The Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum today announced a total of 10 music teachers as finalists for the 2024 Music Educator Award, the annual honor that recognizes current educators who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the music education field and who also demonstrate a commitment to the broader cause of maintaining music education in the schools. The 10 finalists, who hail from 10 cities across nine states, were selected from more than 2,000 initial nominations submitted from across all 50 U.S. states. See the full list of the 2024 Music Educator Award finalists below.
Each year, one Music Educator Award recipient is selected from 10 finalists and recognized for their remarkable impact on students' lives. The selected recipient will receive a $10,000 honorarium and matching grant for their school's music program. The nine additional finalists will receive a $1,000 honorarium and matching grants. The remaining 15 semifinalists will receive a $500 honorarium with matching school grants.
The ultimate recipient of the 2024 Music Educator Award will be recognized during GRAMMY Week 2024, just days before the 2024 GRAMMYs take place. Quarterfinalists for the 2024 Music Educator Award were announced in May; semifinalists were announced in October.
Nominations for the 2025 Music Educator Award are now open.
2024 MUSIC EDUCATOR AWARD FINALISTS:
| Name | School Name | City | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meg Byrne | Pleasant Valley High School | Bettendorf | Iowa |
| Ernesta Chicklowski | Roosevelt Elementary | Tampa | Florida |
| Michael Coelho | Ipswich Middle and High School | Ipswich | Massachusetts |
| Antoine Dolberry | P.S. 103 Hector Fontanez School | Bronx | New York |
| Jasmine Fripp | KIPP Nashville Collegiate High School | Nashville | Tennessee |
| J.D. Frizzell | Briarcrest Christian School | Eads | Tennessee |
| Coty Raven Morris | Portland State University | Portland | Oregon |
| Annie Ray | Annandale High School | Annandale | Virginia |
| Kevin Schoenbach | Oswego High School | Oswego | Illinois |
| Matthew Shephard | Meridian Early College High School | Sanford | Michigan |
An established partnership between the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum, the Music Educator Award is open to current U.S. music teachers. Anyone can nominate a teacher: students, parents, friends, colleagues, community members, school deans, and administrators. Teachers are also able to nominate themselves. Nominated teachers are notified and invited to fill out an application.
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.
Learn more about the Music Educator Award program.
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