Heather Dipasquale, Todd County Middle School Band Director and Assistant High School Band Director for Todd County Central High School has been selected as a Semifinalist for the prestigious Music Educator Award presented by the Recording Academy and the Grammy Museum.
The annual Music Educator Award was established to recognize current educators, from kindergarten through college, 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 total of 25 music teachers from 25 cities across 18 states, have been announced as semifinalists for the Music Educator Award™ presented by the Recording Academy™ and GRAMMY Museum®. In total, more than 3,300 initial nominations were submitted from all 50 states.
Each year, one recipient is selected from 10 finalists and recognized for their remarkable impact on students' lives. The seventh annual honoree will be flown to Los Angeles to attend the 62nd 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.
The remaining fifteen semifinalists will receive a $500 honorarium with matching school grants.
The matching grants provided to the 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.
The finalists will be announced in December.