#NewYorkNotes @RecordingAcad 216 Quarterfinalists Announced For 2021 Music Educator Award Presented By The Recording Academy And GRAMMY Museum
216 QUARTERFINALISTS ANNOUNCED FOR 2021 MUSIC EDUCATOR AWARD™ PRESENTED BY THE RECORDING ACADEMY® AND GRAMMY MUSEUM®
RECIPIENT AND FINALISTS TO RECEIVE CASH HONORARIUMS, WITH GENEROUS SUPPORT AND RESOURCES PROVIDED BY FORD MOTOR COMPANY FUND
WHO:
A total of 216 music teachers from 199 cities have been announced as quarterfinalists for the Music Educator Award™ presented by the Recording Academy® and GRAMMY Museum®. In total, nearly 2,000 initial nominations were submitted. In addition to our quarterfinalists, 91 legacy applicants from 2020 will also be eligible to win the award this year.
QUARTERFINALISTS
Name School City State
Angela Adams Old Mill High School Millersville Maryland
Samantha Alexander Dyker IS 201 Brooklyn New York
Ellice Amendolare Eastridge High School Rochester New York
Bonnie Anderson Miller's Point Elementary Converse Texas
Peter Antony The Bayard School Wilmington Delaware
Justin Antos Dwight D. Eisenhower High School Blue Island Illinois
Hannah Gadd Ardrey Lafayette High School Oxford Mississippi
Gabriel Arnold Nicholls State University Thibodaux Louisiana
David Bachart New Hope-Solebury High School New Hope Pennsylvania
Michelle Bade West View Elementary Muncie Indiana
Kendra Balmer Russell Byers Charter School Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Mario Banks Science Park High School Newark New Jersey
Kenneth Bedwell St. James High School Murrells Inlet South Carolina
Chris Behrens Beloit Memorial High School Beloit Wisconsin
Deanna Bell Vestavia Hills Elementary East Vestavia Hills City Schools Alabama
Elizabeth Bennett Buffalo Grove High School Buffalo Grove Illinois
Lisa Bennett Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School West Chester Pennsylvania
Brandon Bitner Central Dauphin High School Harrisburg Pennsylvania
Alisha Bowden Richmond Hill Middle School Richmond Hill Georgia
Nathan Bowman West Rowan Middle School Salisbury North Carolina
Chris Branam North Carolina State University Raleigh North Carolina
Alison Brightwell-Balot Cesar Chavez High School Laveen Arizona
Tashundra Brown Southwind High School Memphis Tennessee
Steve Browne Nashville Community High School Nashville Illinois
Casey Buck Conway High School Conway Arkansas
David Buckle Jonas Salk Middle School Old Bridge New Jersey
Brian Buterbaugh Hershey High School Hershey Pennsylvania
James Byrn Maconaquah High School Bunker Hill Indiana
Alisha Cardwell Riverside High School Williamston North Carolina
Angela Carpenter Harrington Elementary School Lexington Massachusetts
Kendall Carrier Parrish Community High School Parrish Florida
Andrew Challman John Bartram High School Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Chris Cherry Hampshire High School Hampshire Illinois
Candace Chun Eldorado High School Las Vegas Nevada
Jenna Cipolla Dr. Orlando Edreira Academy School 26 Elizabeth New Jersey
Carol Clark Gray-New Gloucester High School Gray Maine
Robert Clark Long Branch High School Long Branch New Jersey
Michael Clements Longfellow Elementary School Eastlake Ohio
Sean Cohen Great Valley High School Malvern Pennsylvania
Matthew Cole Tahoma High School Maple Valley Washington
Ginny Coleman Tuscaloosa County High School Northport Alabama
Melissa Colvin de Zavala Middle School Irving Texas
JD Cooney Mayville High School Mayville Wisconsin
Megan Cooney St. Ambrose University Davenport Iowa
Stephen Cox Eastland High School Eastland Texas
Tiffany Cox Lake Worth High School Lake Worth Florida
Michael Craner Schuylerville Central Schools Schuylerville New York
Brandon Crawford Princeton High School Princeton Illinois
Mark D'Angelo Roosevelt High School Wyandotte Michigan
Jim Daughters Arkansas Tech University Russellville Arkansas
Andy Davis Reavis High School Burbank Illinois
Pamela Dawson DeSoto High School DeSoto Texas
Maria Del Valle Brin The Equity Project Charter School New York New York
John Denton Sunset Ridge School Phoenix Arizona
Paul Destito Jupiter Middle School Jupiter Florida
Christopher Dollar Fishers Island School Fishers Island New York
Brad Drinkwater Connetquot High School Bohemia New York
Lawrence Dubill Hamburg High School Hamburg New York
Christopher Dunmire Franklin High School Franklin Wisconsin
Paul Eaton Girard College Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Paulla Edwards Neil Armstrong Elementary Bettendorf Iowa
Alison Ellis Peninsula High School Gig Harbor Washington
Olander Emmons Greenwood High School Greenwood Mississippi
Brian Endlein Middletown High School Middletown Delaware
Kevin Erickson J. Frank Dobie High School Houston Texas
Tyler Eriksen Eagle High School Eagle Idaho
Jesse Espinosa S. P. Waltrip High School Houston Texas
Krista Fanning Caddo Middle Magnet Shreveport Louisiana
Amy Fetterly Clarence Senior High School Clarence New York
Michelle Folta Columbus State University Columbus Georgia
Mindy Forehand Ola High School McDonough Georgia
Arturo Fuerte Willard Elementary School Evanston Illinois
Michael Gabriel Charles W. Flanagan High School Pembroke Pines Florida
Kevin Garcia-Hettinger Louis D. Brandeis High School San Antonio Texas
James Gaskin Greenwood High School Greenwood South Carolina
Jason Giachetti Huntington High School Huntington New York
Trey Giddens New Manchester High School Douglasville Georgia
David Gleason Green Mountain High School Lakewood Colorado
Andrew Glenn Estrella Foothills High School Goodyear Arizona
Carlos Goncalves Wilson Avenue School of the Performing Arts and Sciences Newark New Jersey
John Gordon Louis L. Redding Middle School Middletown Delaware
Cory Goshorn Arvada High School Arvada Colorado
Dr. Dakeyan Graham King High School Tampa Florida
Mike Guzman Tuscaloosa County High School Northport Alabama
Amanda Hallam Garrett Junior High School Boulder City Nevada
Amanda Hanzlik E.O. Smith High School Storrs Connecticut
Elise Hepworth Missouri Western State University Saint Joseph Missouri
Elizabeth Hering Churchill High School Livonia Michigan
Josh Hettinger Garrett High School Garrett Indiana
Zachary Hilligoss Metamora Township High School Metamora Illinois
Jeff Hodur Coronado High School Colorado Springs Colorado
Christopher Holley Willis Jr. High Chandler Arizona
Kaitlin Holt Saugus High School Santa Clarita California
Jessica Holzworth Fannin County School Systems Blue Ridge Georgia
Dr. Camilla Horne Lincoln University Lincoln University Pennsylvania
Vernon Huff The State University of New York at Fredonia Fredonia New York
Graham Johnson Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School (WHEELS) New York New York
Nathan Johnston Eastmark High School Mesa Arizona
John Jones Lincoln Hall Middle School Lincolnwood Illinois
Robert Kain Mountainburg High School Mountainburg Arkansas
Samuel Kallaos Ruby Major Elementary Nashville Tennessee
Caroline Kaupa Palo Verde Middle School Phoenix Arizona
Dr. Janet Duguay Kirsten South Miami K-8 Center South Miami Florida
Nikkole Kleba New Riegel New Riegel Ohio
Matthew Komula Trinity High School Washington Pennsylvania
Rachel Kramer Orange County School of the Arts Santa Ana California
Matt Lamb Glenwood City High School Glenwood City Wisconsin
Jenny Lanier McDowell High School Marion North Carolina
Jordan Lee Western Guilford High School Greensboro North Carolina
David Lewis Preble Shawnee Jr/Sr High School Camden Ohio
Joshua Light Soddy-Daisy High School Soddy-Daisy Tennessee
Paul Litten Homewood Middle School Homewood Alabama
Julianna LoBiondo Hillsborough High School Hillsborough New Jersey
Dean Marino West Port High School Ocala Florida
Jacob Martin Kaukauna High School Kaukauna Wisconsin
Lauren Martin Spruce Creek High School Port Orange Florida
David Matchim Centennial High School Ellicott City Maryland
Chris Maunu Arvada West High School Arvada Colorado
Rachel Maxwell Traughber Junior High School Oswego Illinois
Richard Maxwell Arcadia High School Phoenix Arizona
Jay McCulley Sunset Middle School Brentwood Tennessee
Tiffany McGrew Bixby Middle School Bixby Oklahoma
Brian McMath Northwest Guilford High School Greensboro North Carolina
Kayla Medlen Cox Landing Elementary School Barboursville West Virginia
Shawna Mendez The Manning School of Academics and Arts Golden Colorado
David Messick Wilde Lake Middle School Columbia Maryland
Chris Mettert East Noble High School Kendallville Indiana
Brian Miears Caddo Mills High School Caddo Mills Texas
Jay Miller Columbia High School Lake City Florida
Ashleigh Moffit Gateway Science Academy Middle School Saint Louis Missouri
Marc Monroe Butler Traditional High School Louisville Kentucky
Patricia Moore Canyon View Elementary School Tucson Arizona
Amber Moss Lakeside Middle School Hot Springs Arkansas
Khristina Motley Hillcrest High Tuscaloosa Alabama
Ryan Muir South Kingstown High School South Kingstown Rhode Island
Jeffrey Murdock The University of Arkansas Fayetteville Arkansas
Stephanie Nelson Liberty-Eylau High School Texarkana Texas
Mark Nichols Brazoswood High School Clute Texas
Adam Nobile Big Spring High School Newville Pennsylvania
Lonnie Norwood Chicago Children's Choir Chicago Illinois
Amanda Nottingham William C. Jack Glendale Arizona
Greg Odom Roswell High School Roswell New Mexico
Jeanne Olson Lincoln High School Wisconsin Rapids Wisconsin
Jeremy Overbeck Century High School Bismarck North Dakota
Jim Palmer Allatoona High School Acworth Georgia
Ryan Palmer Coon Rapids High School Coon Rapids Minnesota
Chung Park University of Central Florida Orlando Florida
James Patterson Cross High School Cross South Carolina
Matt Pendrak Amherst Central High School Amherst New York
Debra Perry Coit Creative Arts Academy Grand Rapids Michigan
Craig Peterson Kennedy Secondary School Fergus Falls Minnesota
Anna Petrenko Maple Valley Jr./Sr. High School Vermontville Michigan
Alan Posner Bloomfield Hills High School Bloomfield Hills Michigan
Courtney Powers South Philadelphia High School Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Debra Price Paden City High School Paden City West Virginia
Timothy Price Newport Elementary School Newport North Carolina
Shawna Quinn Vista Ridge High School Colorado Springs Colorado
Kameron Radford Stuart W. Cramer High School Belmont North Carolina
Jose Ramos-Santiago Beaumont Magnet Academy Knoxville Tennessee
Christina Randall Hardeeville-Ridgeland Middle School Hardeeville South Carolina
Becca Rhodes Farmington High School Farmington Utah
Blake Richter Inman Intermediate Nixa Missouri
Kimberly Ritzer Green Valley High School Henderson Nevada
Marcos Rodriguez Avant Garde Academy of Broward Hollywood Florida
Brent Rose Kelly Walsh High School Casper Wyoming
Chad Rose Worland High School Worland Wyoming
Lenae Rose Morgan County High School Madison Georgia
Ben Rosier Vicksburg High School Vicksburg Michigan
Lynne Ruda Lancaster High School Lancaster New York
Zachary Ruffert Smoky Hill High School Aurora Colorado
Stefanie Sagaro Academy for International Education Charter School Miami Springs Florida
Jenna Sandman First Avenue School Newark New Jersey
Erin Scalisi Nimitz High School Irving Texas
Mathew Schick Crescenta Valley High School La Crescenta California
Kevin Schoenbach Oswego High School Oswego Illinois
Kati Seiter Whitnall Middle School Greenfield Wisconsin
Natalie Sheeler Sturgis Charter Public School Hyannis Massachusetts
Shahniz Shirazi Arizona Conservatory for Arts & Academics Phoenix Arizona
Alex Shive Cartersville City Schools Cartersville Georgia
Christopher Shumick Milton High School Milton Georgia
Katie Silcott Olentangy Shanahan Middle School Lewis Center Ohio
Michelle Smith Heathrow Elementary School Lake Mary Florida
Bethany Stearns-Miller Waccamaw Intermediate School Pawleys Island South Carolina
Shannon Stephens Lookout Valley Middle High School Chattanooga Tennessee
Kurt Stroman Legend High School Parker Colorado
Kokoe Tanaka-Suwan Purchase & Parsons Memorial Elementary Schools Harrison Central New York
Rachel Taylor East Silver Spring Elementary School Silver Spring Maryland
Shane Thomas University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music Cincinnati Ohio
Michelle Tolvo-Chan Helix Charter High School La Mesa California
Christopher Toomey Mineola High School Garden City Park New York
Matthew Trevino Roan Forest Elementary San Antonio Texas
Brenna Tripp Manteno Elementary School Manteno Illinois
Timothy Trost Ayala High School Chino Hills California
Neil Underwood Lenoir-Rhyne University Hickory North Carolina
Casey Unger West Allis Central High School West Allis Wisconsin
José Valenzuela Lehman High School Kyle Texas
David Vickerman San José State University San Jose California
Dominic Vitale Sage Ridge School Reno Nevada
Patrick Volker Scarborough High School Scarborough Maine
Donald Walter Northwest Guilford Middle School Greensboro North Carolina
Rebecca Wand New Castle Middle School New Castle Indiana
Lynne Weimer Portville Central School Portville New York
Nick Weiser State University of New York at Fredonia Fredonia New York
Joshua Wentz Los Angeles Mission College Sylmar California
Dustin Wiley Firelands High School Oberlin Ohio
Lisa Williamson Casselberry Elementary Casselberry Florida
Tracy Williamson Gorham Middle School Gorham Maine
Kelly Winovich Northgate Middle/Senior High School Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
Jeanine Woodman John S. Clark Elementary Waukegan Illinois
Mark Wozniak Padua Franciscan High School Parma Ohio
Ryan Wright South Lake High School Groveland Florida
Daniel Wyman Marshfield High School Marshfield Missouri
Cedric Young Westlake High School Atlanta Georgia
Christina Young Atrisco Heritage Academy High School Albuquerque New Mexico
Ronnie Ziccardi Avonworth Elementary School Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
LEGACY APPLICANTS
Name School City State
James Allder Greenbrier East High School Lewisburg West Virginia
Nathaniel Arnold Upper Dublin High School Fort Washington Pennsylvania
Amanda Balarin Southwest Legacy High School Von Ormy Texas
Patrick Beare Tony Hillerman Middle School Albuquerque New Mexico
Gary Bernice Springfield High School of Science and Technology Springfield Massachusetts
Matthew Blom Eagle School Intermediate Martinsburg West Virginia
Cherie Bowe William M. Colmer Middle School Pascagoula Mississippi
Brittany Brings Centennial High School Boise Idaho
Douglas Brown Middleton High School Middleton Wisconsin
Tim Brown Ripley High School Ripley Ohio
Vashti Burgess Marlton Elementary School Upper Marlboro Maryland
Andrea Burke Binford Middle School Richmond Virginia
Jamin Burton Colony High School Palmer Alaska
Teresa Cameron Eastside Elementary School Lake City Florida
Justin Cusick Osceola County School for the Arts Kissimmee Florida
Christina Custode Niagara Falls High School Niagara Falls New York
David Dehner Monte Vista Christian School Watsonville California
Patrick Dunham Dundee Central School Dundee New York
David Eckert New Braunfels High School New Braunfels Texas
Kurt Eckhardt Newtown High School Sandy Hook Connecticut
Stephen Elford Hancock Place High School Saint Louis Missouri
Christina Farrell Long Beach Middle School Long Beach New York
Mina Flateau Woodsville High School Woodsville New Hampshire
Deborah Fleischer Schofield Middle School Las Vegas Nevada
Claire Foote Jesse S. Bobo Elementary School Spartanburg South Carolina
Laurence Glenzer Nekoosa High School Nekoosa Wisconsin
Sheena Graham Warren Harding High School Bridgeport Connecticut
Melissa Gustafson-Hinds O'Fallon Township High School O'Fallon Illinois
Eric Hahn Bangor Area High School Bangor Pennsylvania
Micah Haven Meeker Middle School Tacoma Washington
Levert Hedgemon, Jr. Westlawn Middle School Tuscaloosa Alabama
Tim Heichelheim Skyview High School/Alki Middle School Vancouver Washington
Michael Hood Wissahickon Senior High School Ambler Pennsylvania
Lea Ivanovic One World Middle School The Bronx New York
Gerard Patrick Jones University High School Fresno California
Richard Kane Mount Union Area Jr./Sr. High School Mount Union Pennsylvania
Michael Kasper Carpentersville Middle School Carpentersville Illinois
Lou Kitchner Bedford Middle School Westport Connecticut
Michael Leonas Ginnings Elementary Denton Texas
Clarissa López Meridian World School Round Rock Texas
Jager Loyde Round Rock ISD Round Rock Texas
Edward Luckey Wilson Southern Middle School West Lawn Pennsylvania
Ryan Mack P.S. 52K Sheepshead Bay Brooklyn New York
LisaAnn MacVicar Hackensack High School Hackensack New Jersey
Anthony Marinello Illinois State University Normal Illinois
Melinda Mauter Drew Charter School Atlanta Georgia
Alyxis Mayeaux Brusly High School Brusly Louisiana
Anthony Mazzocchi John J Cali School of Music; Montclair State University Montclair New Jersey
Matt McVeigh Fond du Lac High School Fond du Lac Wisconsin
Sarah Milazzo-Payne Bryan Station Middle School Lexington Kentucky
Rodney Miller Port Clinton City Schools Port Clinton Ohio
Samuel Minge East Clinton High School Sabina Ohio
Laura Moates Stanley Brookwood High School Snellville Georgia
Michael Murphy Sherrard Middle School Wheeling West Virginia
Mark Nichols Brazoswood High School Clute Texas
Meredith Olson Longfellow Elementary/Vernon Middle School Marion Iowa
Topher Otake Moberly Middle School Moberly Missouri
Kristy Pagan Amelia Earha Hialeah Florida
Kelly Parra PS/IS 266 Bellerose New York
Rob Pethel Sutton Middle School Atlanta Georgia
Jason Phipps Ridgway Area School District Ridgway Pennsylvania
Jaime Pitnell Buffalo Academy for Visual & Performing Arts Buffalo New York
John Pohland Waconia High School Waconia Minnesota
Juvon Pollard Belaire STEAM Magnet High School Baton Rouge Louisiana
Bryan Poyzer North Dakota State College of Science Wahpeton North Dakota
Amy Putlock Broughal Middle School (Bethlehem Area School District) Bethlehem Pennsylvania
Jennifer Reece Dunlap High School Dunlap Illinois
John Riley Crawford High School San Diego California
Daniel Robbins La Paz Intermediate Mission Viejo California
Marcos Rodriguez Avant Garde Academy Of Broward Broward Florida
Xavier Rodriguez Covert Avenue School Elmont New York
Chad Rose Worland High School/Worland Middle School Worland Wyoming
Thomas Ruggieri Boardman High School Youngstown Ohio
Markeise Russell Nicholas Senn High School Chicago Illinois
Heather Schenck Mountain Range High School Westminster Colorado
Kati Seiter Whitnall Middle School Greenfield Wisconsin
Brandon Sparkman Chester Elementary School Chester New York
Suzanne Spencer Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Elisabeth (Betsy) Stambach-Fuller South Glens Falls High School South Glens Falls New York
Beverly Stearns Williams High School and Williams Elementary/Middle School Williams Arizona
Zachary Sullivan Bradford High School Starke Florida
Noah Teachey The Urban Assembly School for Applied Math and Science Bronx New York
Martin Urbach Harvest Collegiate High School New York New York
Jeffrey Van Dusen BASIS Mesa Mesa Arizona
Matthew Vanzini Mount Olive High School Flanders New Jersey
Anthony Vittore Elmore County High School Eclectic Alabama
Erich Wald Russell O. Brackman Middle School Barnegat New Jersey
Eric Willoughby Woodland High School Cartersville Georgia
Christopher Wink North Babylon High School North Babylon New York
Cory Zilisch Westport Middle School Louisville Kentucky
WHAT:
The Music Educator Award 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 the schools. A joint partnership and presentation of the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum, 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. The eighth annual honoree will be flown to Los Angeles to attend the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards® and a range of GRAMMY Week events. The nine additional finalists will receive a $1,000 honorarium, and the schools of all 10 finalists will receive matching grants.
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.
WHEN:
The semifinalists will be announced in September.
WHERE:
For more information, please visit www.grammymusicteacher.com.
ABOUT THE GRAMMY MUSEUM
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.
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.
