbrook | Illinois | |
Adem Birson | New York University | New York | New York | |
Benjamen Blasko | Lipscomb University | Nashville | Tennessee | |
Amanda Blevins | Tri-Valley High School | Dresden | Ohio | |
Susan Boddie | Valdosta State University | Valdosta | Georgia | |
Adrain Bonner | Lancaster High School | Lancaster | Texas | |
Cherie Bowe | Pascagoula High School | Pascagoula | Mississippi | |
Andrew Bowerly | Tenino High School | Tenino | Washington | |
George Bradshaw | Dover Area High School | Dover | Pennsylvania | |
Gwendolyn Brazier | Lathrop High School | Fairbanks | Alaska | |
Steve Browne | Nashville Community High School | Nashville | Illinois | |
Matthew Brusseau | Davie County High School | Mocksville | North Carolina | |
Ryan Bulgarelli | Loyalsock Township High School | Williamsport | Pennsylvania | |
Cathryn Burt | East Newton High School | Granby | Missouri | |
James Byrn, Jr. | Maconaquah High School | Bunker Hill | Indiana | |
Mary Catherine Campbell | Seven Pines Elementary | Sandston | Virginia | |
Helen Capehart | Bridgeport High School | Bridgeport | Texas | |
Marcos Carreras | Conservatory of The Arts | Springfield | Massachusetts | |
Michael "Patrick" Carte | Scott High School | Madison | West Virginia | |
Curtis Carver | Harlem High School | Harlem | Georgia | |
Roger Chagnon III | Westfield Academy and Central School | Westfield | New York | |
Kristopher Chandler | Gautier High School | Gautier | Mississippi | |
Jeff Chang | Decatur High School | Federal Way | Washington | |
Krista Clay | West Branch High School | Beloit | Ohio | |
Travis Coakley | William Carey University | Hattiesburg | Mississippi | |
Vanessa Cobb | Montgomery Central High School | Cunningham | Tennessee | |
Mark Collins | John S. Battle High School | Bristol | Virginia | |
Trish Conover | Community Middle School | Plainsboro | New Jersey | |
John Contreras | Pueblo High School | Tucson | Arizona | |
Kyle Cook | Western Branch Middle School | Chesapeake | Virginia | |
Travis Cook | Plymouth Christian Academy | Canton | Michigan | |
Daniel Cook | University of North Texas | Denton | Texas | |
Andrew Cote | Merrimack College | North Andover | Massachusetts | |
Drew Cowell | Belleville East High School | Belleville | Illinois | |
Cory Craig | Benton Intermediate School | Benton | Louisiana | |
Matthew Cunningham | Brockton High School | Brockton | Massachusetts | |
Shannon Curtis | Zimmerman Middle High School | Zimmerman | Minnesota | |
Isaac Daniel | Stax Music Academy | Memphis | Tennessee | |
Jim Daughters | Southeast Missouri State University | Cape Girardeau | Missouri | |
Marci DeAmbrose | Lincoln Southwest High School | Lincoln | Nebraska | |
Jackie Deen | Pottsboro High School | Pottsboro | Texas | |
Matthew Denman | Classen School of Advanced Studies | Oklahoma City | Oklahoma | |
Ryan Diefenderfer | Paradise Valley High School | Phoenix | Arizona | |
Jennifer DiVasto | Pennridge High School | Perkasie | Pennsylvania | |
Antoine Dolberry | P.S. 103x Hector Fontanez | Bronx | New York | |
George Dragoo | Stevens High School | Rapid City | South Dakota | |
Marisa Drake | Patuxent High School | Lusby | Maryland | |
Kathleen Dudley | Andrew Cooke Magnet School | Waukegan | Illinois | |
Jonathan Eising | James Hubert Blake High School | Silver Spring | Maryland | |
Jonathan Eldridge | Weston High School | Weston | Massachusetts | |
Carol Evans | Gwynedd Mercy University | Gwynedd Valley | Pennsylvania | |
Anthony Ferreira | Suffield High | West Suffield | Connecticut | |
Tamara Frazier | North Valleys High School | Reno | Nevada | |
J.D. Frizzell | Briarcrest Christian School | Eads | Tennessee | |
Chesteron Frye | St. Helena College & Career Academy | Greensburg | Louisiana | |
Nicholas Garofalo | Chattahoochee High School | Johns Creek | Georgia | |
Matt Gerry | Salina South Middle School | Salina | Kansas | |
Anna Girling | Sebastopol Attendance Center | Sebastopol | Mississippi | |
Vivian Gonzalez | Miami Arts Studio 6-12 @ Zelda Glazer | Miami | Florida | |
Johnathan Gore | Sandy Run K8 School | Swansea | South Carolina | |
Serena Gorham | Weare Middle School | Weare | New Hampshire | |
Kylie Griffin | Dozier Elementary | Erath | Louisiana | |
Jess Gronberg | Hawkes Bluff Elementary | Davie | Florida | |
Alan Guckian | Manor High School | Manor | Texas | |
Nathaniel Gunter | Greer High School | Greer | South Carolina | |
Amy Hannequin | Bethel Middle School | Bethel | Connecticut | |
Crystal Harding | Ypsilanti Community High School | Ypsilanti | Michigan | |
Diana Harrigan | Bloom High School | Chicago Heights | Illinois | |
Toye Harris | Miami High School | Miami | Oklahoma | |
Chris Hayslette | Bridgeport Middle School | Bridgeport | West Virginia | |
Colette Hebert | Ella Fitzgerald Academy | Yonkers | New York | |
Martha Heise | Seventh Street Elementary School | Oil City | Pennsylvania | |
Jonathan Helmick | Slippery Rock University | Slippery Rock | Pennsylvania | |
Corey Hermens | Grant County High School | Dry Ridge | Kentucky | |
Joel Hill | Velma Jackson High School and Shirley D. Simmons Middle School | Camden | Mississippi | |
Autumn Danielle Hodges | Clarksville- Kraus Middle School | Clarksville | Arkansas | |
Elaine Holmes | Comsewogue High School | Port Jefferson Station | New York | |
Gene Hundley | Swainsboro Middle School | Swainsboro | Georgia | |
Victor Iapalucci | Philip Barbour High School | Philippi | West Virginia | |
Devin James | Salem High School | Conyers | Georgia | |
Heidi Jaye | Daniel Webster Elementary School | New Rochelle | New York | |
Luke Johnson | Ingalls Elementary | Ingalls | Kansas | |
Jamie Jones | Manzano Day School | Albuquerque | New Mexico | |
Tyler Jones | Thompson Middle School | Alabaster | Alabama | |
Daniel Joosten | Edgerton High School | Edgerton | Wisconsin | |
Brett Keith | Northern Bedford County Middle/High School | Loysburg | Pennsylvania | |
Deonte Kennedy | Craigmont High School | Memphis | Tennessee | |
Matthew Kilby | Fort Dorchester HS | North Charleston | South Carolina | |
Lou Kitchner | Bedford Middle School | Westport | Connecticut | |
Michael Kiyoi | San Marcos High School | Santa Barbara | California | |
Kate Klotz | Monarch High School | Louisville | Colorado | |
Heidi Kohler | Clarence Middle School | Clarence | New York | |
Michael Lapomardo | Shrewsbury High School | Shrewsbury | Massachusetts | |
Michael Lee | Jericho Middle School | Jericho | New York | |
Morgan Lentino | Otter Creek Elementary | Elgin | Illinois | |
Joshua Light | Soddy-Daisy HS | Soddy-Daisy | Tennessee | |
Lisa Linde | Newton South High school | Newton | Massachusetts | |
Wes Lowe | The King's Academy | West Palm Beach | Florida | |
Cole Lundquist | Gloucester High School | Gloucester | Massachusetts | |
Robert Mamminga | St. Francis High School | Wheaton | Illinois | |
Peter Manzi | Carlsbad High School | Carlsbad | California | |
Samuel Maran | Lake High School | Millbury | Ohio | |
Jayson Martinez | Arts High School | Newark | New Jersey | |
Kevin McDonald | Wellesley High School | Wellesley | Massachusetts | |
Jill Melchitzky | Northwestern Middle School | Albion | Pennsylvania | |
Larrian Menifee | Ball High School | Galveston | Texas | |
Kimberly Mettert | East Noble Middle School | Kendallville | Indiana | |
Natalie Moore | Sullivan High School | Sullivan | Missouri | |
Mario Morales | Granbury High School | Granbury | Texas | |
Coty Raven Morris | Portland State University | Portland | Oregon | |
Brian Nabors | Shelby High School | Shelby | Ohio | |
Jenny Neff | The University of the Arts | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | |
Cassandra Nelson | Mountaineer Middle | Morgantown | West Virginia | |
Trevor Nicholas | Senn Arts at Nicholas Senn High School | Chicago | Illinois | |
Adam Nobile | Big Spring High School | Newville | Pennsylvania | |
Sam Noyce | Thomas Jefferson Jr. High School | Kearns | Utah | |
Tim O'Donnell | Ephrata High School | Ephrata | Washington | |
John Panella | Cottondale High School | Cottondale | Florida | |
James Patterson | Kingstree High School | Kingstree | South Carolina | |
Shakia Paylor | City Neighbors High School | Baltimore | Maryland | |
Fernando Penaloza | Savanna High School | Anaheim | California | |
Kathy Perconti | Wayne Central High School | Ontario Center | New York | |
Jordan Peters | Dr. E Alma Flagg School | Newark | New Jersey | |
Catherine Plichta | Theatre Arts Production Company School | Bronx | New York | |
Felix Ponce | Back of the Yards College Preparatory High School | Chicago | Illinois | |
David Pope | Baldwin Wallace University | Berea | Ohio | |
Ær Queen | Braddock Elementary School | Annandale | Virginia | |
Brian Querry | Charles A. Huston Middle School | Lower Burrell | Pennsylvania | |
Rebecca Raber | University of Mary | Bismarck | North Dakota | |
Marc Ratner | Mineola High School | Garden City Park | New York | |
Lance Rauh | Patriot Oaks Academy | St Johns | Florida | |
Hoza Redditt | MSA East Academy | St. Gabriel | Louisiana | |
Heather Rentz | St. Mark Westpark | Cleveland | Ohio | |
Aaron Rex | Mason Middle School | Mason | Ohio | |
Angela Rex | Riverside Middle School | Greer | South Carolina | |
Chris Richard | Rogers Heritage High School | Rogers | Arkansas | |
Sarah Riechers | Thurgood Marshall Elementary School | Manassas | Virginia | |
Stephanie Robertson | Ponchatoula High School | Ponchatoula | Louisiana | |
Bethany Robinson | Noblesville High School | Noblesville | Indiana | |
Keith Robinson | Jefferson Avenue Elementary | Seguin | Texas | |
Alberto Rodriguez | Mount Vernon High School | Alexandria | Virginia | |
Chad Rose | Sheridan High School | Sheridan | Wyoming | |
Stewart Rosen | Walter Reed Middle School | North Hollywood | California | |
Shawn Royer | Marian University | Indianapolis | Indiana | |
Dayshawn Russell | North Iberville Elementary | Rosedale | Louisiana | |
Hannah Ryan | University of Virginia's College at Wise | Wise | Virginia | |
Kyle Ryan | Turkey Hill School | Orange | Connecticut | |
Ashley Sands | Kennedy Secondary School | Fergus Falls | Minnesota | |
Mark Santos | Santa Ana High School | Santa Ana | California | |
Danni Schmitt | Roland Park Elementary/Middle School | Baltimore | Maryland | |
Kevin Schoenbach | Oswego High School | Oswego | Illinois | |
Eric Schultz | Coastal Carolina University | Conway | South Carolina | |
Jessica Schwartz | Denham Springs High School | Denham Springs | Louisiana | |
Josh Settlemyre | R.J. Reynolds High School | Winston-Salem | North Carolina | |
Jason Shiuan | Saratoga High School | Saratoga | California | |
Katie Silcott | Olentangy Shanahan Middle School | Lewis Center | Ohio | |
Kerra Simmons | Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts | Fort Worth | Texas | |
Joani Slawson | Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy | Melbourne | Florida | |
Timothy Patrick Sloan Sr. | Albright Middle School | Houston | Texas | |
Jessie Smith | Yes Prep Public Schools | Houston | Texas | |
Cathryn Smith | Coleman High School | Coleman | Texas | |
Patrick Smith | Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School | New Haven | Connecticut | |
Tony Spano | Culver City High School | Culver City | California | |
Wes Sparkes | Eagleview Middle School | Colorado Springs | Colorado | |
Julian Spires | Meade Middle School | Fort Meade | Maryland | |
Shannon Stem | University Academy | Panama City | Florida | |
Harold Stephan | Stuyvesant High School | New York | New York | |
Cassandra Sulbaran | Braintree High School | Braintree | Massachusetts | |
Lynn Sweet | Mount Anthony Union High School | Bennington | Vermont | |
Agnes Tech | Indian Prairie Elementary School | Crystal Lake | Illinois | |
Chris Toomey | Mineola High School | Garden City Park | New York | |
Tom Torrento | Grosse Pointe North High School | Grosse Pointe Woods | Michigan | |
Jessica Torres | Elmont Memorial Jr. Sr. High School | Elmont | New York | |
Michelle Trinidad | Sacred Heart School | Bronx | New York | |
Alice Tsui | New Bridges Elementary | Brooklyn | New York | |
Jordan Tupper | Episcopal School of Baton Rouge | Baton Rouge | Louisiana | |
Martin Urbach | Harvest Collegiate High School | New York City | New York | |
Johny Vargas | Pueblo High School | Tucson | Arizona | |
Amy Villanova | Canyon Crest Academy | San Diego | California | |
Valerie Vinnard | Webster Elementary | Long Beach | California | |
Kenneth Walker | Ralls High School | Ralls | Texas | |
Kathy Wallace | Willard Elementary | Winchester | Indiana | |
Jennifer Walter | University of North Carolina at Greensboro | Greensboro | North Carolina | |
John Ware | Stovall Middle School | Houston | Texas | |
Brandon Weeks | North Polk High School | Alleman | Iowa | |
Lisa Werner | St. Bruno Parish School | Dousman | Wisconsin | |
Scott Weyman | Solanco High School | Quarryville | Pennsylvania | |
Elizabeth White | Holcomb RIII | Holcomb | Missouri | |
Tyler Wigglesworth | West Covina High School | West Covina | California | |
Derrick Williams | Vista Heights Middle School | Moreno Valley | California | |
Paula Williams | The Ron Clark Academy | Atlanta | Georgia | |
Sandi Wilson | Franklin School of Innovation | Asheville | North Carolina | |
Matthew Wiltshire | Lewiston High School | Lewiston | Maine | |
Damion Womack | The Montgomery Academy | Montgomery | Alabama | |
Tammy Yi | Chapman University | Orange | California | |
Nicholas Young | Altus High School | Altus | Oklahoma | |
Jason Younts | Samuel V. Champion High School | Boerne | Texas | |
DeAnna Zecchin | Indian River High School | Dagsboro | Delaware |
2024 MUSIC EDUCATOR AWARD LEGACY APPLICANTS
Name | School | City | State |
---|---|---|---|
Phil Aguglia | Kenmore East High School | Tonawanda | New York |
Heather Akers | Central Middle School | Dover | Delaware |
Eric Allen | Western Middle School for the Arts | Louisville | Kentucky |
Calandria Allen | Zachary Community Schools | Zachary | Louisiana |
Abigail Alwin | Clague Middle School | Ann Arbor Public Schools | Michigan |
David Amos | Heritage Middle School | Painesville | Ohio |
Luke Aumann | Appleton North High School | Appleton | Wisconsin |
Elizabeth Baker | Ilima Intermediate School | Ewa Beach | Hawaiʻi |
Andre Barnes | Science Park High School | Newark | New Jersey |
Conesha Barron | Lanier High School | Jackson | Mississippi |
Lyndra Bastian | Creekside Middle School and Woodstock High School | Woodstock | Illinois |
William Bennett | Cane Bay High School | Summerville | South Carolina |
Heather Bice | Ridgeview High School | Orange Park | Florida |
Charlie Bradberry | Iowa Park High School | Iowa Park | Texas |
Justin Britt | Kingston Public Schools | Kingston | Oklahoma |
Shantavia Burchette | East Side High School | Newark | New Jersey |
John Burn | Homestead High School | Cupertino | California |
Alexander Busby | Oviedo High School | Oviedo | Florida |
Aaron Bush | Foxborough High School | Foxborough | Massachusetts |
Meg Byrne | Pleasant Valley High School | Bettendorf | Iowa |
Philip Carter | O'Fallon Township High School | O'Fallon | Illinois |
Elizabeth Carter | Snowden School | Memphis | Tennessee |
Francis Cathlina | University of Memphis | Memphis | Tennessee |
Tiffany Chiang | Mark Twain I.S. 239 | Brooklyn | New York |
Ernesta Chicklowski | Roosevelt Elementary | Tampa | Florida |
Michael Coelho | Ipswich Middle School and Ipswich High School | Ipswich | Massachusetts |
Christine Cumberledge | Central Junior High School | Euless | Texas |
Heather Dipasquale | Todd County Middle School | Elkton | Kentucky |
Jack A. Eaddy, Jr. | Western Carolina University | Cullowhee | North Carolina |
Dominique Eade | New England Conservatory of Music | Boston | Massachusetts |
Cuauhtemoc Escobedo | Eckstein Middle School | Seattle | Washington |
Jasmine Faulkner | Polaris Expeditionary Learning School | Fort Collins | Colorado |
Daniel James Felton | Tartan High School | Oakdale | Minnesota |
Nicholas Fernandez | Bentonville Schools | Bentonville | Arkansas |
Cathryn Fowler | Health Careers High School | San Antonio | Texas |
Marisa Frank | Explore! Community School | Nashville | Tennessee |
Jasmine Fripp | KIPP Nashville Collegiate High School | Nashville | Tennessee |
Jacob Garcia | Tennyson Middle School | Waco | Texas |
Jorge L. Garcia | Elias Herrera Middle School | Laredo | Texas |
Tina Gibson | Jefferson County Traditional Middle School | Louisville | Kentucky |
Alex Gittelman | Haverford Middle School | Havertown | Pennsylvania |
Guillermo Gonzalez | James A. Garfield High School | Los Angeles | California |
Mansa Gory | Denzel Washington School of the Arts | Mount Vernon | New York |
Deanna Grandstaff | Cecil Intermediate School | McDonald | Pennsylvania |
Amanda Hanzlik | E.O. Smith High School | Storrs | Connecticut |
Marvin Haywood | John Ehret High School | Marrero | Louisiana |
Kristin Howell | Syosset High School | Syosset | New York |
Emmanuel Hudson | Booker T. Washington High School | Shreveport | Louisiana |
Karla Hulne | Blair-Taylor Middle/High School | Blair | Wisconsin |
Mia Ibrahim | Health Opportunities High School | Bronx | New York |
Luis Ingels | Candor Elementary School | Candor | New York |
Justin Janer | Pinewood School Middle Campus | Los Altos | California |
Daryl Jessen | Dakota Valley School | North Sioux City | South Dakota |
De'Evin Johnson | Duncanville High School | Duncanville | Texas |
Amir Jones | Harvey High School | Painesville | Ohio |
Allison Kline | Blue Mountain Area School | Orwigsburg | Pennsylvania |
Kenneth Kosterman | Rockwall-Heath High School | Heath | Texas |
Joshua Krohn | Brent Elementary School | Washington | District of Columbia |
Sarah Labovitz | Arkansas State University | Jonesboro | Arkansas |
Heather Leppard | Girls Academic Leadership Academy (GALA) | Los Angeles | California |
Hope Lewis | Charles O. Dickerson HS | Trumansburg | New York |
Meredith Lord | Burncoat High School | Worcester | Massachusetts |
Brendon Lucas | Nyack High School | Nyack | New York |
Christian Lucas | Mariners Christian School | Costa Mesa | California |
Alison McCarrey | Romig Middle School | Anchorage | Alaska |
Angie McDaniel | Forest Creek Elementary | Round Rock | Texas |
Ashleigh McDaniel Spatz | Burgess Peterson Academy | Atlanta | Georgia |
Matthew McKagan | Lindero Canyon Middle School | Agoura Hills | California |
Brian McMath | Northwest Guilford High School | Greensboro | North Carolina |
Phillip McMullen | Silver Creek Central Schools | Silver Creek | New York |
Tracy Meldrum | Verrado High School | Buckeye | Arizona |
Xochilt Melendez Munguia | Gainesville Middle School for the Arts and Sciences | Gainesville | Virginia |
Kris Milby | Greenup County High School | Greenup | Kentucky |
Dana Monteiro | Frederick Douglass Academy | New York | New York |
Shelby Montgomery | George Jenkins High School | Lakeland | Florida |
David Moore | Inspire Charter Academy | Baton Rouge | Louisiana |
Ryan Moseley | Appoquinimink High School | Middletown | Delaware |
David Moss | West Hopkins School | Nebo | Kentucky |
Deborah Muhlenbruck-Fleischer | Gunderson Middle School | Las Vegas | Nevada |
Vicki Nichols | Grandview Elementary | Grandview | Texas |
Jeremy Overbeck | Century High School | Bismarck | North Dakota |
John Pachence | Penn State Abington | Abington | Pennsylvania |
Jennifer Page | Niles North High School | Skokie | Illinois |
Matthew Pitts | Robert JC Rice Elementary School | Gilbert | Arizona |
Courtney Powers | Muhammad Ali School 23 | Passaic | New Jersey |
Natalie Pratt | Brentwood High School | Brentwood | Tennessee |
William Rank | Oak Prairie Junior High School | Lockport | Illinois |
Brett Rankin | Wilde Lake High School | Columbia | Maryland |
Annie Ray | Annandale High School | Annandale | Virginia |
Tracy Resseguie | Staley High School | Kansas City | Missouri |
Giovanni Santos | La Sierra University | Riverside | California |
Ruth Schwartz | Chugiak High School and Mirror Lake Middle School | Chugiak | Alaska |
Laura Shapovalov | Walden III Middle and High School | Racine | Wisconsin |
James Sheffer | Medford Memorial Middle School and Haines Sixth Grade Center | Medford | New Jersey |
Matthew Shephard | Meridian Early College High School | Sanford | Michigan |
Dylan Sims | York Middle School | York | South Carolina |
Thomas Slater | Chestnut Oaks Middle School | Sumter | South Carolina |
Michele Slone | Urbana Elementary and Jr. High School | Urbana | Ohio |
Tony Small | St. Vincent Pallotti Arts Academy | Laurel | Maryland |
Andrew Smith | Charlotte Central School | Charlotte | Vermont |
Wayne Splettstoeszer | Torrington High School | Torrington | Connecticut |
Elizabeth Steege | Cass High School | Racine | Wisconsin |
Lawrence Stoffel | California State University, Northridge | Los Angeles | California |
Tyler Swick | Robert and Sandy Ellis Elementary | Henderson | Nevada |
Elizabeth Taylor | La Crosse Elementary School | La Crosse | Virginia |
Cami Tedoldi | Foxborough High School | Foxborough | Massachusetts |
Kylie Teston | Leonardtown High School | Leonardtown | Maryland |
Jonathan Todd | Palisades High School | Charlotte | North Carolina |
Matthew Trevino | Roan Forest Elementary | San Antonio | Texas |
Alexis True | Thomas Downey High School | Modesto | California |
Gregory Urban | Dunedin Highland Middle School | Dunedin | Florida |
Jon Usher | Hidden Springs Elementary | Moreno Valley | California |
Michael Vasquez | Charles L. Kuentz Jr. Elementary | Helotes | Texas |
Aaron Vogel | Mountain Ridge High School | Glendale | Arizona |
Bryen Warfield | Homestead High School | Fort Wayne | Indiana |
Sarah Wehmeier Aparicio | Waukesha South High School | Waukesha | Wisconsin |
Christopher White | Hickory Ridge High School | Harrisburg | North Carolina |
Tammy White | Kiser Middle School | Greensboro | North Carolina |
Tyron Williams | New Visions Charter High School for the Humanities IV | Far Rockaway | New York |
Krista Williams | Floretta P. Carson Visual and Performing Arts Academy | Mobile | Alabama |
Kelly Winovich | Northgate Middle/Senior High School | Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania |
Hayley Winslow | Snow Canyon Middle School | Saint George | Utah |
Ronnie Ziccardi | Avonworth | Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania |
Working For Students: How Music Industry Professionals Find Fulfillment In Education

Photo: Rebecca Sapp
list
5 Things We Learned From GRAMMY Museum's New The Power Of Song Exhibit, A Celebration Of Songwriters From Tom Petty To Taylor Swift
Nile Rodgers, Jimmy Jam, Smokey Robinson and more provide deep insights into their hit collaborations and creative process at GRAMMY Museum's The Power of Song: A Songwriters Hall of Fame Exhibit, open from April 26 through Sept. 4.
Since its founding in 1969, the Songwriters Hall of Fame has been celebrating the great songwriters and composers of our time. In 2010, it found a physical home at Downtown Los Angeles' GRAMMY Museum.
Now, the GRAMMY Museum is adding to that legacy with a special expanded exhibit, which dives deep into the history of songwriting and recorded music in the United States — as well as the Songwriters Hall of Fame and its inductees' role in it. Whether you're a songwriter or musician who loves the creative process, a history nerd, or simply a music lover, this exhibit is for you.
When you enter The Power Of Song, you'll hear the voices of legendary Songwriter Hall of Fame inductees and GRAMMY winners — including Nile Rodgers, Carole King, Diane Warren, Smokey Robinson and Jimmy Jam — discussing their creative process and some of the biggest songs they've written. Take a seat on the couch to absorb all their wisdom in the deeply informative and inspiring original short film.
Turn to the right, and you'll find a timeline across the entire wall, explaining the origins and key points around songwriting and recorded music in the U.S. On the other wall, pop on the headphones provided to enjoy a video of memorable Hall of Fame ceremony performances. One interactive video interface near the entrance allows you to hear "song highlights," and another allows you to explore the entire Songwriters Hall of Fame database.
The exhibit is filled with a treasure trove of handwritten song lyrics from Taylor Swift, Cyndi Lauper, Tom Petty and many more, as well as iconic artifacts, including Daft Punk's helmets, a classy Nile Rodgers GRAMMY look, and guitars from Bill Withers, Tom Petty, John Mellencamp and Toby Keith.
Below, take a look at five things we learned from The Power Of Song: A Songwriters Hall Of Fame Exhibit, which will be at the GRAMMY Museum from April 26 through Sept. 4.
Daft Punk Rerecorded "Get Lucky" To Fit Nile Rodgers' Funky Guitar
Legendary funk pioneer and superproducer Nile Rodgers is the current Chairman of the SHOF and has an active presence at the exhibit. One case features the disco-esque lime green Dior tuxedo Rodgers wore to the 2023 GRAMMY Awards, along with the shiny metallic helmets of French dance duo Daft Punk, who collaborated with Rodgers on their GRAMMY-winning 2013 album, Random Access Memories.
Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo of Daft Punk and Rodgers had forged a friendship and been wanting to collab for years prior to 2013's Record Of The Year-winning smash "Get Lucky." When they finally connected and Bangalter and de Homem-Christo played the CHIC founder the demo for "Get Lucky," he asked to hear it again with everything muted except the drum track, so he could create the perfect guitar lick for it.
Bangalter and de Homem-Christo decided to essentially re-record the whole song to fit Rodgers' guitar, which joyously drives the track — and carried it to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, Daft Punk's first Top 5 hit.

Photo: Rebecca Sapp
Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis Set Up Their Studio The "Wrong" Way Because Of Prince
In the exhibit film, Jimmy Jam tells several stories about working with — and learning from — Prince. He recalls how he and Terry Lewis watched Prince work and record everything "in the red," so they set up their Minneapolis studio to follow his lead. A sound engineer told them it was too loud, but that ended up being the sound that artists like Janet Jackson and Usher came to them for. It was a "happy mistake," as Jam put it, that helped their legendary careers as a powerhouse production duo take off.
Prince's dogmatic, tireless work ethic also rubbed off on the powerhouse pair. One rehearsal, the Purple One kept pressing Jam to do more, which resulted in him playing two instruments, singing and hitting the choreography from behind his keyboard. "He saw that I could do more than I thought I could; he saw me better than I saw myself," he reflected.
"God Bless America" Composer Irving Berlin Didn't Read Music
In his 50 year-career, Irving Berlin wrote over 1000 songs, many of which defined American popular music for the better part of the 20th century. Along with penning "God Bless America," "White Christmas," "Puttin' on the Ritz," and "There's No Business Like Show Business" (among many other classics), he wrote 17 full Broadway musical scores and contributed songs to six more plays.
Berlin also wrote scores for early Hollywood musicals starring the likes of Ginger Rodgers, Fred Astaire, Marilyn Monroe, and Bing Crosby. He made a lasting, indelible mark on music, theater, film and American culture writ large.
Rather astonishingly, the widely celebrated American Tin Pan Alley-era composer was self-taught and didn't read sheet music. His family immigrated to New York from Imperial Russia when he was 5 years old, and when he was just 13, his father died, so he busked on the streets and worked as a singing waiter to help his family out.
In 1907, at 19, he had his first song published, and just four years later penned his first international hit, "Alexander's Ragtime Band." Berlin had a natural musicality and played music by ear in the key of F-sharp, with the help of his trusted upright transposing piano, a rare instrument that had a mechanism allowing him to shift into different keys. His "trick piano," as he called it, where many of his unforgettable songs first came to life, is on display at the exhibit.
Read More: GRAMMY Rewind: Smokey Robinson Accepts A GRAMMY On Behalf Of The Temptations In 1973
Smokey Robinson Didn't Expect "My Girl" To Become A Timeless Hit
Smokey Robinson was an important part of Motown's hit-making factory as a singer, songwriter and producer. In the exhibit film, he discusses "My Girl," one of his classic tunes, which he wrote and produced for the Temptations in 1965.
"I had no idea it would become what it would become," he said.
He says that people often ask him why he didn't record the unforgettable song with his group the Miracles instead of "giving it away" to the Temptations, but he never regretted his decision. Instead, he's honored to have created music that stands the test of time and means so much to so many people.
Robinson joked that the Temptations' then-lead singer David Ruffin's gruff voice scared girls into going out with him. Really, he loved Ruffin's voice, and thought he'd sound great singing a sweet love song like "My Girl." Safe to say he was right.
After World War II, Pop Music Changed Forever
Prior to World War II, American music operated as a singular mainstream market, and New York's Tin Pan Alley songwriters competed to make the next pop or Broadway hit. In a post-World War II America, especially when the early Baby Boomer generation became teenagers and young adults in the '60s and '70s, tastes changed and new styles of pop and pop songwriting emerged. As rock shook up popular culture, Tin Pan Alley gave way to a new era of young songwriters, many who worked out of just two buildings in midtown Manhattan, 1619 Broadway (the Brill Building) and 1650 Broadway.
In this richly creative and collaborative environment, powerhouse songwriting duos began to emerge and reshape pop music, challenging and balancing each other — and creating a ton of hits in the process. The hit-making duos of this diversified pop era included Burt Bacharach and Hal David (Dionne Warrick's "That's What Friends Are For"), Carole King and Gerry Goffin (Little Eva's "The Loco-Motion"), Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil (the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'") and Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich (the Ronettes' "Be My Baby" and the Crystals' "Then He Kissed Me," both in collaboration with Phil Spector). In fact, there are far too many classics penned by these four prolific songwriter duos to list here.
While there are still songwriters that pen big hit after hit for pop stars (Max Martin is still at it, as is his protege Oscar Görres), the dynamics in the industry have continued to shift with singers taking on more creative power themselves. Today's pop stars — including Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa and Taylor Swift — have found success co-writing with their own trusted teams of songwriters and producers. But as this new exhibit shows, it doesn't matter who is behind the pen — the power of song is mighty.
Meet Tobias Jesso Jr., The First-Ever GRAMMY Winner For Songwriter Of The Year

Photos courtesy of the GRAMMY Museum
news
GRAMMY Museum Opens Online Auction Featuring Artist-Signed Items From The 2023 GRAMMYs: Harry Styles, Miley Cyrus, Bad Bunny, Sheryl Crow, Dr. Dre, Lizzo & Many More Exclusive Items
Also offering guitars and items signed by 21 Savage, Brandi Carlile, Luke Combs, Jonas Brothers, Shawn Mendes, Kacey Musgraves, Kim Petras, and others, the GRAMMY Museum's online auction via Charitybuzz is live now and will run through Thursday, April 13.
The 2023 GRAMMYs may have come and gone — but you can now take home a one-of-a-kind piece of Music's Biggest Night for a good case!
This GRAMMY Museum's new online auction via Charitybuzz features items signed by artists, including guitars signed backstage at the 2023 GRAMMYs by Bad Bunny, Sheryl Crow, Dr. Dre, Mick Fleetwood, Lizzo, Bonnie Raitt, Smokey Robinson, and Harry Styles.
Plus, the auction contains more guitars and items signed by 21 Savage, Joe Bonamassa, Brandi Carlile, Luke Combs, Miley Cyrus, Luis Fonsi, Jonas Brothers, Steve Lacy, LL Cool J, Shawn Mendes, Miguel, Kacey Musgraves, Kim Petras, Lionel Richie, Nile Rodgers, Slash, Sam Smith, Chris Stapleton, Susan Tedeschi, and Meghan Trainor.
The GRAMMY Museum's online auction via Charitybuzz is live now and will run through Thursday, April 13.