Mickey Smith, Jr. is the 2020 Music Educator Award Winner!
The 2021 Music Educator Award Winner will be announced during GRAMMY Week, 2021.
Submit nominations and applications here for the 2022 Award.
For every performer who makes it to the GRAMMY stage, there was a teacher who played a critical role in getting them there. And really, that's true for all of us who are making music today. Maybe they introduced you to your first instrument. Or they showed you how to get over your stage fright. Or maybe they just inspired you to have the confidence to go for it when you were ready to give up.
It's time to say thank you to ALL of those teachers who put in ALL of those hours to make sure that ALL of us love and play music today! And who better to do that than the people who bring you the GRAMMY Awards?
We'll select 10 finalists including one winner each year to be recognized for their remarkable impact. The winner will be flown to Los Angeles to attend the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards in early 2021, receive the Music Educator Award at a ceremony during GRAMMY Week, plus pick up a $10,000 personal honorarium. All finalists will receive a $1,000 honorarium, while semifinalists receive a $500 honorarium.
Make your thanks real by nominating your teacher today!
Who is Eligible?
Current, full-time educators in the U.S., who teach music in public or private schools, Kindergarten through College. Teachers in after-school, private studios, or other educational settings are not eligible. Teachers who are planning to retire at the end of the current school year are not eligible.
Who Can Nominate?
Music Teachers
This is NOT the time to be shy. You spend your time basking in the reflected glory of your students' success. This award is a unique opportunity for the attention of the country to be drawn to the incredible value of great teaching, as a critical profession for all of our benefit. You can be the representative of the efforts of music teachers all across the country.
Take the advice you no doubt give all your students – reach for every opportunity that presents itself. It's your turn now.
School Administrators
You know who those fantastic teachers are in your school who are too shy or too humble to raise their hand for this terrific honor. And that means some really deserving teachers won't even be considered. You can make sure that doesn't happen by completing the nomination and/or application process on their behalf.
So get them into the game. All you need to get started is their name, school, city and nominee's email address. You and your nominee will then be provided what you need to complete the full application.
Students, Parents and Everybody Else
Here is your chance to give something back to the passionate and committed teachers who helped make you the person you are today. What a great way to say "thank you!"
All we need from you is your nominee's name, school, city and email address. Your nominee will then be notified via email to complete the application process on their own.
CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE YOUR FAVORITE MUSIC TEACHER
Recording Academy Members
You know who those fantastic teachers are in your community who are too shy or too humble to raise their hand for this terrific honor. And that means some really deserving teachers won't even be considered. You can make sure that doesn't happen by completing the nomination and/or application process on their behalf.
So get them into the game. All you need to get started is their name, school, city and nominee's email address. You and your nominee will then be provided what you need to complete the full application.
Current elected leaders and staff of the Recording Academy and its affiliates are not eligible to apply.
For more information on evaluation criteria and process, please click here.
The facts about the importance of music education don’t lie. Here are a few we think are important:
- Students in high-quality school music programs score higher on standardized tests compared to students in schools with deficient music education programs, regardless of the socioeconomic level of the school or school district.
- Schools that have music programs have significantly higher attendance rates than do those without programs (93.3 percent as compared to 84.9 percent).
- Schools that have music programs have significantly higher graduation rates than do those without music programs (90.2 percent as compared to 72.9 percent). In addition, those that rate their programs as "excellent or very good" have an even higher graduation rate (90.9 percent).
- The combined results of 30 studies indicate that music instruction is linked to significantly improved reading skills.
The GRAMMY Music Educator Award is supported by the NAMM Foundation, the National Association for Music Education, and the National Education Association.
