Buffalo Grove teacher up for Grammy Award two years in a row
Months after she was one of 10 nationwide finalists for the 2020 Grammy Music Educator Award Award, Buffalo Grove High School teacher Elizabeth Bennett is now a semifinalist for the 2021 edition of the prize.
The school's director of orchestras is among 25 people vying for the award, which recognizes those 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, officials said.
Bennett, who lives in Libertyville, was named a finalist for the 2020 accolade last January for her direction of Buffalo Grove's innovative music programming. That includes creating a Music Workshop class aimed at giving more students an experience in music; launching a series that showcases different career paths in music; bringing AP Music Theory to Northwest Suburban High School District 214; and starting Buffalo Grove's annual Winter Celebration outreach to the community.
For being named a finalist, Bennett won a $1,000 honorarium and $1,000 matching grant for the school — money that went to a food drive for needy families. As a semifinalist again, she's guaranteed to receive at least a $500 prize and $500 matching grant for the school.
The semifinalists announced this week by the Recording Academy were picked from nearly 2,000 nominations. Finalists will be named in December.