The Grammys are this Sunday! While those of us in the MakeMusic office have our fingers crossed for our favorite artists, including Gordon Goodwin and fellow Finale users Tim Davies and Darcy James Argue, we already know the winner of one of the awards.
CBS This Morning announced today that Keith Hancock, the choral director at Tesoro High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, California has won this year’s Music Educator Award. This award recognizes teachers for their remarkable impact on students’ lives. Congratulations, Keith!
Now in its third year, this honor is presented through a partnership between The Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Foundation. It was established to “recognize current educators (kindergarten through college, public, and private schools) 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 schools.”
Past recipients include Jared Cassedy and Phillip Riggs.
The Finalists
We’d like to take a moment to also recognize the 290 quarter-finalists, the 25 semi-finalists, and the nine other finalists below:
- Erica Breitbarth, Reagan IB High School, Milwaukee, WI
- David Dehner, Monte Vista Christian School, Watsonville, CA
- Jose Diaz, MacArthur Senior High School, Houston, TX
- Elizabeth Hankins, Lakewood High School, Lakewood, OH
- Keith Hart Sr., KIPP Believe College Prep, New Orleans, LA
- Henry Miller, Sierra Vista Middle School, Irvine, CA
- Richard Nickerson, Windham High School, Windham, ME
- Ulli Reiner, Bernardo Heights Middle School, Poway, CA
- Nicole Thompson, Taylor Road Middle School, Johns Creek, GA
As the winner, Keith will be flown to Los Angeles to attend the 59th Annual GRAMMY Awards ceremony and other GRAMMY Foundation events. In addition, he will receive a $10,000 honorarium. The other nine finalists will receive a $1,000 honorarium, and the schools of all 10 finalists will receive matching grants. Additionally, the previously named 15 semifinalists will receive a $500 honorarium with matching school grants for the first time in the award’s history.
Again we’d like to extend our congratulations to Keith and all the finalists, and our heartfelt thanks to all music educators. Find more details, including how you can nominate an educator for next year’s award, at the GRAMMY in the Schools website.