Neil Freebern ’89 of Burr & Burton Academy (Manchester, VT), Kyle Kubicki ’14 of Norwood (NJ) Public School, and Brian Messier ’11 of Belchertown (MA) High School are quarterfinalists for 2018 GRAMMY Music Educator Award.
A total of 197 music teachers from 187 cities across 45 states plus Washington, D.C., have been announced as quarterfinalists for the Music Educator Award™ presented by the Recording Academy® and the GRAMMY Museum®. In total, more than 2,300 initial nominations were submitted from all 50 states.
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 the GRAMMY Museum, the recipient will be recognized during GRAMMY® Week 2018.
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 fifth annual honoree will be flown to New York to attend the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awardsand 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 Champions Converse, Disney Performing Arts, Ford Motor Company Fund, and Journeys. 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 semifinalists will be announced in September.