Do you know an exemplary music educator? Nominate that teacher for the George N. Parks Leadership in Music Education Award! Developed by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) and Music for All, the award is named for the late George Parks. The nomination deadline is October 1, 2015.
George N. Parks (1953-2010), was director of the Minuteman Marching Band at the University of Massachusetts Amherst from 1977 until his death. Considered a national authority on drum majoring, he led the George N. Parks Drum Major Academy, a summer workshop program for high school drum majors.
Parks also received one of NAfME’s most significant honors when he was posthumously named a Lowell Mason Fellow in 2010.
The George N. Parks Award recipient will demonstrate:
- Collaborative spirit
- Dedication to knowing students as individuals
- Perseverance and enthusiasm
- Ability to instill qualities in students beyond achievement in music
“The George N. Parks Award honors an exemplary music educator who embodies the characteristics and leadership that Mr. Parks showed his students every day,” said Michael A. Butera, Executive Director and CEO of NAfME.
“A well-rounded music program makes for well-rounded people, and I truly believe that music makes a significant difference in our students’ lives.”
Cynthia Napierkowski, director of bands at Salem (Massachusetts) High School, a member of NAfME and the Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA), was the recipient of the 2014 George N. Parks Award for Leadership in Music Education. She received the award at the Bands of America Grand National Championships in Indianapolis in November 2014.
“I go to work every day ready to do battle, not with the students but for the students,” Napierkowski said after her selection. “A well-rounded music program makes for well-rounded people, and I truly believe that music makes a significant difference in our students’ lives. I was fortunate to have some wonderful teachers growing up, and my way of paying them back and saying ‘thank you’ to them is to try to make a difference for my own students. I want my students to have someone who believes in them and someone who will stand by them when the going gets tough.”
If you know a praiseworthy music teacher like that, nominate that music educator for this prestigious award!
Learn about the nomination process. Or contact Jill Staton at NAfME for more information.
The 2015 recipient will be brought to Bands of America Grand National Championships in Indianapolis in November 2015 to accept the award on the field.
Photos of Ms. Napierkowski courtesy of Music for All and Jolesch Enterprises.
Roz Fehr, Communications Content Developer, July 9, 2015. © National Association for Music Education (NAfME.org).
