WHO:
Jennifer Jimenez of South Miami Senior High School in Miami, Florida, is the recipient of the
2026 Music Educator Award™ presented by the
Recording Academy® and Grammy Museum
®. Jimenez will be recognized during the
Recording Academy®‘s Special Merit Awards Ceremony on Sat, Jan. 31. In addition, nine music teachers
have been announced as finalists
for the award. Initial nominations
were submitted from all 50 states. A complete list of the recipients is below.
Music Educator Award
Winner |
School |
City State |
|
| Jennifer Jimenez |
South Miami Senior High School |
Miami Florida |
|
| Finalists |
School |
City State |
Jean-Paul Balmat Mission Bay High School San Diego California
Stephen Blanco Las Vegas High School Las Vegas Nevada
Jasmine Fripp Tennessee State University Nashville Tennessee
Lisa Sunset Holt Cedar Park High School Cedar Park Texas
Alyson Humphrey Smith A.C. Steere Elementary School Shreveport Louisiana
Kevin McDonald Wellesley High School Wellesley Massachusetts
Bill Podolski H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program Arlington Virginia
Kevin Schoenbach Oswego High School Oswego Illinois
Matthew Shephard Meridian Early College High School Sanford Michigan
WHAT:
The Music Educator Award recognizes current educators who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the music education field and demonstrates a commitment to the broader cause of maintaining music education in the schools. 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. They will receive a $10,000 honorarium and matching grant for their school’s music program. The nine additional finalists will receive a $1,000 honorarium and matching grants. The remaining 15 semifinalists 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.
Nominations and applications for the 2027 Music Educator Award are now open via grammymusicteacher.com.