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200 QUARTERFINALISTS ANNOUNCED FOR 2026 MUSIC EDUCATOR AWARD™ PRESENTED BY THE RECORDING ACADEMY® AND GRAMMY MUSEUM®

RECIPIENT, FINALISTS AND SEMI-FINALISTS TO RECEIVE CASH HONORARIUMS, WITH GENEROUS SUPPORT AND RESOURCES PROVIDED BY THE CHUCK LORRE FAMILY FOUNDATION

The Music Educator Award™ was established to recognize current educators (kindergarten through college and 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 2026.

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 12th annual honoree will be flown to Los Angeles to attend the 68th 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 semi-finalists will receive a $500 honorarium with matching school grants. The Music Educator Award program, including honorariums, is made possible by the generosity and support of The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation.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.

LIST

QUARTERFINALISTS

NAME       SCHOOL  CITY STATE
John Aguilar Arlington High School Arlington Washington
Ashley Albert Brunswick High School Brunswick Maine
Ricardo Allen University of Texas at Tyler Tyler Texas
David Amos Heritage Middle School Painesville Ohio
Joshua Anderson University of Nevada, Reno School of Music Reno Nevada
Justin Antos Dwight D. Eisenhower High School Blue Island Illinois
Rebecca Atkins University of Georgia Athens Georgia
Barbara Baker McIntosh High School Peachtree City Georgia
Nick Barthen Moon Area High School Moon Township Pennsylvania
Brett Bawcum University of Georgia Athens Georgia
Nikki Belch West-Oak Middle School Westminster South Carolina
Macy Bell Auburn University Auburn Alabama
Ammy Beltran Valley High School Santa Ana California
Sarah Berglund Richland High School Richland Washington
Jessica Billings-White Lexington Public Schools Lexington Massachusetts
Michael Blostein Averill Park High School Averill Park New York
Shelli Boes General Johnnie Wilson Middle School Lorain Ohio
Alisha Bowden West Jackson Middle School Hoschton Georgia
David Buckle Jonas Salk Middle School Old Bridge New Jersey
Austin Campbell Logan High School Logan West Virginia
Juliana Cantarelli Vita The Bush School Seattle Washington
Helen Capehart Honey Grove High School Honey Grove Texas
Paul Caputo Syosset High School Syosset New York
Tanatchaya Chanphanitpornkit Nyack High School Nyack New York
Sidney Clarke-Lequerique Richard Montgomery High School Rockville Maryland
Michael Coelho Ipswich High School Ipswich Massachusetts
Shane Colquhoun Alabama State University Montgomery Alabama
Andrew Cowell Belleville East High School Belleville Illinois
Glenn Cowen Upper Moreland High School Willow Grove Pennsylvania
Cory Joy Craig North Desoto Middle School Stonewall Louisiana
Laura Del Rosso Lower Manhattan Community Middle School New York New York
Oliver Diez Palmetto Elementary School Pinecrest Florida
Antoine Dolberry P.S. 103 Hector Fontanez School Bronx New York
James Dorsey Rockledge Elementary School Bowie Maryland
Dr. Janet Duguay-Kirsten Dante B. Fascell Elementary Miami Florida
Jennifer Easley Binghamton High School Binghamton New York
Cassandra Eisenreich Slippery Rock University Slippery Rock Pennsylvania
Otis Eldridge Hamilton Elementary Middle School Baltimore City Maryland
Gracie Elswick Salisbury Middle School Salisbury Maryland
Cuauhtemoc Escobedo Eckstein Middle School Seattle Washington
Nick Farr Shorter College North Little Rock Arkansas
Anthony Ferreira Suffield High School West Suffield Connecticut
Katherine Findlay Meadow Park Elementary School Irvine California
Rebecca Fix Oconomowoc Area School District Oconomowoc Wisconsin
Mindy Forehand Ola High School McDonough Georgia
Lisa Fournier-Donley Bourne High School Bourne Massachusetts
Owen Fox Hamlin Robinson School Seattle Washington
Marisa Frank Explore! Community School Nashville Tennessee
Angelete Frein Frontier Middle School O’Fallon Missouri
Kimble Funchess Mississippi School for the Blind Jackson Mississippi
Brian Gallagher Ramona High School Riverside California
Johanna Gamboa-Kroesen University of California Los Angeles Los Angeles California
Kyle Garcia Brooklyn Prospect’s International Elementary School Brooklyn New York
Jim Gasior New World School for the Arts Miami Florida
Rebecca Gehlhoff St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School Alexandria Virginia
Paul Glader Bethel-Tate Middle School Bethel Ohio
Sarah Gleason New Canaan High School New Canaan Connecticut
Jose Antonio Gonzalez Desert Pines High School Las Vegas Nevada
Mansa Gory Denzel Washington School of the Arts Mount Vernon New York
Carroll Gotcher Jackson County Middle School Gainesboro Tennessee
Deanna Grandstaff Cecil Intermediate School McDonald Pennsylvania
Jason Groon Harrisburg High School Harrisburg South Dakota
Kristen Guidoni Hellgate Middle School Missoula Montana
Angela Guira Bartow High School Bartow Florida
Melissa Gustafson-Hinds O’Fallon Township High School O’Fallon Illinois
Anne Halloran Tortora Saint Bernard School Uncasville Connecticut
DaJuana Hammonds Warner Arts Magnet Elementary School Nashville Tennessee
Amanda Hanzlik Edwin O. Smith High School Storrs Connecticut
Bethany Hardwick Scott Morgan Johnson Middle School McKinney Texas
Nathaniel Haskew Albertville Middle School Albertville Alabama
Jessie Marie Haynes Catawba Ridge High School Fort Mill South Carolina
Jessica Heinrich Geneva Community High School Geneva Illinois
Wesley Hemmans Richard C. Spoto Senior High School Riverview Florida
Michael Henderson Chase Middle School Forest City North Carolina
James Henry University of Missouri – St. Louis St. Louis Missouri
Francisco Hernandez Monte Vista Elementary School West Covina California
Shannan Hibbard Wayne State University Detroit Michigan
Tiffany Hitz Robinson Secondary School Fairfax Virginia
Michael Holland Franklin High School Franklin Tennessee
Samuel Holmes Garden Hills Elementary School Atlanta Georgia
Lisa Sunset Holt Cedar Park High School Cedar Park Texas
Brent Hopper Lakeland Preparatory School Lakeland Tennessee
Karen Howard University of St. Thomas St. Paul Minnesota
Alyson Humphrey Smith A.C. Steere Elementary School Shreveport Louisiana
Andria Hyden Bedichek Middle School Austin Texas
Joseph Ianaconi Chateaugay Central School Chateaugay New York
Luis Ingels Candor Elementary School Candor New York
Ben Jaeger Vel Phillips Memorial High School Madison Wisconsin
Rachel Jayson Lexington High School Lexington Massachusetts
Larry Jenkins Tennessee State University Nashville Tennessee
James Johnson Armstrong/John Marshall High School Richmond Virginia
Michael Johnson Minnesota State University Moorhead Moorhead Minnesota
Nathan Johnston Casteel High School Queen Creek Arizona
Cliff Jourdan Taylorville High School Taylorville Illinois
Courtney Kaiser-Sandler Interlochen Arts Academy Interlochen Michigan
Brett Keith Northern Bedford County Middle/High School Loysburg Pennsylvania
Christopher Keniley Sullivan Middle School CUSD 300 Sullivan Illinois
Allen Kessell Franklin High School Reisterstown Maryland
Kaitlyn Koch Waterford-Halfmoon Junior/Senior High School Waterford New York
Alex Kolster Raytown High School Raytown Missouri
Rachel Lake Ilwaco High School Ilwaco Washington
Matthew LaPine Bernards High School Bernardsville New Jersey
Michael Lapomardo Shrewsbury High School Shrewsbury Massachusetts
Michael Leonas-Cabrera Navo Middle School Aubrey Texas
Mary Letson Indian River High School Chesapeake Virginia
Drew Lewis Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts Los Angeles California
Lisa Linde Newton South High School Newton Massachusetts
Michael Lloyd South Florence High School Florence South Carolina
Marc Lumley Valle Crucis School Sugar Grove North Carolina
Morgan Luttig University of Alabama Tuscaloosa Alabama
Zachary Lutz Olson Middle School Tabernacle New Jersey
Darlene Rose Favenir Machacon La Quinta High School Westminster California
Jacob Martin Kaukauna High School Kaukauna Wisconsin
Debbie Martinez Millard North High School Omaha Nebraska
Nate Massa Neal Math and Science Academy North Chicago Illinois
Kevin McDonald Wellesley High School Wellesley Massachusetts
Margaret McKenna Boston Latin School Boston Massachusetts
Ian Melrose Central Heights Middle School Sun Prairie Wisconsin
Jessie Mersinger New Brunswick High School New Brunswick New Jersey
Katie Grace Miller Lake George Elementary Orlando Florida
Arlyn Mills Dorman High School Roebuck South Carolina
Zachary Moser Jordan-Elbridge High School Jordan New York
Ailisa Newhall Canyon Park Middle School Bothell Washington
Adam Nobile Big Spring High School Newville Pennsylvania
Sam Noyce Thomas Jefferson Jr. High School Kearns Utah
Leo Park Maine South High School Park Ridge Illinois
Emily Paulsen Webster Elementary Children’s Center for Integrated Arts Green Bay Wisconsin
Jordan Peters Dr. E. Alma Flagg School Newark New Jersey
Jonathan Plouffe Thurgood Marshall Middle School Lynn Massachusetts
Bill Podolski H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program Arlington Virginia
Alec Powell Lone Peak High School Highland Utah
Benjamin Rabinowitz Willink Middle School Webster New York
Joshua Race Fountain-Fort Carson High School Fountain Colorado
James Reddan Central Washington University Ellensburg Washington
Carlos Redman Stranahan High School Fort Lauderdale Florida
Kelly Rentz Colony High School Palmer Alaska
Stephanie Reyes New Mexico State University Las Cruces New Mexico
Amy Rist Jackson Middle School Grove City Ohio
Kimberly Ritzer Green Valley High School Henderson Nevada
Christopher Rivelli Boston Arts Academy Boston Massachusetts
Mike Robb Irving Middle School Lincoln Nebraska
Raymond Roberts Milwaukee High School of the Arts Milwaukee Wisconsin
Brandon Rockstroh Green Bay Southwest High School Green Bay Wisconsin
Eric Rubinstein Nazareth University Rochester New York
Peter Sampson Whiteland Community High School Whiteland Indiana
Elisabeth Sato Martin Luther King Intermediate School Piscataway New Jersey
Daniel Schantol Lied STEM Academy Las Vegas Nevada
Tracie Scherzer Eisenhower High School Rialto California
John Schnettler Austin Peay State University Clarksville Tennessee
Kevin Schoenbach Oswego High School Oswego Illinois
David Schumacher Pentucket Regional Middle/High School West Newbury Massachusetts
Lisa Screeton Ed Von Tobel Middle School Las Vegas Nevada
Jeff Seba Ridgeview Elementary School Liberty Missouri
Andrew Seymour Percy Julian Middle School Oak Park Illinois
Katie Silcott Olentangy Shanahan Middle School Lewis Center Ohio
Alvin Simpson West Liberty University West Liberty West Virginia
Raymond Sinclair Rockville High School Vernon Connecticut
Karlie Sines Holdrege Middle School Holdrege Nebraska
Connor Skelly Harrison Middle School Harrison Arkansas
Michael Sliwinski Nazareth Academy La Grange Park Illinois
Joel Smales Binghamton High School Binghamton New York
Daniel Smith Florida State University Tallahassee Florida
Joseph Smith Reading Senior High School Reading Pennsylvania
Cathryn Smith Dublin Secondary Dublin Texas
Adria Smith Bear Creek Middle School Fairburn Georgia
Patrick Smith Cooperative Arts and Humanities Magnet High School New Haven Connecticut
Alexandra Snabon Jun Tyrone Thompson Elementary School Las Vegas Nevada
Vincent Sneed Central Gwinnett High School Lawrenceville Georgia
Donald Sorah University of Virginia’s College at Wise Wise Virginia
Joshua Sorenson Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton Junior/Senior High School Janesville Minnesota
Charles Sorto Senatobia High School Senatobia Mississippi
Dr. Kathryn Spangler Mt. Vernon High School Fortville Indiana
Chloe Spitzer Camp Road Middle School Charleston South Carolina
Jeremy Stevens LaSalle-Peru Township High School LaSalle Illinois
Amy Stovall Gray’s Creek High School Hope Mills North Carolina
Alan Sturdivant Monroe High School Monroe North Carolina
Ryan Sullivan Arkansas State University Jonesboro Arkansas
Joseph Svendsen University of Nevada, Las Vegas Las Vegas Nevada
Kamal Talukder Grayslake Central High School Grayslake Illinois
Mark-Anthony Thomas New Orleans Center for Creative Arts New Orleans Louisiana
Chris Thornton John A. Logan College Carterville Illinois
Tom Torrento Grosse Pointe North High School Grosse Pointe Woods Michigan
Alice Tsui New Bridges Elementary Brooklyn New York
Chad Haruo Uyehara Moanalua Middle School Honolulu Hawai‘i
Larry VanMersbergen IC Catholic Prep High School Elmhurst Illinois
Scott Velazco Daytona State College Daytona Beach Florida
Roberto Vidal Eagles Landing Middle School Boca Raton Florida
Valerie Vinnard Cesar Chavez Elementary Long Beach California
Micah Volz St. Clair High School St. Clair Michigan
Shelly Weber Kettle Moraine Middle School Dousman Wisconsin
Elizabeth Weikle Monticello High School Charlottesville Virginia
David Westawski West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South Princeton Junction New Jersey
Dustin Wiley Firelands High School Oberlin Ohio
LeManuel Williams II South Oak Cliff High School Dallas Texas
Eric Williamson PS 32 Samuel Mills Sprole Brooklyn New York
Brandon Winters Westwood High School Austin Texas
Rebecca Wizov Frankford High School Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Michael Wolf Trenton High School Trenton Michigan
Cameron Yassaman Grover Cleveland Charter High School Reseda California
Mary Lee Young Redland Middle School Derwood Maryland

 

 

LEGACY APPLICANTS

NAME       SCHOOL  CITY STATE               
Bryant Adler Alcoa Elementary School Alcoa Tennessee
Patrick Aguayo Rolling Hills Middle School Los Gatos California
Christopher Alberts School Without Walls Washington D.C.
Bobi-Jean Alexander Seneca Valley Senior High School Harmony Pennsylvania
Erin Althen Westhill High School Syracuse New York
Kathleen Amabile Elk Lake Junior/Senior High School Springville Pennsylvania
Michael Antmann Freedom High School Orlando Florida
Amanda Babcock Merrimack Valley Middle/High School Penacook New Hampshire
Eric Bable Crestview High School Columbiana Ohio
Natalie Baker Missoula International School Missoula Montana
Jean-Paul Balmat Mission Bay High School San Diego California
Russell Balusek Edna High School Edna Texas
Lee Anne Barnes Thomas Street Elementary School Tupelo Mississippi
Makynzie Barton Elkton High School Elkton Maryland
Andrew Beasley Pearl High School Pearl Mississippi
Daniel Beilman Oak Park School Sarasota Florida
Andrew Bennett Fredonia High School Fredonia New York
David Billingsley DeLaSalle High School Minneapolis Minnesota
Stephen Blanco Las Vegas High School Las Vegas Nevada
Mike Bogle Dallas College Cedar Valley Campus Dallas Texas
Sara Boline Johns Hill Magnet School Decatur Illinois
Cherie Bowe Pascagoula High School Pascagoula Mississippi
Nathan Bowman Southeast Middle School Salisbury North Carolina
Tamiko Bridges Laurel High School Laurel Mississippi
Justin Britt Kingston Public Schools Kingston Oklahoma
Korey Bruno Westfield High School Westfield Massachusetts
Richard Butler Jack Britt High School Fayetteville North Carolina
Jason Canfield Prescott High School Prescott Wisconsin
Clayton Capello Pettus ISD Pettus Texas
Dr. John Carlisle Hannan Junior/Senior High School Ashton West Virginia
Taylor Cash Albertville High School Albertville Alabama
Barry Chesky Dulaney High School Timonium Maryland
Ethan Chessin Camas High School Camas Washington
Ernesta Chicklowski Roosevelt Elementary School Tampa Florida
Donna Clark Miguel Juarez Middle School Waukegan Illinois
Jeremy Cole Southern Middle School Somerset Kentucky
James Cooney Mayville High School Mayville Wisconsin
Paul Corn Susan E. Wagner High School Staten Island New York
Kevin Croxton Oliver Springs Elementary School Van Buren Arkansas
Brandon Czubachowski Spring Valley Hall High School Spring Valley Illinois
Nicole Davidson Susan E. Wiley Elementary School Copiague New York
Andy Davis Reavis High School Burbank Illinois
Kelly DeHaan Mountain Ridge High School Herriman Utah
David Dehner Oral Roberts University Tulsa Oklahoma
Joe DeLisi Chisago Lakes High School Lindström Minnesota
Mike D’Errico Albright College Reading Pennsylvania
Jesse Dooley Millbury Junior/Senior High School Millbury Massachusetts
Lawrence Dubill Hamburg High School Hamburg New York
Bridget Duffy-Ulrich Oshkosh North High School Oshkosh Wisconsin
Jared Duncan DeKalb School of the Arts Avondale Estates Georgia
Nicole Durkin Argo Community High School Summit Illinois
Kaley Eaton Cornish College of the Arts Seattle Washington
Cindy Ellis Miami Arts Studio 6-12 at Zelda Glazer Miami Florida
Clerida Eltime WHIN Music Community Charter School New York New York
Grady Emmert Lake Buena Vista High School Orlando Florida
Gerardo Escobar Riverside Middle School El Paso Texas
Regan Eudy Central Elementary School Albemarle North Carolina
Kevin Fallon C.W. Worthington Middle School Haslet Texas
Jason Falvo Waynesburg Central Elementary School Waynesburg Pennsylvania
Mike Fedyszyn Riverview Middle School Plymouth Wisconsin
Daniel Ferreira Klein Intermediate School Houston Texas
Jill Fetty Clear Falls High School League City Texas
Joe Finnegan DC Everest Senior High School Weston Wisconsin
Joseph Flores Mesa Middle School Roswell New Mexico
Jasmine Fripp Tennessee State University Nashville Tennessee
Sarah Fulton Kings Mountain High School Kings Mountain North Carolina
Stefanie Gardner Glendale Community College Glendale Arizona
Ryan Geary Sanford High School Sanford Maine
Emily Golden East Burke High School Connelly Springs North Carolina
Rob Goldman Westwood High School Westwood Massachusetts
Alex Grimm F.J. Reitz High School Evansville Indiana
Melanie Gunn Whitman Middle School Seattle Washington
Daniel Gutierrez Nixa High School Nixa Missouri
Holly Haffner Grissom Middle School Sterling Heights Michigan
Michael Hamann West Ottawa High School Holland Michigan
Tony Aaron Hambrick Jessye Norman School of the Arts Augusta Georgia
Cordara Harper Grambling State University Grambling Louisiana
Vernon Harris Pulaski Heights Middle School Little Rock Arkansas
Sarah Hart Islander Middle School Mercer Island Washington
Kellie Harvey Fruitland Primary School Fruitland Maryland
Toby Harwell Wiseburn Middle School Hawthorne California
Rachael Heffner Brookhaven Innovation Academy Norcross Georgia
Bobby Helms Copiah-Lincoln Community College Wesson Mississippi
Bernie Hendricks, Jr. Ocoee High School Ocoee Florida
Christopher Henke Kittatinny Regional High School Newton New Jersey
Brian Henson Walnut Grove High School Prosper Texas
Samuel Hjort Mission High School Mission Texas
Matt Howe Cathedral City High School Cathedral City California
Cole Hunt Burchfield Elementary School Oneida Tennessee
Brandi Jason Liberty High School Eldersburg Maryland
Sonja Jewell Loudoun Country Day School Leesburg Virginia
Jennifer Jimenez South Miami Sr. High School Miami Florida
John Johnson Boyd County High School Ashland Kentucky
Amir Jones Thomas W. Harvey High School Painesville Ohio
Brian Joyce South Jones High School Ellisville Mississippi
Wimberly Kennedy Red Bank High School Red Bank Tennessee
Larry Kennon Troy Christian Schools Troy Ohio
Joshua Krohn Brent Elementary School Washington D.C.
Erin Kronzek Unity School Delray Beach Florida
Sarah Labrie Lexington High School Lexington Massachusetts
J Alan Landers Lakenheath High School Apo Armed Forces
Europe
Eric Laprade The College of New Jersey Ewing New Jersey
Samantha Leali Shenango Junior/Senior High School New Castle Pennsylvania
Richelle Lenoir Global Leadership Academy High School Jacksonville Florida
Lindsay Linderman Murray LaSaine Montessori School Charleston South Carolina
Katanna Linn Highlands Ranch High School Highlands Ranch Colorado
Candace Love August Boeger Middle School San Jose California
Christopher Lubken Robert Service High School Anchorage Alaska
Ryan Mack PS 10 Magnet School of Math, Science, and Design Technology Brooklyn New York
Rebecca MacLeod University of North Carolina Greensboro Greensboro North Carolina
Cyndi Mancini Montour High School McKees Rocks Pennsylvania
Kate Margrave Pine Creek High School Colorado Springs Colorado
Matt Martindale Shelby County High School Columbiana Alabama
Abigail Martinez Erie Middle School Erie Colorado
Kathleen McCarthy Attleboro High School Attleboro Massachusetts
Leigh Ann McClain Griffin Middle School The Colony Texas
Erin McConnell Camilus Middle School Camillus New York
Lawrence McCrobie Valley High School Louisville Kentucky
Jay McCulley Sunset Middle School Brentwood Tennessee
Angela McKenna Classen School of Advanced Studies at Northeast High School Oklahoma City Oklahoma
Jonathan McTier III Alief Hastings High School Houston Texas
Kimberly Meader Green Bay Preble High School Green Bay Wisconsin
Jessie Mersinger New Brunswick High School New Brunswick New Jersey
Adam Mewhorter Southmoore High School Moore Oklahoma
James Minnix Central Connecticut State University New Britain Connecticut
Jake Mitchell Hebron Middle School Shepherdsville Kentucky
William Molineaux The Osceola County School for the Arts Kissimmee Florida
Darren Motamedy Walter Johnson International Academy Las Vegas Nevada
Jonathan Mracko Postlethwait Middle School Camden-Wyoming Delaware
Curtis Mulvenon Shawnee Mission West High School Overland Park Kansas
Elizabeth Nardone EM Stanton Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Michelle Nielsen Diamond Canyon School Anthem Arizona
Kelly Nieman Alden High School Alden New York
Mallory Hill Weddington High School Matthews North Carolina
Heather Orr Montgomery High School Montgomery Texas
Augustine Ortiz Edgar Allen Poe Middle School San Antonio Texas
Jeremy Overbeck Century High School Bismarck North Dakota
Andrew Pahos John Sevier Middle School Kingsport Tennessee
Lindsey Parker Laguna Beach High School Laguna Beach California
Andrew Pease Hartwick College Oneonta New York
TJ Pelanek Underwood Public School Underwood Minnesota
Justin Peterson Middle School 67Q Louis Pasteur Little Neck New York
Anthony Pickard Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. High School Lithonia Georgia
Preston Pierce Plano West Senior High School Plano Texas
Thomas Pierre Capitol Heights Elementary School Capitol Heights Maryland
Chris Pierson Chaparral High School Las Vegas Nevada
Jonathan Powell West End High School Walnut Grove Alabama
Courtney Powers Hoboken Charter School Hoboken New Jersey
Briony Price Gramercy Arts High School New York New York
Neal Raskin Big Foot Union High School Walworth Wisconsin
Marc Ratner Mineola High School Garden City Park New York
Tess Remy-Schumacher University of Central Oklahoma Edmond Oklahoma
Stephen Rew Raymore-Peculiar High School Peculiar Missouri
Cindy Reynolds Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School Shawnee Kansas
Lou Ribar Lenape Elementary School Ford City Pennsylvania
Dianna Richardson Cleveland School of the Arts Cleveland Ohio
Michael Richardson Perry Meridian High School Indianapolis Indiana
Leslie Riedel Capital High School Charleston West Virginia
Adam Robinson Norwood High School Norwood Ohio
James Robinson, II North Wilkes Middle and High School North Wilkesboro North Carolina
Nathan Rodahl Port Angeles High School Port Angeles Washington
Darren Rodgers St. Augustine High School New Orleans Louisiana
Lenae Rose Morgan County High School Madison Georgia
Stewart Rosen Walter Reed Middle School North Hollywood California
David Roth Lakeside High School Ashtabula Ohio
Seth Rowoldt Annunciation Orthodox School Houston Texas
Stefanie Sagaro Academy for Innovative Education Charter School Miami Springs Florida
Maura Saint Blackhawk High School Beaver Falls Pennsylvania
Mike Scott Columbia Basin College Pasco Washington
Kelly Seymour Ballston Spa Central School District Ballston Spa New York
Natalie Sheeler Sturgis Charter Public School Hyannis Massachusetts
Matthew Shephard Meridian Early College High School Sanford Michigan
Aleshia Shouse Christian Academy of Indiana New Albany Indiana
Alex Sieira Harrison High School Harrison New Jersey
Adria Smith Marblehead Community Charter Public School Marblehead Massachusetts
Anthony Spano Culver City High School Culver City California
William Steadman General McLane High School Edinboro Pennsylvania
Mike Steep Parkway Northeast Middle School Creve Coeur Missouri
Katie Stephens Charles D. Owen High School Black Mountain North Carolina
Evelyn Stohlman Bishop Shanahan High School Downingtown Pennsylvania
Kokoe Tanaka-Suwan Purchase and Parsons Memorial Elementary Schools Harrison New York
Jameelah Taylor Trevor Day School New York New York
Brian Teed Wakeland High School Frisco Texas
Josh Tharp West Fairmonth Middle School Fairmont West Virginia
Jennifer Theisen-Gray William M. Colmer Middle School Pascagoula Mississippi
Mark Thomas Upper Perkiomen Pennsburg Pennsylvania
Zachary Thomas Ledyard High School Ledyard Connecticut
Alex Underwood Hays High School Hays Kansas
Craig Uppercue Volusia County Schools DeLand Florida
Lindsay Vasko Walnut Grove High School Prosper Texas
Allen Venezio East River High School Orlando Florida
Felicia Villa Point Pleasant Borough High School Point Pleasant New Jersey
James Villegas Grossmont High School El Cajon California
Rachel Waddell Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado
Meghan Wagner Auburn Riverside High School Auburn Washington
Bryan Waites Clements High School Sugar Land Texas
Donald Walter Northwest Guilford High School Greensboro North Carolina
Victoria Warnet Columbus State University Columbus Georgia
Christopher Weddel Fremont High School Fremont Nebraska
Elliot Weeks Seattle Preparatory School Seattle Washington
Bryce Werntz Oak Hill High School Oak Hill Ohio
Robert West Clark High School Las Vegas Nevada
Aria Westbrook Hawfields Middle School Mebane North Carolina
Kimberly Whitehead Sikeston High School Sikeston Missouri
Doretha Williams GEO Next Generation High School Baton Rouge Louisiana
Jeremy Williams Marrero Middle School Marrero Louisiana
Kelly Winovich Northgate Middle/Senior High School Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
Kate Wisbey Charlottesville Catholic School Charlottesville Virginia
Elise Witt Global Village Project Decatur Georgia
Scott Woordard West Virginia State University Institute West Virginia
Amber Yates Thompson Middle School Alabaster Alabama
Christopher-Rey Yraola Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts Los Angeles California
WHO

A total of 200 music teachers from 180 cities have been announced as quarterfinalists for the Music Educator Award presented by the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum. In total, over 2,000 initial nominations were submitted. In addition to our quarterfinalists, 214 legacy applicants from 2025 will also be eligible to win the award this year.

WHERE
The semi-finalists will be announced in September.
For more information, please visit www.grammymuseum.org.
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