NAfME BLOG
Thirteen of the 2023 GRAMMY Music Educator Award™ Semifinalists Are NAfME Members
Thirteen of the 2023 GRAMMY Music Educator Award™ Semifinalists Are NAfME Members
Announcing the 25 Selected Semifinalists
The Recording Academy™ and GRAMMY Museum® have announced the 25 semifinalists for the 2023 GRAMMY Music Educator Award™. More than 1,205 initial nominations were submitted from 47 states; semifinalists were selected from 25 cities across 18 states. NAfME is delighted to announce that 13* of the 25 GRAMMY semifinalists are active members of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). NAfME congratulates each of these inspiring, dedicated, and noteworthy music educators.
The GRAMMY Music Educator Award was first introduced to highlight the meaningful work done daily by thousands of music educators across the United States, from kindergarten to college, from public to private schools. Teachers honored with this award have made clear contributions to music education, and have committed to the cause of preserving and maintaining music education in schools. The award is a partnership and joint presentation of The Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Museum.
Here are this year’s semifinalists. NAfME members are highlighted in bold.
| Name | School | City | State |
| Matt McKagan | Lindero Canyon Middle School | Agoura Hills | California |
| Tammy Yi | Chapman University | Orange | California |
| Patrick Smith | Cooperative Arts & Humanities Magnet High School | New Haven | Connecticut |
| Wayne Splettstoeszer | Torrington High School | Torrington | Connecticut |
| Ernesta Chicklowski | Roosevelt Elementary | Tampa | Florida |
| Trevor Nicholas | Senn Arts at Nicholas Senn High School | Chicago | Illinois |
| Bethany Robinson | Noblesville High School | Noblesville | Indiana |
| Cory Joy Craig | Benton Intermediate School | Benton | Louisiana |
| Tony Small | Pallotti Arts Academy | Laurel | Maryland |
| Aaron Bush | Foxborough High School | Foxborough | Massachusetts |
| Kevin McDonald | Wellesley High School | Wellesley | Massachusetts |
| Matthew Shephard | Meridian Early College High School | Sanford | Michigan |
| David Davis | Park Spanish Immersion Elementary School | St. Louis Park | Minnesota |
| Alice Tsui | New Bridges Elementary | Brooklyn | New York |
| Antoine Dolberry | P.S. 103 Hector Fontanez School | Bronx | New York |
| Brian McMath | Northwest Guilford High School | Greensboro | North Carolina |
| Jack A. Eaddy, Jr. | Western Carolina University | Cullowhee | North Carolina |
| Katie Silcott | Olentangy Shanahan Middle School | Lewis Center | Ohio |
| Ryan Bulgarelli | Loyalsock Township High School | Williamsport | Pennsylvania |
| William Bennett | Cane Bay High School | Summerville | South Carolina |
| Marisa Frank | Nashville Classical Charter School | Nashville | Tennessee |
| Christine Cumberledge | Central Junior High School | Euless | Texas |
| Jorge L. Garcia | Elias Herrera Middle School | Laredo | Texas |
| Pamela Dawson | DeSoto High School | DeSoto | Texas |
| Phil Aguglia | Permian High School | Odessa | Texas |
* This number reflects those whose memberships were current at the time of this announcement and is subject to change.
The ten finalists will be announced in December.
The 2023 GRAMMY Music Educator, 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 2023. 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.
The honorariums and grants provided to the finalists and schools are made possible through the support of the GRAMMY Museum’s Education Champion Ford Motor Company Fund. Outreach for this program has been assisted by the American Choral Directors Association, National Association for Music Education, NAMM Foundation, and National Education Association.
Seven of the previous nine GRAMMY Music Educator honorees, Kent Knappenberger, Jared Cassedy, Phillip Riggs, Keith Hancock, Melissa Salguero, Jeffery Redding, and Mickey Smith Jr. are NAfME members. 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 2024 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, 2023, and applications are due March 30, 2023. Best wishes to the semifinalists for the 2023 award!
October 29, 2022. © National Association for Music Education (NAfME.org)
