Music Educator Award™ Semifinalists Announced by the Recording Academy® and GRAMMY Museum®

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Recording Academy:

WHO:

A total of 25 music teachers from 24 cities across 16 states, have been announced as semifinalists for the Music Educator Award™ presented by the Recording Academy^®and GRAMMY Museum^®. In total, more than 1,989 initial nominations were submitted from all 50 states. Nominations for the 2022 Music Educator Award are now open at www.grammymusicteacher.com.

Name	School	City	State
Bonnie Anderson	Miller's Point Elementary School	San Antonio	Texas
Justin Antos	Dwight D. Eisenhower High School	Frankfort	Ill.
Elizabeth Bennett	Buffalo Grove High School	Libertyville	Ill.
Angela Carpenter	Harrington Elementary School	Bedford	Mass.
Stephen Cox	Eastland High School	Eastland	Texas
Pamela Dawson	DeSoto High School	DeSoto	Texas
Brad Drinkwater	Connetquot High School	Nesconset	N.Y.
Paul Eaton	Girard College	Lafayette Hill	Pa.
Michelle Folta	Columbus State University	Columbus	Ga.
Amanda Hanzlik	Edwin O. Smith High School	Storrs	Conn.
Elizabeth Hering	Churchill High School	Livonia	Mi.
Graham Johnson	Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School (WHEELS)	New York	N.Y.
Chris Maunu	Arvada West High School	Arvada	Colo.
Richard Maxwell	Arcadia High School	Phoenix	Ariz.
Brian McMath	Northwest Guilford High School	Greensboro	N.C.
Shawna Mendez	The Manning School of Academics and Arts	Lakewood	Colo.
Patricia Moore	Canyon View Elementary School	Tucson	Ariz.
Ryan Muir	South Kingstown High School	Wakefield	R.I.
Jeffrey Murdock	The University of Arkansas	Fayetteville	Ark.
Blake Richter	Nixa Junior High School	Nixa	Mo.
Kimberly Ritzer	Green Valley High School	Henderson	Nev.
Lynne Ruda	Lancaster High School	Lancaster	N.Y.
Matthew Trevino	Roan Forest Elementary	San Antonio	Texas
Donald Walter	Northwest Guilford Middle School and Northwest Guilford High School	Oak Ridge	N.C.
Tracy Williamson	Gorham Middle School	Gorham	Maine

WHAT:	The Music Educator Award recognizes current educators 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 recipient will be recognized during GRAMMY^® Week 2021.
	The award is open to current U.S. music teachers, and anyone can nominate a teacher — students, parents, friends, colleagues, community members, school deans, and administrators.
	Teachers are also able to nominate themselves, and nominated teachers are notified and invited to fill out an application.
	Each year, one recipient is selected from 10 finalists and recognized for their remarkable impact on students' lives. They 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 fifteen semifinalists will receive a $500 honorarium with matching school grants.
	The matching grants provided to the schools are made possible by the generosity and support of the GRAMMY Museum’s Education Champion Ford Motor Company Fund. 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.
	The finalists will be announced in December. For more information, please visit www.grammymusicteacher.com.

ABOUT THE GRAMMY MUSEUM

Established in 2008, the GRAMMY Museum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating a greater understanding of the history and significance of music through exhibits, education, grants, preservation initiatives, and public programming. Paying tribute to our collective musical heritage, the Museum explores and celebrates all aspects of the art form — from the technology of the recording process to the legends who've made lasting marks on our cultural identity.

For more information, visit www.grammymuseum.org, "like" the GRAMMY Museum on Facebook, and follow @GRAMMYMuseum on Twitter and Instagram.

ABOUT THE RECORDING ACADEMY

The Recording Academy represents the voices of performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and all music professionals. Dedicated to ensuring the recording arts remain a thriving part of our shared cultural heritage, the Academy honors music's history while investing in its future through the GRAMMY Museum, advocates on behalf of music creators, supports music people in times of need through MusiCares^®, and celebrates artistic excellence through the GRAMMY Awards — music's only peer-recognized accolade and highest achievement. As the world's leading society of music professionals, we work year-round to foster a more inspiring world for creators.

For more information about the Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, follow @RecordingAcad on Twitter, "like" Recording Academy on Facebook, and join the Recording Academy's social communities on Instagram, Tumblr, and YouTube.

About Ford Motor Company Fund

As the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company, Ford Fund’s mission is to strengthen communities and help make people’s lives better. Working with dealers and nonprofit partners in more than 60 countries, Ford Fund provides access to opportunities and resources that help people reach their full potential. Since 1949, Ford Fund has invested more than $2 billion in programs that support education, promote safe driving, enrich community life and encourage employee volunteering. For more information, visit www.fordfund.org or join us at @FordFund on Facebook and Twitter.