A total of 25 music teachers from 25 cities across 17 states have been announced as semifinalists for the Music Educator Award presented by The Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Foundation. In total, more than 7,000 initial nominations were submitted from all 50 states. The 10 finalists will be announced in December.
View a list of Music Educator Award semifinalists
"Music education has such an important impact on our cultural fabric," said GRAMMY Foundation Honorary Chair Ryan Seacrest. "It's a privilege to join the GRAMMY Foundation and Ford Motor Company to applaud the efforts of our nation's top 25 music teachers and work with their schools to help raise awareness about the importance of music in schools."
This fall, the school of each semifinalist will have the chance to earn an additional $6,000 for their music program through the Ford Drive 4 UR School program. Since the program's launch in 2007, Ford has donated nearly $25 million to schools around the country through its unique test-drive experience.
One recipient will be selected from 10 finalists and will be recognized for his/her remarkable impact on students' lives. The winner will be flown to Los Angeles to accept the award, attend the GRAMMY Awards ceremony, and receive a $10,000 honorarium. The nine finalists will each receive a $1,000 honorarium, and the schools of all 10 finalists also will receive matching grants.
The 2015 Music Educator Award recipient will be honored at the Special Merit Awards Ceremony & Nominees Reception honoring recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award, Trustees Award and Technical GRAMMY Award during GRAMMY Week on Feb. 7, 2015.
A joint partnership of The Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Foundation, 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. The award was open to current United States music teachers, and anyone was able to nominate a teacher — students, parents, friends, colleagues, community members, school deans, and administrators. Teachers were also able to nominate themselves. All nominated teachers were notified and invited to fill out an application.
Nominations for the 2016 Music Educator Award are now open at www.grammymusicteacher.com.