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. In a partnership and presentation by the Recording Academy® and Grammy Museum®, the recipient will be recognized during Grammy® Week 2027.
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 13th annual honoree will be flown to Los Angeles to attend the 2027 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. 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.
| Name | School | City | State |
| Casie Adams | Martinsburg High School | Martinsburg | West Virginia |
| Tyler Adel | Paramus High School | Paramus | New Jersey |
| John Aguilar | Arlington High School | Arlington | Washington |
| Christopher Alberts | School Without Walls | Washington | Maryland |
| Michael Alfieri | United Charter High School Advanced Math & Science | Bronx | New York |
| James Allder | Greenbrier East High School | Lewisburg | West Virginia |
| Erin Althen | Westhill High School | Syracuse | New York |
| Justin Anderson | McNeil High School | Austin | Texas |
| Christopher Andrews | Hephzibah High School | Hephzibah | Georgia |
| Michael Antmann | Freedom High School | Orlando | Florida |
| Michael Baker | Palmetto High School | Williamston | South Carolina |
| Daniel Balkema | Pilot Point HS | Pilot Point | Texas |
| Thomas Bankert | Wakefield Memorial High School | Wakefield | Massachusetts |
| Cory Barnfield | Norton Commons Elementary | Prospect | Kentucky |
| Deanna Bell | Vestavia Hills Elementary East | Vestavia Hills | Alabama |
| Michael Benge | Helix Charter High School | La Mesa | California |
| Connor Bentley | Pontiac High School | Pontiac | Michigan |
| Adem Birson | New York University | New York | New York |
| Nina Bishop | Brookline High School | Brookline | Massachusetts |
| Andrew Boland | J. Sterling Morton West High School | Berwyn | Illinois |
| Brandon Booth | ConneXions: A Community Based Arts School | Baltimore | Maryland |
| Lynnette Boschulte | Forest Oak Middle School | Gaithersburg | Maryland |
| Patrick Bowen | Las Vegas Academy of The Arts | Las Vegas | Nevada |
| Andrew Bowerly | Tenino High School | Tenino | Washington |
| Ryan Bulgarelli | Williamsport Area High School | Williamsport | Pennsylvania |
| Dr. Walter Busse | Miami Beach Senior High School | Miami Beach | Florida |
| Gene Butler | Smiths Station High School | Smiths Station | Alabama |
| David Cardona | Coral Springs Charter School | Coral Springs | Florida |
| Tammy Carley | Denmark School District | Denmark | Wisconsin |
| Christopher Carr | Carrollton High School | Carrollton | Georgia |
| Marcos Carreras | Conservatory of The Arts | Springfield | Massachusetts |
| Curtis Carver | Harlem High School | Harlem | Georgia |
| Louise Chernosky | Bard High School Early College | Newark | New Jersey |
| Ernesta Chicklowski | Roosevelt Elementary School | Tampa | Florida |
| Kaylene Clark | Mclane High School | Fresno | California |
| Ashley Cobb | Catawba Trail Elementary School | Elgin | South Carolina |
| David Colella | Girard High School | Girard | Ohio |
| Theresa Crombach | Corinth Central School District | Corinth | New York |
| Ashley Deane | Queen Creek High School | Queen Creek | Arizona |
| Brittany DelSignore | Berkeley High School | Moncks Corner | South Carolina |
| Jack Eaddy | University of Georgia | Athens | Georgia |
| Lesley Earles | Edison High School | Minneapolis | Minnesota |
| Jonathan Eldridge | Weston High School | Weston | Massachusetts |
| Stephen Elford | Bayless High School | Saint Louis | Missouri |
| Brandon Ellsworth | North Salinas High School | Salinas | California |
| Gracie Elswick | Salisbury Middle School | Salisbury | Maryland |
| Micah Erickson | Lake Linden Hubbell High School | Lake Linden | Michigan |
| Andreas Farmakalidis | Calabash Elementary | Los Angeles | California |
| Victor Figueroa | Lehman High School | Kyle | Texas |
| Zachary Foster | Dickinson High School | Dickinson | Texas |
| Rick Fowler | Creekside High School | Saint Johns | Florida |
| Natalie Frakes | Niles West High School | Skokie | Illinois |
| Bridgette Franks | Carl Sandburg Middle School | Levittown | Pennsylvania |
| J.D. Frizzell | Briarcrest Christian School | Eads | Tennessee |
| Chesteron Frye | South Pike High School | Magnolia | Mississippi |
| Carol Gacesa | Weisenberg Elementary School | New Tripoli | Pennsylvania |
| Gregory Gatewood | Milby High School | Houston | Texas |
| Guillermo Gonzalez | James A Garfield High School | Los Angeles | California |
| Serena Gorham | Weare Middle School | Weare | New Hampshire |
| Jess Gronberg | Hawkes Bluff Elementary | Davie | Florida |
| Jason Groon | Harrisburg High School | Harrisburg | South Dakota |
| Marissa Guarriello | University of Texas Austin | Austin | Texas |
| Angela Guira | Bartow High School | Bartow | Florida |
| Adam Gumble | West Chester University | West Chester | Pennsylvania |
| Carolyn Hankins | Page Middle School | Franklin | Tennessee |
| Cordara Harper | Grambling State University | Grambling | Louisiana |
| Sky Harris | Liverpool High School | Liverpool | New York |
| Colin Harte | Bard High School Early College Bronx | Bronx | New York |
| Anthony Harvey | Kipp Scholar Academy | Los Angeles | California |
| Jessica Harvey | John F. Kennedy High School | New Orleans | Louisiana |
| Roland Hatcher | Adlai E. Stevenson High School | Lincolnshire | Illinois |
| Colette Hebert | School 23 | Yonkers | New York |
| Bobby Helms | Copiah-Lincoln Community College | Wesson | Mississippi |
| Matt Heritage | Innovation High School | Spokane | Washington |
| John Hermanson | Fort Collins High School | Fort Collins | Colorado |
| Mike Hernandez | Franklin High School | El Paso | Texas |
| Preston Huber | TREE Academy | West Hollywood | California |
| Christopher Hughes | Betty H. Fairfax High School | Laveen | Arizona |
| Natalie Humble | Henryville Jr/Sr High School | Henryville | Indiana |
| Beth Hurley | Northwest Guilford Middle School | Greensboro | North Carolina |
| Andrew Hutchens | Benedict College | Columbia | South Carolina |
| Andria Hyden | Bedichek Middle School | Austin | Texas |
| Avious Jackson | William Mason High School | Mason | Ohio |
| Devin R. James | Salem High School | Conyers | Georgia |
| Aaron Jaramillo | Cherokee Trail High School | Aurora | Colorado |
| Jason Johnson | Pike County Central High School | Pikeville | Kentucky |
| Esau Jones | St. Rose of Lima Catholic School | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania |
| Liam Keller | Chatham High School | Chatham | New Jersey |
| Larry Kennon | Troy Christian Schools | Troy | Ohio |
| Min Sang Kim | Austin Peay State University | Clarksville | Tennessee |
| Dorina Kingston | Homer J. Morris Middle School | McAllen | Texas |
| Jee-Yeoun Ko | Xavier University of Louisiana | New Orleans | Louisiana |
| Heidi Kohler | Clarence Middle School | Clarence | New York |
| Sarah Labrie | Lexington High School | Lexington | Massachusetts |
| Rachel Lake | Ilwaco High School | Ilwaco | Washington |
| Frankie Lancaster | Watauga High School | Boone | North Carolina |
| Dominique Lane | Crisp County High School | Cordele | Georgia |
| Erik Leung | Oregon State University | Corvallis | Oregon |
| Jerron Liddell | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | Pine Bluff | Arkansas |
| Josh Lisner | Edison High School | Edison | New Jersey |
| Ryan Mack | P.S. 10 Magnet School of Math, Science, and Design Technology | Brooklyn | New York |
| JJ Magallon | Damien High School | La Verne | California |
| Stefano Marchese | Eliot K-8 Innovation School | Boston | Massachusetts |
| Stephany Marilley | Vestal Middle School | Vestal | New York |
| Alvin Martinez | Holmes High School | San Antonio | Texas |
| Jennifer Martinez | Pittsburg High School | Pittsburg | California |
| Jesus Martinez | South Grand Prairie High School | Grand Prairie | Texas |
| Travis Mason | Renaissance charter school at Crownpoint | Ocoee | Florida |
| Erik Mason | Buford High School | Buford | Georgia |
| Rachel Maxwell | Traughber Junior High School | Oswego | Illinois |
| Anthony Mazzocchi | Kaufman Music Center/Special Music School M859 | New York | New York |
| Michael McCabe | Lake Highland Preparatory School | Orlando | Florida |
| Leigh Ann McClain | Griffin Middle School | The Colony | Texas |
| Lawrence McCrobie | Valley High School | Louisville | Kentucky |
| Gary McCullum Jr | Hattiesburg High School | Hattiesburg | Mississippi |
| Brittany McFall | Centralia Junior High School | Centralia | Illinois |
| Angela McKenna | Classen School of Advanced Studies @ Northeast High School | Oklahoma City | Oklahoma |
| Margaret McKenna | Boston Latin School | Boston | Massachusetts |
| Laurie Meyers | Minneapolis South High School | Minneapolis | Minnesota |
| Michael Miguez | NSU University School | Davie | Florida |
| Eddie Milledge | Calibre Academy Surprise | Surprise | Arizona |
| William Molineaux | The Osceola County School for the Arts | Kissimmee | Florida |
| Amrutha Murthy | Park Vista High School | Lake Worth | Florida |
| Joseph Nassar | St. Amant High School | St. Amant | Louisiana |
| Brandi Neal | University High School | Orange City | Florida |
| Andrew Nemeth | Penn High School | Mishawaka | Indiana |
| Dr. Phong Nguyen | Vel Phillips Middle School | Oshkosh | Wisconsin |
| Phuong Nguyen | Boltz Middle School | Fort Collins | Colorado |
| Heather Orr | Texas A&M University | College Station | Texas |
| Michele Paynter Paise | Morehead State University | Morehead | Kentucky |
| Lindsey Parker | Laguna Beach High School | Laguna Beach | California |
| Kelly Parra | PS/IS266Q | Bellerose | New York |
| Michael Parsons | Briarcrest Christian School | Eads | Tennessee |
| Natasha Pasternak | Orange County School of the Arts | Santa Ana | California |
| Erika Pierce | Chartiers Valley Middle School | Bridgeville | Pennsylvania |
| Chantae Pittman | Campbell High School | Smyrna | Georgia |
| Alan Posner | Bloomfield Hills High School | Bloomfield Hills | Michigan |
| Courtney Powers | Hoboken Charter School | Hoboken | New Jersey |
| Johnny Powers | West Florence High School | Florence | South Carolina |
| Briony Price | Gramercy Arts High School | New York | New York |
| Francisco Quixtan | Jule F. Sumner High School | Riverview | Florida |
| Mario Raven | Vista Charter Middle School | Los Angeles | California |
| Amy Reber | Lake Oconee Academy | Greensboro | Georgia |
| Dr. Shannon Redburn | Pembroke Hill School | Kansas City | Missouri |
| Ryan Rimington | Neuqua Valley High School | Naperville | Illinois |
| Christian Robinson | The Berkeley Carroll School | Brooklyn | New York |
| Brandon Rockstroh | Green Bay Southwest High School | Green Bay | Wisconsin |
| Nathan Rodahl | Port Angeles High School | Port Angeles | Washington |
| Alberto Rodriguez | Mount Vernon High School | Alexandria | Virginia |
| Jimmie Rogers | Moorpark High School | Moorpark | California |
| Ryan Rosete | Hanover Junior Senior High School | Colorado Springs | Colorado |
| Tarik Rowland | Tri-Cities High School | East Point | Georgia |
| Edgar Rubio | Gulliver Prep School | Coral Gables | Florida |
| Emily Saenz | Benbrook Middle-High School | Fort Worth | Texas |
| Rebecca Saltzman | Simsbury High School | Simsbury | Connecticut |
| Anthony Santanastaso | George W. Hewlett High School | Hewlett | New York |
| Jordyn Satterfield | Quioccasin Middle School | Richmond | Virginia |
| Eric Schultz | Coastal Carolina University | Conway | South Carolina |
| Christopher Scinto | Paradise Valley Community College | Phoenix | Arizona |
| Mike Scott | Columbia Basin College | Pasco | Washington |
| John Seaton | Las Vegas Academy of the Arts | Las Vegas | Nevada |
| Jared Sene | Nampa High School | Nampa | Idaho |
| Daniel Shafer | Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School | Bradenton | Florida |
| Cameron R. Siegal, Ph.D. | George H. Potter School | Dartmouth | Massachusetts |
| Katie Silcott | Olentangy Shanahan Middle School | Lewis Center | Ohio |
| Dylan Sims | Gold Hill Middle School | Fort Mill | South Carolina |
| Jayne Skoog | Talent Unlimited High School | New York | New York |
| Adria Smith | Marblehead Community Charter Public School | Marblehead | Massachusetts |
| Donna Smith | Hueytown High School | Hueytown | Alabama |
| Jason Smith | Wahoo Public Schools | Wahoo | Nebraska |
| Jessie Smith | Gruver ISD | Gruver | Texas |
| Kayla Smith | Lawrence Central High School | Indianapolis | Indiana |
| Katie Solomon | Old Bonhomme Elementary School | Saint Louis | Missouri |
| Tony Spano | Culver City High School | Culver City | California |
| Louis Syrovy | Legacy High School | North Las Vegas | Nevada |
| Sabrina Terry | Southwest Middle School | Lakeland | Florida |
| Jennifer Theisen-Gray | William M. Colmer Middle School | Pascagoula | Mississippi |
| Mark-Anthony Thomas | New Orleans Center for Creative Arts | New Orleans | Louisiana |
| Arthur Thovmasian | Longmeadow High School | Longmeadow | Massachusetts |
| Brian Timmons | Bergenfield High School | Bergenfield | New Jersey |
| Lyndra Tingley | Woodstock High School | Woodstock | Illinois |
| Matthew Tiramani | MS54 Booker T. Washington | New York | New York |
| Mario Torres | Johnston STEM Academy | North Las Vegas | Nevada |
| Emily Valle | Geneva High School | Geneva | Ohio |
| Miriam Vazquez | Duane D. Keller Middle School | Las Vegas | Nevada |
| Emily Vite | Columbia High School | Maplewood | New Jersey |
| Jeff Vyhlidal | Grand Island Northwest | Grand Island | Nebraska |
| Dr. Karen Waddell | Nansemond River High School | Suffolk | Virginia |
| Donald Walter | Northwest Guilford High School | Greensboro | North Carolina |
| Antwuan Walters | Heights High School | Houston | Texas |
| Riley Warren | Forney High School | Forney | Texas |
| Montana Webb | Mountain Home High School | Mountain Home | Idaho |
| Christopher Weddel | Fremont High School | Fremont | Nebraska |
| Lisa Werner | St. Bruno Parish School | Dousman | Wisconsin |
| Krystal Williams | Suitland High School | District Heights | Maryland |
| Jesse G. Williams, Jr. | Gunston Middle School | Arlington | Virginia |
| Kelly Winovich | Northgate Middle/High School | Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania |
| Jason Womack | Dueitt Middle School | Spring | Texas |
| Scott Woodard | West Virginia State University | Institute | West Virginia |
| Cameron Yassaman | Grover Cleveland Charter High School | Reseda | California |
| Jenna Young | Somerset Berkley Regional High School | Somerset | Massachusetts |
| Nathan Zamora | Hendrickson High School | Pflugerville | Texas |