25 Semi-finalists Announced for The Music Educator Award

WHO: A total of 25 music teachers from 25 cities across 17 states have been announced assemifinalists 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.

WHAT: The Music Educator Award was established to recognize current educators (K 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 their schools. A joint partnership and presentation of The Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Foundation, this special award will be presented at the Special Merit Awards Ceremony & Nominees Reception (honoring recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award, Trustees Award and Technical GRAMMY® Award) on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015, during GRAMMY Week.

As announced on the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards® by President/CEO of The Recording Academy and GRAMMY Foundation Neil Portnow, TV and radio host/producer and GRAMMY Foundation Honorary Board Chair Ryan Seacrest, and nine-time GRAMMY winner Justin Timberlake, the award is open to current U.S. music teachers, and anyone could nominate a teacher - students, parents, friends, colleagues, community members, school deans, and administrators. Teachers were also able to nominate themselves, and nominated teachers were notified and invited to fill out an application.

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.

"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."

One recipient is selected from 10 finalists each year, 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 honorariums and grants provided to the finalists and schools are made possible by the generosity and support of the GRAMMY Foundation's Education Champions: Converse, Disney Performing Arts,Ford Motor Company Fund, and Journeys. Nominations for the 2016 Music Educator Award are now open at www.grammymusicteacher.com.

WHEN: A complete list of semifinalists is below. The finalists will be announced in December. For more information, please visit www.grammymusicteacher.com.

Name	School Name	City	State
Diane Abrahamian	Penfield High School	Penfield	N.Y.
Steven Acciani	Diamond Bar High School	Diamond Bar	Calif.
Phil Aguglia	Kenmore East High School	Tonawanda	N.Y.
William Bennett	Cane Bay High School	Summerville	S.C.
Jared Cassedy	Windham High School	Windham	N.H.
Caleb Chapman	Pioneer High School for the Performing Arts	American Fork	Utah
Josh Chodoroff	Highland Park High School	Highland Park	Ill.
Dr. Buddy Clements	Walnut High School	Walnut	Calif.
Charles Cushinery	Ed W. Clark High School	Las Vegas	Nev.
David Dehner	Monte Vista Christian School	Watsonville	Calif.
Jamal Dickerson	Creative Arts Morgan Village Academy	Camden	N.J.
Terry Eberhardt	Marriotts Ridge High School	Marriottsville	Md.
Krista Fanning	Caddo Middle Magnet	Shreveport	La.
Elizabeth Fortune	Washington Middle School	Seattle	Wash.
Vivian Gonzalez	South Miami K-8 Center	Miami	Fla.
Micah Haven	Meeker Middle School	Tacoma	Wash.
Aaron Hill Sr.	Smithfield High School	Smithfield	Va.
Stevi Marks	Glenbrook South High School	Glenview	Ill.
Richard Maxwell	Arcadia High School	Phoenix	Ariz.
Debra Reilly	Springhouse Middle School	Allentown	Pa.
Huber Smith Michael Smith	Maplewood Middle School Nyack High School	Sulphur Upper Nyack	La. N.Y.
James Story	Volunteer State Community College	Gallatin	Tenn.
Nancie Tobison Danny Yancey	Barrington High School Martin Gifted and Talented Magnet Middle School	Barrington Raleigh	Ill. N.C.

Photo Credit: Grammy in the Schools

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