#NewYorkNotes @RecordingAcad @GRAMMYMuseum Semifinalists Announced For 2026 Music Educator Award Presented By The Recording Academy And GRAMMY Museum
RECIPIENT, FINALISTS AND SEMIFINALISTS 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.
WHO:
A total of 25 music teachers from 23 cities have been announced as semifinalists for the Music Educator Award presented by the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum. In total, over 2,000 initial nominations were submitted.
SEMIFINALISTS
Name School City State
Erin Althen
Westhill High School
Syracuse
New York
Jean-Paul Balmat
Mission Bay High School
San Diego
California
Stephen Blanco
Las Vegas High School
Las Vegas
Nevada
Juliana Cantarelli Vita
The Bush School
Seattle
Washington
Cindy Ellis
Miami Arts Studio 6-12 at Zelda Glazer
Miami
Florida
Katherine Findlay Hagstrom
Meadow Park Elementary School
Irvine
California
Jasmine Fripp
Tennessee State University
Nashville
Tennessee
Johanna Gamboa-Kroesen
University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles
California
DaJuana Hammonds
Warner Arts Magnet Elementary School
Nashville
Tennessee
Bernard Hendricks, Jr.
Ocoee High School
Ocoee
Florida
Lisa Sunset Holt
Cedar Park High School
Cedar Park
Texas
Alyson Humphrey Smith
A.C. Steere Elementary School
Shreveport
Louisiana
Jennifer Jimenez
South Miami Sr. High School
Miami
Florida
Sarah Labrie
Lexington High School
Lexington
Massachusetts
Lisa Linde
Newton South High School
Newton
Massachusetts
Kevin McDonald
Wellesley High School
Wellesley
Massachusetts
Angela McKenna
Classen SAS @ Northeast High School
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma
Katie Grace Miller
Lake George Elementary
Orlando
Florida
Bill Podolski
H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program
Arlington
Virginia
Kimberly Ritzer
Green Valley High School
Henderson
Nevada
Kevin Schoenbach
Oswego High School
Oswego
Illinois
Matthew Shephard
Meridian Early College High School
Sanford
Michigan
Dr. Kokoe Tanaka-Suwan
Purchase and Parsons Memorial Elementary Schools
Harrison
New York
Alice Tsui
New Bridges Elementary
Brooklyn
New York
Rachel Waddell
Colorado State University
Fort Collins
Colorado
WHEN:
The finalists will be announced in November. For more information, please visit www.grammymuseum.org.
ABOUT THE GRAMMY MUSEUM
The GRAMMY Museum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating and exploring music from yesterday and today to inspire the music of tomorrow through exhibits, education, grants, preservation initiatives, and public programming. Paying tribute to our collective musical heritage, the Museum values and celebrates the dynamic connection in people’s diverse backgrounds and music’s many genres, telling stories that inspire us, and creative expression that leads change in our industry.
For more information, visit www.grammymuseum.org, “like” the GRAMMY Museum on Facebook, and follow @GRAMMYMuseum on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok
about the recording academy
The Recording Academy represents the voices of performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and all music professionals. Dedicated to ensuring the recording arts remain a thriving part of our shared cultural heritage, the Academy honors music's history while investing in its future through the GRAMMY Museum®, advocates on behalf of music creators , supports music people in times of need through MusiCares®, and celebrates artistic excellence through the GRAMMY Awards® — music's only peer-recognized accolade and highest achievement. As the world's leading society of music professionals, we work year-round to foster a more inspiring world for creators.
For more information about the GRAMMY Awards and the Recording Academy, please visit GRAMMY.com and RecordingAcademy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, follow @RecordingAcad on X, "like" Recording Academy on Facebook, and join the Recording Academy's social communities on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn .
