Amy Moyer: 2026 NAfME/Barbershop Harmony Society Music Educator of the Year Award Honoree

Earlier this year NAfME member Amy Moyer was recognized as the 2026 NAfME/Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS) Music Educator of the Year. This award recognizes excellence in teaching, performing, and the lifelong impact music teachers make on young singers. Moyer is the tenth recipient of this award.

Amy Moyer is the Choral Director at Wade Hampton High School; Director of the Palmetto Forte Chorus (Upstate South Carolina [SC] Chapter, BHS); and Choral Director at the Laurens District 55 High School. Her professional affiliations include NAfME, ACDA, and Barbershop Harmony Society. She received her Bachelor of Music Education from Winthrop University, and is a National Board Certified educator.

Amy Moyer represents the best of what can be achieved when the missions of the National Association for Music Education and the Barbershop Harmony Society converge—melding outstanding classroom teaching with visionary leadership that connects students, educators, and communities through singing.

An accomplished music educator of eighteen years, Amy has built exemplary choral programs at Wade Hampton High School and Laurens District 55 High School. Her ensembles consistently earn Superior ratings at regional, state, and national festivals, reflecting her unwavering commitment to excellence, artistry, and inclusion.

Since first encountering barbershop harmony through Harmony University in 2019, Amy has become a transformational force linking professional music education with community-based singing. She has introduced hundreds of students to the joy of barbershop through festivals, performances, and collaborations, taking her choirs to multiple BHS Midwinter Conventions where they have earned top honors—including an Outstanding rating, second place, and Audience Favorite at the 2024 Junior Chorus Festival.

Her colleagues describe her impact as profound and far-reaching. “Amy has done more to bring barbershop to the world of education in South Carolina than anyone I know,” writes one nominator. Another adds, “She is truly a bridge between the world of education and the world of barbershop. I can name at least three music educators who would not be involved in barbershop if it weren’t for her—and the four of us now sing in a quartet together because of her influence.”

To create a continuum from school participation to lifelong music making, Amy founded Palmetto Forte, a young adult barbershop chorus under the Upstate SC Chapter of BHS. The ensemble’s contest debut in 2024 earned the Plateau A title and has since become a model for youth retention and community integration. Through Palmetto Forte, Amy demonstrates how barbershop can strengthen and extend the core values of music education championed by NAfME: access, excellence, and community connection.

In addition to her teaching and directing roles, Amy sings tenor with Extra Credit, the 2025 Carolinas District Quartet Champion. Composed entirely of choral educators, the quartet exemplifies lifelong learning and professional collaboration. They regularly perform for high school choirs across South Carolina, using their performances to inspire students and educators alike to explore barbershop harmony as both an educational tool and an expressive art form.

Amy Moyer embodies the shared vision of NAfME and the Barbershop Harmony Society: that music education and community singing are mutually reinforcing pathways to artistry, belonging, and human connection. Her leadership, pedagogical excellence, and contagious enthusiasm make her a distinguished and deserving nominee for the NAfME/BHS Music Educator of the Year Award.

Watch the award presentation:

The nomination process for this award is open September 1–November 1 annually.