216 Quarterfinalists Announced For 2021 Music Educator Award Presented By The Recording Academy And GRAMMY Museum

A total of 216 music teachers from 199 cities have been announced as quarterfinalists for the Music Educator Award™ presented by the Recording Academy® and GRAMMY Museum®. In total, nearly 2,000 initial nominations were submitted. In addition to our quarterfinalists, 91 legacy applicants from 2020 will also be eligible to win the award this year.

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. A joint partnership and presentation of the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum, 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. The eighth annual honoree will be flown to Los Angeles to attend the 63rd 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.

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 semifinalists will be announced in September.

QUARTERFINALISTS

Name	School	City	State
Angela Adams	Old Mill High School	Millersville	Maryland
Samantha Alexander	Dyker IS 201	Brooklyn	New York
Ellice Amendolare	Eastridge High School	Rochester	New York
Bonnie Anderson	Miller's Point Elementary	Converse	Texas
Peter Antony	The Bayard School	Wilmington	Delaware
Justin Antos	Dwight D. Eisenhower High School	Blue Island	Illinois
Hannah Gadd Ardrey	Lafayette High School	Oxford	Mississippi
Gabriel Arnold	Nicholls State University	Thibodaux	Louisiana
David Bachart	New Hope-Solebury High School	New Hope	Pennsylvania
Michelle Bade	West View Elementary	Muncie	Indiana
Kendra Balmer	Russell Byers Charter School	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania
Mario Banks	Science Park High School	Newark	New Jersey
Kenneth Bedwell	St. James High School	Murrells Inlet	South Carolina
Chris Behrens	Beloit Memorial High School	Beloit	Wisconsin
Deanna Bell	Vestavia Hills Elementary East	Vestavia Hills City Schools	Alabama
Elizabeth Bennett	Buffalo Grove High School	Buffalo Grove	Illinois
Lisa Bennett	Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School	West Chester	Pennsylvania
Brandon Bitner	Central Dauphin High School	Harrisburg	Pennsylvania
Alisha Bowden	Richmond Hill Middle School	Richmond Hill	Georgia
Nathan Bowman	West Rowan Middle School	Salisbury	North Carolina
Chris Branam	North Carolina State University	Raleigh	North Carolina
Alison Brightwell-Balot	Cesar Chavez High School	Laveen	Arizona
Tashundra Brown	Southwind High School	Memphis	Tennessee
Steve Browne	Nashville Community High School	Nashville	Illinois
Casey Buck	Conway High School	Conway	Arkansas
David Buckle	Jonas Salk Middle School	Old Bridge	New Jersey
Brian Buterbaugh	Hershey High School	Hershey	Pennsylvania
James Byrn	Maconaquah High School	Bunker Hill	Indiana
Alisha Cardwell	Riverside High School	Williamston	North Carolina
Angela Carpenter	Harrington Elementary School	Lexington	Massachusetts
Kendall Carrier	Parrish Community High School	Parrish	Florida
Andrew Challman	John Bartram High School	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania
Chris Cherry	Hampshire High School	Hampshire	Illinois
Candace Chun	Eldorado High School	Las Vegas	Nevada
Jenna Cipolla	Dr. Orlando Edreira Academy School 26	Elizabeth	New Jersey
Carol Clark	Gray-New Gloucester High School	Gray	Maine
Robert Clark	Long Branch High School	Long Branch	New Jersey
Michael Clements	Longfellow Elementary School	Eastlake	Ohio
Sean Cohen	Great Valley High School	Malvern	Pennsylvania
Matthew Cole	Tahoma High School	Maple Valley	Washington
Ginny Coleman	Tuscaloosa County High School	Northport	Alabama
Melissa Colvin	de Zavala Middle School	Irving	Texas
JD Cooney	Mayville High School	Mayville	Wisconsin
Megan Cooney	St. Ambrose University	Davenport	Iowa
Stephen Cox	Eastland High School	Eastland	Texas
Tiffany Cox	Lake Worth High School	Lake Worth	Florida
Michael Craner	Schuylerville Central Schools	Schuylerville	New York
Brandon Crawford	Princeton High School	Princeton	Illinois
Mark D'Angelo	Roosevelt High School	Wyandotte	Michigan
Jim Daughters	Arkansas Tech University	Russellville	Arkansas
Andy Davis	Reavis High School	Burbank	Illinois
Pamela Dawson	DeSoto High School	DeSoto	Texas
Maria Del Valle Brin	The Equity Project Charter School	New York	New York
John Denton	Sunset Ridge School	Phoenix	Arizona
Paul Destito	Jupiter Middle School	Jupiter	Florida
Christopher Dollar	Fishers Island School	Fishers Island	New York
Brad Drinkwater	Connetquot High School	Bohemia	New York
Lawrence Dubill	Hamburg High School	Hamburg	New York
Christopher Dunmire	Franklin High School	Franklin	Wisconsin
Paul Eaton	Girard College	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania
Paulla Edwards	Neil Armstrong Elementary	Bettendorf	Iowa
Alison Ellis	Peninsula High School	Gig Harbor	Washington
Olander Emmons	Greenwood High School	Greenwood	Mississippi
Brian Endlein	Middletown High School	Middletown	Delaware
Kevin Erickson	J. Frank Dobie High School	Houston	Texas
Tyler Eriksen	Eagle High School	Eagle	Idaho
Jesse Espinosa	S. P. Waltrip High School	Houston	Texas
Krista Fanning	Caddo Middle Magnet	Shreveport	Louisiana
Amy Fetterly	Clarence Senior High School	Clarence	New York
Michelle Folta	Columbus State University	Columbus	Georgia
Mindy Forehand	Ola High School	McDonough	Georgia
Arturo Fuerte	Willard Elementary School	Evanston	Illinois
Michael Gabriel	Charles W. Flanagan High School	Pembroke Pines	Florida
Kevin Garcia-Hettinger	Louis D. Brandeis High School	San Antonio	Texas
James Gaskin	Greenwood High School	Greenwood	South Carolina
Jason Giachetti	Huntington High School	Huntington	New York
Trey Giddens	New Manchester High School	Douglasville	Georgia
David Gleason	Green Mountain High School	Lakewood	Colorado
Andrew Glenn	Estrella Foothills High School	Goodyear	Arizona
Carlos Goncalves	Wilson Avenue School of the Performing Arts and Sciences	Newark	New Jersey
John Gordon	Louis L. Redding Middle School	Middletown	Delaware
Cory Goshorn	Arvada High School	Arvada	Colorado
Dr. Dakeyan Graham	King High School	Tampa	Florida
Mike Guzman	Tuscaloosa County High School	Northport	Alabama
Amanda Hallam	Garrett Junior High School	Boulder City	Nevada
Amanda Hanzlik	E.O. Smith High School	Storrs	Connecticut
Elise Hepworth	Missouri Western State University	Saint Joseph	Missouri
Elizabeth Hering	Churchill High School	Livonia	Michigan
Josh Hettinger	Garrett High School	Garrett	Indiana
Zachary Hilligoss	Metamora Township High School	Metamora	Illinois
Jeff Hodur	Coronado High School	Colorado Springs	Colorado
Christopher Holley	Willis Jr. High	Chandler	Arizona
Kaitlin Holt	Saugus High School	Santa Clarita	California
Jessica Holzworth	Fannin County School Systems	Blue Ridge	Georgia
Dr. Camilla Horne	Lincoln University	Lincoln University	Pennsylvania
Vernon Huff	The State University of New York at Fredonia	Fredonia	New York
Graham Johnson	Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School (WHEELS)	New York	New York
Nathan Johnston	Eastmark High School	Mesa	Arizona
John Jones	Lincoln Hall Middle School	Lincolnwood	Illinois
Robert Kain	Mountainburg High School	Mountainburg	Arkansas
Samuel Kallaos	Ruby Major Elementary	Nashville	Tennessee
Caroline Kaupa	Palo Verde Middle School	Phoenix	Arizona
Dr. Janet Duguay Kirsten	South Miami K-8 Center	South Miami	Florida
Nikkole Kleba	New Riegel	New Riegel	Ohio
Matthew Komula	Trinity High School	Washington	Pennsylvania
Rachel Kramer	Orange County School of the Arts	Santa Ana	California
Matt Lamb	Glenwood City High School	Glenwood City	Wisconsin
Jenny Lanier	McDowell High School	Marion	North Carolina
Jordan Lee	Western Guilford High School	Greensboro	North Carolina
David Lewis	Preble Shawnee Jr/Sr High School	Camden	Ohio
Joshua Light	Soddy-Daisy High School	Soddy-Daisy	Tennessee
Paul Litten	Homewood Middle School	Homewood	Alabama
Julianna LoBiondo	Hillsborough High School	Hillsborough	New Jersey
Dean Marino	West Port High School	Ocala	Florida
Jacob Martin	Kaukauna High School	Kaukauna	Wisconsin
Lauren Martin	Spruce Creek High School	Port Orange	Florida
David Matchim	Centennial High School	Ellicott City	Maryland
Chris Maunu	Arvada West High School	Arvada	Colorado
Rachel Maxwell	Traughber Junior High School	Oswego	Illinois
Richard Maxwell	Arcadia High School	Phoenix	Arizona
Jay McCulley	Sunset Middle School	Brentwood	Tennessee
Tiffany McGrew	Bixby Middle School	Bixby	Oklahoma
Brian McMath	Northwest Guilford High School	Greensboro	North Carolina
Kayla Medlen	Cox Landing Elementary School	Barboursville	West Virginia
Shawna Mendez	The Manning School of Academics and Arts	Golden	Colorado
David Messick	Wilde Lake Middle School	Columbia	Maryland
Chris Mettert	East Noble High School	Kendallville	Indiana
Brian Miears	Caddo Mills High School	Caddo Mills	Texas
Jay Miller	Columbia High School	Lake City	Florida
Ashleigh Moffit	Gateway Science Academy Middle School	Saint Louis	Missouri
Marc Monroe	Butler Traditional High School	Louisville	Kentucky
Patricia Moore	Canyon View Elementary School	Tucson	Arizona
Amber Moss	Lakeside Middle School	Hot Springs	Arkansas
Khristina Motley	Hillcrest High	Tuscaloosa	Alabama
Ryan Muir	South Kingstown High School	South Kingstown	Rhode Island
Jeffrey Murdock	The University of Arkansas	Fayetteville	Arkansas
Stephanie Nelson	Liberty-Eylau High School	Texarkana	Texas
Mark Nichols	Brazoswood High School	Clute	Texas
Adam Nobile	Big Spring High School	Newville	Pennsylvania
Lonnie Norwood	Chicago Children's Choir	Chicago	Illinois
Amanda Nottingham	William C. Jack	Glendale	Arizona
Greg Odom	Roswell High School	Roswell	New Mexico
Jeanne Olson	Lincoln High School	Wisconsin Rapids	Wisconsin
Jeremy Overbeck	Century High School	Bismarck	North Dakota
Jim Palmer	Allatoona High School	Acworth	Georgia
Ryan Palmer	Coon Rapids High School	Coon Rapids	Minnesota
Chung Park	University of Central Florida	Orlando	Florida
James Patterson	Cross High School	Cross	South Carolina
Matt Pendrak	Amherst Central High School	Amherst	New York
Debra Perry	Coit Creative Arts Academy	Grand Rapids	Michigan
Craig Peterson	Kennedy Secondary School	Fergus Falls	Minnesota
Anna Petrenko	Maple Valley Jr./Sr. High School	Vermontville	Michigan
Alan Posner	Bloomfield Hills High School	Bloomfield Hills	Michigan
Courtney Powers	South Philadelphia High School	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania
Debra Price	Paden City High School	Paden City	West Virginia
Timothy Price	Newport Elementary School	Newport	North Carolina
Shawna Quinn	Vista Ridge High School	Colorado Springs	Colorado
Kameron Radford	Stuart W. Cramer High School	Belmont	North Carolina
Jose Ramos-Santiago	Beaumont Magnet Academy	Knoxville	Tennessee
Christina Randall	Hardeeville-Ridgeland Middle School	Hardeeville	South Carolina
Becca Rhodes	Farmington High School	Farmington	Utah
Blake Richter	Inman Intermediate	Nixa	Missouri
Kimberly Ritzer	Green Valley High School	Henderson	Nevada
Marcos Rodriguez	Avant Garde Academy of Broward	Hollywood	Florida
Brent Rose	Kelly Walsh High School	Casper	Wyoming
Chad Rose	Worland High School	Worland	Wyoming
Lenae Rose	Morgan County High School	Madison	Georgia
Ben Rosier	Vicksburg High School	Vicksburg	Michigan
Lynne Ruda	Lancaster High School	Lancaster	New York
Zachary Ruffert	Smoky Hill High School	Aurora	Colorado
Stefanie Sagaro	Academy for International Education Charter School	Miami Springs	Florida
Jenna Sandman	First Avenue School	Newark	New Jersey
Erin Scalisi	Nimitz High School	Irving	Texas
Mathew Schick	Crescenta Valley High School	La Crescenta	California
Kevin Schoenbach	Oswego High School	Oswego	Illinois
Kati Seiter	Whitnall Middle School	Greenfield	Wisconsin
Natalie Sheeler	Sturgis Charter Public School	Hyannis	Massachusetts
Shahniz Shirazi	Arizona Conservatory for Arts & Academics	Phoenix	Arizona
Alex Shive	Cartersville City Schools	Cartersville	Georgia
Christopher Shumick	Milton High School	Milton	Georgia
Katie Silcott	Olentangy Shanahan Middle School	Lewis Center	Ohio
Michelle Smith	Heathrow Elementary School	Lake Mary	Florida
Bethany Stearns-Miller	Waccamaw Intermediate School	Pawleys Island	South Carolina
Shannon Stephens	Lookout Valley Middle High School	Chattanooga	Tennessee
Kurt Stroman	Legend High School	Parker	Colorado
Kokoe Tanaka-Suwan	Purchase & Parsons Memorial Elementary Schools	Harrison Central	New York
Rachel Taylor	East Silver Spring Elementary School	Silver Spring	Maryland
Shane Thomas	University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music	Cincinnati	Ohio
Michelle Tolvo-Chan	Helix Charter High School	La Mesa	California
Christopher Toomey	Mineola High School	Garden City Park	New York
Matthew Trevino	Roan Forest Elementary	San Antonio	Texas
Brenna Tripp	Manteno Elementary School	Manteno	Illinois
Timothy Trost	Ayala High School	Chino Hills	California
Neil Underwood	Lenoir-Rhyne University	Hickory	North Carolina
Casey Unger	West Allis Central High School	West Allis	Wisconsin
José Valenzuela	Lehman High School	Kyle	Texas
David Vickerman	San José State University	San Jose	California
Dominic Vitale	Sage Ridge School	Reno	Nevada
Patrick Volker	Scarborough High School	Scarborough	Maine
Donald Walter	Northwest Guilford Middle School	Greensboro	North Carolina
Rebecca Wand	New Castle Middle School	New Castle	Indiana
Lynne Weimer	Portville Central School	Portville	New York
Nick Weiser	State University of New York at Fredonia	Fredonia	New York
Joshua Wentz	Los Angeles Mission College	Sylmar	California
Dustin Wiley	Firelands High School	Oberlin	Ohio
Lisa Williamson	Casselberry Elementary	Casselberry	Florida
Tracy Williamson	Gorham Middle School	Gorham	Maine
Kelly Winovich	Northgate Middle/Senior High School	Pittsburgh	Pennsylvania
Jeanine Woodman	John S. Clark Elementary	Waukegan	Illinois
Mark Wozniak	Padua Franciscan High School	Parma	Ohio
Ryan Wright	South Lake High School	Groveland	Florida
Daniel Wyman	Marshfield High School	Marshfield	Missouri
Cedric Young	Westlake High School	Atlanta	Georgia
Christina Young	Atrisco Heritage Academy High School	Albuquerque	New Mexico
Ronnie Ziccardi	Avonworth Elementary School	Pittsburgh	Pennsylvania

LEGACY APPLICANTS

Name	School	City	State
James Allder	Greenbrier East High School	Lewisburg	West Virginia
Nathaniel Arnold	Upper Dublin High School	Fort Washington	Pennsylvania
Amanda Balarin	Southwest Legacy High School	Von Ormy	Texas
Patrick Beare	Tony Hillerman Middle School	Albuquerque	New Mexico
Gary Bernice	Springfield High School of Science and Technology	Springfield	Massachusetts
Matthew Blom	Eagle School Intermediate	Martinsburg	West Virginia
Cherie Bowe	William M. Colmer Middle School	Pascagoula	Mississippi
Brittany Brings	Centennial High School	Boise	Idaho
Douglas Brown	Middleton High School	Middleton	Wisconsin
Tim Brown	Ripley High School	Ripley	Ohio
Vashti Burgess	Marlton Elementary School	Upper Marlboro	Maryland
Andrea Burke	Binford Middle School	Richmond	Virginia
Jamin Burton	Colony High School	Palmer	Alaska
Teresa Cameron	Eastside Elementary School	Lake City	Florida
Justin Cusick	Osceola County School for the Arts	Kissimmee	Florida
Christina Custode	Niagara Falls High School	Niagara Falls	New York
David Dehner	Monte Vista Christian School	Watsonville	California
Patrick Dunham	Dundee Central School	Dundee	New York
David Eckert	New Braunfels High School	New Braunfels	Texas
Kurt Eckhardt	Newtown High School	Sandy Hook	Connecticut
Stephen Elford	Hancock Place High School	Saint Louis	Missouri
Christina Farrell	Long Beach Middle School	Long Beach	New York
Mina Flateau	Woodsville High School	Woodsville	New Hampshire
Deborah Fleischer	Schofield Middle School	Las Vegas	Nevada
Claire Foote	Jesse S. Bobo Elementary School	Spartanburg	South Carolina
Laurence Glenzer	Nekoosa High School	Nekoosa	Wisconsin
Sheena Graham	Warren Harding High School	Bridgeport	Connecticut
Melissa Gustafson-Hinds	O'Fallon Township High School	O'Fallon	Illinois
Eric Hahn	Bangor Area High School	Bangor	Pennsylvania
Micah Haven	Meeker Middle School	Tacoma	Washington
Levert Hedgemon, Jr.	Westlawn Middle School	Tuscaloosa	Alabama
Tim Heichelheim	Skyview High School/Alki Middle School	Vancouver	Washington
Michael Hood	Wissahickon Senior High School	Ambler	Pennsylvania
Lea Ivanovic	One World Middle School	The Bronx	New York
Gerard Patrick Jones	University High School	Fresno	California
Richard Kane	Mount Union Area Jr./Sr. High School	Mount Union	Pennsylvania
Michael Kasper	Carpentersville Middle School	Carpentersville	Illinois
Lou Kitchner	Bedford Middle School	Westport	Connecticut
Michael Leonas	Ginnings Elementary	Denton	Texas
Clarissa López	Meridian World School	Round Rock	Texas
Jager Loyde	Round Rock ISD	Round Rock	Texas
Edward Luckey	Wilson Southern Middle School	West Lawn	Pennsylvania
Ryan Mack	P.S. 52K Sheepshead Bay	Brooklyn	New York
LisaAnn MacVicar	Hackensack High School	Hackensack	New Jersey
Anthony Marinello	Illinois State University	Normal	Illinois
Melinda Mauter	Drew Charter School	Atlanta	Georgia
Alyxis Mayeaux	Brusly High School	Brusly	Louisiana
Anthony Mazzocchi	John J Cali School of Music; Montclair State University	Montclair	New Jersey
Matt McVeigh	Fond du Lac High School	Fond du Lac	Wisconsin
Sarah Milazzo-Payne	Bryan Station Middle School	Lexington	Kentucky
Rodney Miller	Port Clinton City Schools	Port Clinton	Ohio
Samuel Minge	East Clinton High School	Sabina	Ohio
Laura Moates Stanley	Brookwood High School	Snellville	Georgia
Michael Murphy	Sherrard Middle School	Wheeling	West Virginia
Mark Nichols	Brazoswood High School	Clute	Texas
Meredith Olson	Longfellow Elementary/Vernon Middle School	Marion	Iowa
Topher Otake	Moberly Middle School	Moberly	Missouri
Kristy Pagan	Amelia Earha	Hialeah	Florida
Kelly Parra	PS/IS 266	Bellerose	New York
Rob Pethel	Sutton Middle School	Atlanta	Georgia
Jason Phipps	Ridgway Area School District	Ridgway	Pennsylvania
Jaime Pitnell	Buffalo Academy for Visual & Performing Arts	Buffalo	New York
John Pohland	Waconia High School	Waconia	Minnesota
Juvon Pollard	Belaire STEAM Magnet High School	Baton Rouge	Louisiana
Bryan Poyzer	North Dakota State College of Science	Wahpeton	North Dakota
Amy Putlock	Broughal Middle School (Bethlehem Area School District)	Bethlehem	Pennsylvania
Jennifer Reece	Dunlap High School	Dunlap	Illinois
John Riley	Crawford High School	San Diego	California
Daniel Robbins	La Paz Intermediate	Mission Viejo	California
Marcos Rodriguez	Avant Garde Academy Of Broward	Broward	Florida
Xavier Rodriguez	Covert Avenue School	Elmont	New York
Chad Rose	Worland High School/Worland Middle School	Worland	Wyoming
Thomas Ruggieri	Boardman High School	Youngstown	Ohio
Markeise Russell	Nicholas Senn High School	Chicago	Illinois
Heather Schenck	Mountain Range High School	Westminster	Colorado
Kati Seiter	Whitnall Middle School	Greenfield	Wisconsin
Brandon Sparkman	Chester Elementary School	Chester	New York
Suzanne Spencer	Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania
Elisabeth (Betsy) Stambach-Fuller	South Glens Falls High School	South Glens Falls	New York
Beverly Stearns	Williams High School and Williams Elementary/Middle School	Williams	Arizona
Zachary Sullivan	Bradford High School	Starke	Florida
Noah Teachey	The Urban Assembly School for Applied Math and Science	Bronx	New York
Martin Urbach	Harvest Collegiate High School	New York	New York
Jeffrey Van Dusen	BASIS Mesa	Mesa	Arizona
Matthew Vanzini	Mount Olive High School	Flanders	New Jersey
Anthony Vittore	Elmore County High School	Eclectic	Alabama
Erich Wald	Russell O. Brackman Middle School	Barnegat	New Jersey
Eric Willoughby	Woodland High School	Cartersville	Georgia
Christopher Wink	North Babylon High School	North Babylon	New York
Cory Zilisch	Westport Middle School	Louisville	Kentucky

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