Applications Open for 2019 Music Educator Award Presented by The Recording Academy & Grammy Museum

Applications for the 2019 Music Educator Award™ are currently online at GRAMMYMusicTeacher.com. The award is open to current U.S. music teachers, and teachers can also apply directly without being nominated.

The Music Educator Award application process will adjust each year to allow the broad array of effective teaching styles and methods used in the discipline to be recognized and awarded.

Melissa Salguero of P.S. 48 Joseph R. Drake in Bronx, N.Y., was announced as therecipient of the 2018 Music Educator Award presented by the Recording Academy™ and GRAMMY Museum®. Nine other music teachers from nine cities across eight states were selected as finalists for the award. Initial nominationswere submitted from all 50 states.

WHAT: 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.

Each year, one recipient will be selected from 10 finalists and will be recognized for their remarkable impact on students' lives. The sixth annual winner will be flown to the host city of the GRAMMY Awards® to be recognized during GRAMMY Week in 2019. The winner will also attend the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards ceremony. The nine additional finalists will receive a $1,000 honorarium, and the schools of all 10 finalists will receive matching grants. Fifteen semifinalists will receive a $500 honorarium with matching school grants. The honorariums and grants provided to the finalists and schools are made possible by the generosity and support of Ford Motor Company Fund. In addition, the American Choral Directors Association, the National Association for Music Education, the NAMM Foundation, and the National Education Association support this program through outreach to their constituencies.

WHEN: The deadline for the 2019 application process is March 31, 2018.

ABOUT THE GRAMMY MUSEUM
Established in 2008 as a partnership between the Recording Academy and AEG, the GRAMMY Museum is a non-profit 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 AND COMMUNITY SERVICES
Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services works with community and global partners to advance driving safety, education, and community life. Ford Motor Company Fund has operated for more than 65 years with ongoing funding from Ford Motor Company. Ford Driving Skills for Life is free, interactive, hands-on safety training focused on skill development and driving techniques, while addressing inexperience, distractions, and impaired driving. Innovation in education is encouraged through Ford Blue Oval Scholars, Ford Next Generation Learning, and other inspiring programs that enhance high school learning and provide college scholarships and university grants. The Ford Volunteer Corps enlists more than 30,000 Ford employees and retirees each year to work on local projects that strengthen their communities and improve people's lives in more than 40 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.community.ford.com.