By Naomi Logan Richard
Photo Courtesy of Naomi Logan Richard
In an announcement during the 55th Annual Grammy Week, we were thrilled to learn about the First-Ever Music Educator Award. The Grammy Foundation® is committed to the promotion of music in schools, colleges and universities! The Grammy Foundation® has given hundreds of thousands of dollars around the country to encourage students to learn about music.
The Ford Motor Company Fund has joined this effort and currently they support music in three states, Washington, Arizona and California. It was a pleasure to speak with Pamela Alexander, Director of Community Development & Community Services, she had this to say, “The Ford Motor Company Fund is a non-profit national organization. We have invested millions in education and we are committed to reducing the dropout rates and to providing music opportunities for students. The data is in, students who have music fare better in every area. Their grades are higher, their graduation rates are higher and their standardized test scores are higher. This is a space Ford wants to be in.”
“Additionally, we also offer career days on a regular basis. This gives us an opportunity to go into the schools and explain all aspects of our industry,” continued Ms. Alexander.
Education is a key priority for The Grammy Foundation® in partnership with The Ford Motor Company. What a great corporate force behind the building of our next generation of musicians, composers, producers, music executives and performers!
WHO: The GRAMMY Foundation® and The Recording Academy®
WHAT: On last night’s 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards® broadcast live on the CBS Television Network, President/CEO of The Recording Academy and GRAMMY Foundation Neil Portnow, TV and radio host/producer and GRAMMY Foundation Honorary Board Chair Ryan Seacrest and multi-GRAMMY®–winning artist Justin Timberlake announced that the GRAMMY Foundation and The Recording Academy are partnering to present their first-ever Music Educator Award to recognize music educators for their contributions to our musical landscape and their positive influence on their students’ musical experiences.
The award is open to current U.S. music teachers from kindergarten through college, in public and private schools. Anyone can nominate a teacher — students, parents, friends, colleagues, community members, school deans and administrators — and teachers are also able to nominate themselves. Nominated teachers will be notified and invited to fill out an application. One winner will be selected from 10 finalists each year to be recognized for their remarkable impact on their students’ lives. The first award will be presented during GRAMMY® Week 2014. The winner will be flown to Los Angeles to accept the award, attend the GRAMMY Awards, and receive a $10,000 honorarium. The nine finalists will receive a $1,000 honorarium.
The honorariums provided to the winners are made possible by a grant from the Ford Motor Company Fund. This new partnership with the Ford Motor Company Fund expands their financial support of GRAMMY Foundation music education initiatives.
WHEN:
The nomination process is open now and the deadline for nominations is April 15, 2013.
To view guidelines and/or to nominate your favorite music educator, visit www.grammymusicteacher.com.
UJIMA MAGAZINE 