Music Educator Award Semifinalists Announced By The Recording Academy

A total of 25 music teachers from 24 cities across 16 states, have been announced as semifinalists for the Music Educator Award™ presented by the Recording Academy® and GRAMMY Museum®. In total, more than 1,989 initial nominations were submitted from all 50 states. Nominations for the 2022 Music Educator Award are now open at www.grammymusicteacher.com.

See the list of semifinalists here:

Bonnie Anderson Miller's Point Elementary School San Antonio Texas
Justin Antos Dwight D. Eisenhower High School Frankfort Ill.
Elizabeth Bennett Buffalo Grove High School Libertyville Ill.
Angela Carpenter Harrington Elementary School Bedford Mass.
Stephen Cox Eastland High School Eastland Texas
Pamela Dawson DeSoto High School DeSoto Texas
Brad Drinkwater Connetquot High School Nesconset N.Y.
Paul Eaton Girard College Lafayette Hill Pa.
Michelle Folta Columbus State University Columbus Ga.
Amanda Hanzlik Edwin O. Smith High School Storrs Conn.
Elizabeth Hering Churchill High School Livonia Mi.
Graham Johnson Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School (WHEELS) New York N.Y.
Chris Maunu Arvada West High School Arvada Colo.
Richard Maxwell Arcadia High School Phoenix Ariz.
Brian McMath Northwest Guilford High School Greensboro N.C.
Shawna Mendez The Manning School of Academics and Arts
Lakewood Colo.
Patricia Moore Canyon View Elementary School Tucson Ariz.
Ryan Muir South Kingstown High School Wakefield R.I.
Jeffrey Murdock The University of Arkansas Fayetteville Ark.
Blake Richter Nixa Junior High School Nixa Mo.
Kimberly Ritzer Green Valley High School Henderson Nev.
Lynne Ruda Lancaster High School Lancaster N.Y.
Matthew Trevino Roan Forest Elementary San Antonio Texas
Donald Walter Northwest Guilford Middle School and Northwest Guilford High School Oak Ridge N.C.
Tracy Williamson Gorham Middle School Gorham Maine

The Music Educator Award recognizes current educators 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 recipient will be recognized during GRAMMY® Week 2021.

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.

Each year, one recipient is selected from 10 finalists and recognized for their remarkable impact on students' lives. They will receive a $10,000 honorarium and matching grant for their school's music program. The nine additional finalists will receive a $1,000 honorarium and matching grants. The remaining fifteen 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.

The finalists will be announced in December. For more information, please visit www.grammymusicteacher.com.

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