NAfME BLOG
Seven of Ten GRAMMY Music Educator Finalists for 2026 Are NAfME Members
Seven of Ten GRAMMY Music Educator Finalists for 2026 Are NAfME Members
The Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Museum® announced ten finalists for the 2026 GRAMMY Music Educator Award™, and seven of the ten are members of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME)*. The finalists include 10 music teachers from 10 cities across 10 states. In total, more than 2,000 initial nominations from 50 states were submitted. NAfME joins in celebrating all of these inspiring, dedicated, and noteworthy music educators.
Here are this year’s finalists. NAfME members are highlighted in bold.*
| Jean-Paul Balmat | Mission Bay High School | San Diego | California |
| Stephen Blanco | Las Vegas High School | Las Vegas | Nevada |
| Jasmine Fripp | Tennessee State University | Nashville | Tennessee |
| Lisa Sunset Holt | Cedar Park High School | Cedar Park | Texas |
| Alyson Humphrey Smith | A.C. Steere Elementary School | Shreveport | Louisiana |
| Jennifer Jimenez | South Miami Sr. High School | Miami | Florida |
| Kevin McDonald | Wellesley High School | Wellesley | Massachusetts |
| Bill Podolski | H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program | Arlington | Virginia |
| Kevin Schoenbach | Oswego High School | Oswego | Illinois |
| Matthew Shephard | Meridian Early College High School | Sanford | Michigan |
* This number reflects those whose memberships were current at the time of this announcement and is subject to change.
The 2026 GRAMMY Music Educator Award honoree, selected out of the ten finalists, will receive a $10,000 honorarium and matching grant for their school’s music program, and be recognized during GRAMMY Week 2026. The nine additional finalists will each receive a $1,000 honorarium with matching school grants. Fifteen semifinalists will also receive a $500 honorarium with matching school grants. Here are the semifinalists with NAfME members noted.
The Music Educator Award program, including honorariums, is made possible by the generosity and support of The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation. 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.
Ten of the previous twelve GRAMMY Music Educator honorees are NAfME members: Kent Knappenberger, Jared Cassedy, Phillip Riggs, Keith Hancock, Melissa Salguero, Jeffery Redding, Mickey Smith Jr., Pamela Dawson, Annie Ray, and Adrian Maclin—the 2025 GRAMMY Music Educator Award recipient. The 2021 GRAMMY Music Educator Award recipient is Jeffrey Murdock, associate professor of music at the University of Arkansas, and the 2022 GRAMMY Music Educator Award recipient is Stephen Cox, band director at Eastland High School in Eastland, Texas.
More information about the GRAMMY Music Educator Award is available here.
Nominations for the 2027 Music Educator Award are open for both teachers, students, and the public to nominate a music educator who inspires them. Nominations are due March 15, 2026, and applications are due March 31, 2026.
Congratulations and best wishes to the finalists!
