Lakeside Middle School music specialist, choir director and drama specialist Amber Moss was recently named among the 25 semifinalists for the seventh annual Music Educator Award presented by the Recording Academy and Grammy Museum.
"Honestly I'm just honored and humbled because I know that there are thousands upon thousands of wonderful music teachers in this nation, so to be honored with an award is humbling because I know that there's other people just as good," Moss said.
This marks Moss' seventh year at the Lakeside School District and her 14th in education.
The semifinalists hail from 25 cities across 18 states and were selected from over 3,300 initial nominations submitted from all 50 states, according to a news release.
The Music Educator Award "recognizes current educators 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 release said.
"I think that music speaks to everybody, and so I love music so much. And I love getting to teach music to people, whether it be listening or playing music, everybody connects to music in some way, shape or form," Moss said.
Established in 2008, the Grammy Museum is a nonprofit organization "dedicated to cultivating a greater understanding of the history and significance of music through exhibits, education, grants, preservation initiatives and public programming. 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," the release said.
Individuals must be a U.S. music teacher to qualify and be nominated by either a student, parent, friend, colleague, community member, school dean, administrator or themselves. Moss said that she does not know who nominated her.
Each year, one recipient is selected from 10 finalists and recognized for their "remarkable impact on students' lives," the release said. The recipient will be flown to Los Angeles for recognition and to attend the 62nd Grammy Awards as well as a range of Grammy Week 2020 events.
According to the release, the nine other finalists will receive a $1,000 "honorarium" and the schools of all 10 finalists will receive matching grants. The remaining 15 semifinalists will receive a $500 "honorarium" with matching school grants, the release said.
"I kind of have big plans, but I don't want to say what I would use it for just yet," Moss said.
Finalists will be announced in December.
The matching grants provided to the schools are funded by the Grammy Museum's Education Champion Ford Motor Company Fund. In addition, the American Choral Directors Association and National Education Association support the program through outreach to their constituencies, the release said.
"I'm still in shock about it because it's such a big deal. Even when I hear people say congrats and whatnot, it's still surreal. I cannot believe that a girl from Arkansas is getting recognition for work that we do here, because Arkansas is a small state. I think it's really, really neat that the nation is recognizing Arkansas, because we have really good music educators," Moss said.
Local on 10/29/2019