Ten music teachers from ten cities across eight states have been announced as finalists for the Recording Academy and Grammy Foundation’s first annual Music Educator Award. The finalists were culled from more than 30,000 initial nominations submitted from all 50 states.
The Music Educator Award was established to recognize current educators from kindergarten through college 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.
The award will have its inaugural presentation at the Special Merit Awards Ceremony & Nominees Reception honoring recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award, Trustees Award and Technical Grammy Award during Grammy Week 2014.
The winner will be flown to Los Angeles to accept the award, attend the 56th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony and receive a $10,000 honorarium. The nine finalists will receive a $1,000 honorarium, and the schools of all 10 finalists also will receive matching grants.
Companies and organizations supporting the award include the Grammy Foundation’s Education Champions Box Tops For Education, Converse, Ford Motor Company Fund, Journeys, Microsoft Surface and Universal Music Group.
A complete list of finalists is below.
The winner will be announced in January. Applications for the second annual Music Educator Award are currently online; to nominate a teacher, visit GRAMMYMusicTeacher.com. The deadline to nominate is March 31, 2014.
First Name Last Name School City State
Lisa Bianconi Kurn Hattin Homes for Children Westminster Vt.
Charles Cushinery Ed W. Clark High School Las Vegas Nev.
Andrew DeNicola John P. Stevens High School Edison N.J.
Vivian Gonzalez South Miami K-8 Center Miami Fla.
Kent Knappenberger Westfield Academy and Central School Westfield N.Y.
Kathrine Kouns Horizon High School Scottsdale Ariz.
Glen McCarthy George Mason University Fairfax Va.
Steve Vutsinas Grassfield High School Chesapeake Va.
Jo Wallace-Abbie Plano West Senior High School Plano Texas
Mary Jo West George Mason High School Falls Church Va.
