Jun 16, 2020 2 min read

Trinity High School teacher Matthew Komula is one of 216 music teachers from 199 cities from around the United States who have been named as quarterfinalists for the Music Educator Award presented by the Recording Academy and Grammy Museum.

Nearly 2,000 initial nominations were submitted, according to a news release from the Recording Academy and Grammy Museum.

The Music Educator Award was established to recognize current educators – kindergarten through college and in 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, the release said.

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, the release said.

Each year, one recipient is selected from 10 finalists and recognized for their remarkable impact on students’ lives. The eighth annual honoree will be flown to Los Angeles to attend the 63rd 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 release said.

Fifteen semifinalists will receive a $500 honorarium with matching school grants. The matching grants provided to the schools are courtesy of the Grammy Museum’s Education Champion Ford Motor Company Fund. In addition, American Choral Directors Association, National Association for Music Education, NAMM Foundation and National Education Association support this program through outreach to their constituencies, the news release said.