AWARD RECIPIENT AND NINE FINALISTS TO RECEIVE CASH HONORARIUMS WITH GENEROUS SUPPORT AND RESOURCES PROVIDED BY THE GRAMMY MUSEUM®’S EDUCATION CHAMPION FORD MOTOR COMPANY FUND
WHO: Dr. Jeffery Redding of West Orange High School in Winter Garden, Florida, has been announced as the recipient of the 2019 Music Educator Award™ presented by the Recording Academy™ and GRAMMY Museum®. In addition, nine music teachers have been announced as finalists for the award. Initial nominations were submitted from all 50 states. Nominations and applications for the 2020 Music Educator Award are now open via www.grammymusicteacher.com. A complete list of the winner and finalists is below.
WHAT: A partnership and joint presentation of the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museuem, the Music Educator Award was established to recognize current educators (kindergarten through college, 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 schools.
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 2019 honoree will be in Los Angeles, the host city of the GRAMMY Awards®, and will be recognized during GRAMMY® Week. The recipient will also attend the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards ceremony on Feb. 10 and a range of GRAMMY Museum events. The winner will receive a $10,000 honorarium with a matching school grant. The nine additional finalists will receive a $1,000 honorarium, and their schools will also receive matching grants.
The grants provided to the finalists and schools are made possible by the generosity and support of the GRAMMY Museum's Education Champion Ford Motor Company Fund. 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.
BIO: Dr. Jeffery Redding is the director of Choral Activities at West Orange High School in Winter Garden, Florida, and has led his choirs in performance at state, regional, and national conventions of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). West Orange choirs have earned first place and top honors at festivals across the country. Dr. Redding is in demand as a guest conductor and lecturer: He has conducted the ACDA National High School Honor Choir, among many other honor choirs, and has been featured as a guest conductor at the TAISM Festival of Choirs, Carnegie Hall, and other prestigious venues in the United States and abroad. In 2015, Dr. Redding was awarded the R. Wayne Hugoboom Distinguished Service Award for "dedicated service, leadership, and excellence" by the Florida Chapter of ACDA. In addition to his duties at West Orange, he is the founder and artistic director of the Garden Community Choir and a professional chamber choir Voci del Cuore in Winter Garden. He is a member of ACDA, NAfME, FVA, NATS, and Chorus America.
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 Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, follow @RecordingAcad on Twitter, "like" Recording Academy on Facebook, and join the Recording Academy's social communities on Instagram, Tumblr, and YouTube.
ABOUT THE GRAMMY MUSEUM
Established in 2008 as a partnership between the Recording Academy and AEG, the GRAMMY Museum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating a greater understanding of the history and significance of music. Paying tribute to our collective musical heritage, the Museum explores and celebrates all aspects of the art form—from the technology of the recording process to the legends who've made lasting marks on our cultural identity. In 2017, the Museum integrated with its sister organization, the GRAMMY Foundation®, to broaden the reach of its music education and preservation initiatives. As a unified organization, today, the GRAMMY Museum fulfills its mission of making music a valued and indelible part of our society through exhibits, education, grants, and public programming.
For more information, visit www.grammymuseum.org, "like" the GRAMMY Museum on Facebook, and follow @GRAMMYMuseum on Twitter and Instagram.
ABOUT FORD MOTOR COMPANY FUND
Ford Motor Company Fund is the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company. Established in 1949, Ford Fund invests in transformational programs that advance innovation, empower people, promote social mobility, and improve community prosperity. Ford Fund works with local and global partners to create opportunities in education, encourage safe driving, enlist employee volunteers, and enrich community life. For more information, visit community.ford.com, or join us on Facebook and Twitter.
# # #
CONTACTS
Christina Cassidy
Communications Director
T. 310.581.8670
christina.cassidy@recordingacademy.com
Jasmine Lywen-Dill
Communications Manager
T. 213.725.5703
jlywen-dill@grammymuseum.org
Melissa Bunker
Campbell Marketing
T. 586.219.0094
mbunker@campbellmarketing.com
Derek Spencer
Program Manager
T. 310.581.1260
dspencer@grammymuseum.org