Nearly Every 2018 GRAMMY Semifinalist is a NAfME Member
This week, the GRAMMY Foundation announced its 25 semifinalists for the 2018 GRAMMY Music Educator Award™. More than 2,300 initial nominations were submitted from all 50 states; semifinalists were selected from 25 cities across 17 states. NAfME is delighted to announce that 22 of the 25 GRAMMY semifinalists are active members of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). From band and orchestra directors to choral conductors and elementary school general music teachers, NAfME congratulates each of these inspiring, dedicated, and driven 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 Foundation.
Here are this year’s semifinalists. NAfME Members are highlighted in bold.
|
Bonnie Anderson |
Coronado Village Elementary |
Universal City, TX |
|
Pamela Andrews |
Station Camp Elementary School |
Gallatin, TN |
|
Drew Benware |
Saranac Lake High School |
Saranac Lake, NY |
|
John Churchville |
Go Like The Wind Elementary School |
Ann Arbor, MI |
|
Victor de los Santos |
Santa Ana High School |
Santa Ana, CA |
|
Michelle Droe |
Lincoln Elementary |
Cedar Falls, IA |
|
Dale Duncan |
Henderson Middle School |
Atlanta, GA |
|
Curtis Gaesser |
Folsom High School |
Folsom, CA |
|
Ralph Jackson |
Bridle Path Elementary School |
Lansdale, PA |
|
Brandi Jason |
Liberty High School |
Eldersburg, MD |
|
Mike Kurilko |
Trenton High School |
Trenton, MI |
|
Kate Margrave |
Pine Creek High School |
Colorado Springs, CO |
|
Chris Maunu |
Arvada West High School |
Arvada, CO |
|
Darren McCoy |
Oak Harbor High School |
Oak Harbor, WA |
|
Aaron Rex |
Jackson High School |
Jackson, OH |
|
David Reynolds Jr. |
Vienna Elementary School |
Vienna, VA |
|
David Rhen |
Towson High School |
Towson, MD |
|
Melissa Salguero |
P.S. 48 Joseph R. Drake |
Bronx, NY |
|
Bonnie Scholz |
Pius XI Catholic High School |
Milwaukee, WI |
|
Joani Slawson |
Saturn Elementary |
Cocoa, FL |
|
Laura Steigerwald McCoy |
St. Joseph Central Elementary School |
Fort Wayne, IN |
|
Amy J. Steiner |
Hutchinson Central Technical High School |
Buffalo, NY |
|
Vicky Stockton |
New York State School for the Deaf |
Rome, NY |
|
James Yaques |
Palm Beach Central High School |
Wellington, FL |
|
Davey Yarborough |
Duke Ellington School of the Arts |
Washington, DC |
The ten finalists will be announced in December.
The 2018 GRAMMY Music Educator, selected out of the ten finalists, will be flown out to New York to attend the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards, and attend various GRAMMY Foundation events. The nine additional finalists will each receive a $1,000 honorarium; the schools of all ten finalists will receive matching grants.
Fifteen semifinalists will also receive a $500 honorarium with matching school grants. Read a list of the quarterfinalists featuring NAfME Members.
The honorariums and grants provided to the finalists and schools are made possible through the support of the GRAMMY Foundation’s Education Champions: Converse; Journeys; Ford Motor Company Fund; the Hot Topic Foundation; the Ella Fitzgerald Foundation; Royal Bank of Canada; BestBuy; and Brookfield Properties. In addition, the American Choral Directors Association, the National Association for Music Education, the NAMM Foundation, and the National Education Association support this program through outreach to their constituencies.
All four of the previous GRAMMY Music Educator honorees - Kent Knappenberger, Jared Cassedy, Phillip Riggs, and Keith Hancock – are NAfME Members.
More information about the GRAMMY Educator Award is available here. Nominations for the 2019 Music Educator Award are open for both teachers, students, and the public to nominate a music educator that inspires them today. Best of luck to NAfME’s semifinalists!
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The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) provides a number of forums for the sharing of information and opinion, including blogs and postings on our website, articles and columns in our magazines and journals, and postings to our Amplify member portal. Unless specifically noted, the views expressed in these media do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Association, its officers, or its employees.
Elizabeth Baker, Social Media Coordinator and Copywriter. October 20, 2017. © National Association for Music Education (NAfME.org)
