The Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum have announced Jeffrey Murdock of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, as the recipient of the 2021 Music Educator Award. In addition, nine music teachers have been announced as finalists for the award. Initial nominations were submitted from all 50 U.S. states.
A partnership and joint presentation of the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum, the Music Educator Award was established to recognize current educators (kindergarten through college 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 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.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">JUST ANNOUNCED: The winner of this year's <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GRAMMYs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GRAMMYs</a> Music Educator Award is Jeffrey Murdock, an associate professor of music at <a href="https://twitter.com/UArkansas?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UArkansas</a>.<a href="https://twitter.com/Mistahwax?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Mistahwax</a> spoke w/ Murdock, who prides himself on being not just a teacher of music, but a mentor in life.<a href="https://twitter.com/RecordingAcad?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RecordingAcad</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/GRAMMYMuseum?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GRAMMYMuseum</a> <a href="https://t.co/lVp7BsurJn">pic.twitter.com/lVp7BsurJn</a></p>— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSThisMorning/status/1370063518167396356?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Each year, one recipient is selected from 10 finalists and recognized for their remarkable impact on students' lives. The 2021 honoree will be recognized during GRAMMY Week this month. The winner will also receive a $10,000 honorarium with a matching school grant. The nine additional finalists will each 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.
Nominations and applications for the 2022 Music Educator Award are now open.
A complete list of the 2021 Music Educator Award recipients is below:
| Music Educator Award Winner | School | City | State |
| Jeffrey Murdock | University of Arkansas | Fayetteville | Ark. |
| Finalists | School | City | State |
| Justin Antos | Dwight D. Eisenhower High School | Frankfort | Ill. |
| Stephen Cox | Eastland High School | Eastland | Texas |
| Pamela Dawson | DeSoto High School | DeSoto | Texas |
| Michelle Folta | Columbus State University | Columbus | Ga. |
| Elizabeth Hering | Churchill High School | Livonia | Mich. |
| Chris Maunu | Arvada West High School | Arvada | Colo. |
| Brian McMath | Northwest Guilford High School | Greensboro | N.C. |
| Lynne Ruda |
Lancaster High School |
Lancaster | N.Y. |
| Donald Walter |
Northwest Guilford Middle School and Northwest Guilford High School |
Oak Ridge | N.C. |
