NAfME Congratulates Member Melissa Salguero, Named 2018 GRAMMY Music Educator Award Honoree

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Catherina Hurlburt at NAfME
catherinah@nafme.org or (571) 323-3395

National Association for Music Education Congratulates Member Melissa Salguero
Named 2018 GRAMMY Music Educator Award^TM Honoree

All Five GRAMMY Music Educator Award^TM Recipients Are NAfME Members

RESTON, VA (January 29, 2018)—The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) congratulates music educator Melissa Salguero on being honored with the prestigious 2018 Music Educator Award^TM. The honor presented by The Recording Academy® and the GRAMMY Foundation® is well-deserved. Melissa is a member of NAfME and the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA). This is the fifth year the Music Educator Award has been presented, and all five years the winners have been members of NAfME: Kent Knappenberger (2014); Jared Cassedy (2015); Phillip Riggs (2016); Keith Hancock (2017); and now Melissa Salguero (2018).

Melissa Salguero has taught at P.S. 48 Joseph R. Drake in the Bronx, New York, for the past seven years. Before Melissa arrived, P.S. 48 did not have a music program or even a school song. Today, students have a robust music program under Melissa’s direction, including a before-school band program. Two years ago, she appeared on the talk show “Ellen” after the school was broken into and musical instruments were stolen and vandalized; host Ellen DeGeneres replaced instruments and gave the school $50,000.

“NAfME congratulates Melissa Salguero on this distinguished recognition,” said Michael J. Blakeslee, Executive Director and CEO of NAfME. “Under her direction, the students of P.S. 48 have experienced the significant benefits of music education and the joy of making music each day. Melissa’s dedication to the difference music education can make in her students’ lives is laudable. She is an exemplary member of NAfME, and we applaud her accomplishments.”

“I am who I am today because of music education!” Melissa shared recently with NAfME. “My teachers instilled a work ethic in me that won’t quit until it is done right! They also taught me that sometimes the size of those steps is small, but the important part is to keep moving toward your goal.”

“I want [my students] to experience what it is like to work as a team and overcome all the challenges they may face along the way.”

“The main goal of my music program is to connect my students through music,” Melissa added. “I want them to experience what it is like to work as a team and overcome all the challenges they may face along the way.”

Melissa Salguero was acknowledged on the GRAMMY Award broadcast Sunday, January 28, 2018.

As the GRAMMY Foundation describes, 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.

In this fifth year of the award, eight of the 10 finalists for the Music Educator Award are members of NAfME. All of these teachers’ positive impact on their students’ lives and tireless advocacy for music education are invaluable in U.S. education today. Nominations for the 2019 Music Educator Award are being accepted through March 15, and teacher applications need to be completed by March 31: www.grammymusicteacher.com.

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National Association for Music Education, among the world’s largest arts education organizations, is the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. NAfME advocates at the local, state, and national levels; provides resources for teachers, parents, and administrators; hosts professional development events; and offers a variety of opportunities for students and teachers. The Association orchestrates success for millions of students nationwide and has supported music educators at all teaching levels for more than a century. With more than 60,000 members, the organization is the national voice of music education in the United States.

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For additional information, contact Catherina Hurlburt at catherinah@nafme.org or 703-860-4000.