Buffalo Grove music teacher named finalist for Grammy Award
Buffalo Grove High School teacher Elizabeth Bennett is one of 10 nationwide finalists for a Grammy Music Educator Award, Recording Academy officials announced Monday.
Bennett, director of orchestras at Buffalo Grove, was among more than 3,300 music teachers initially nominated for the seventh annual award. The award recognizes 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 the schools, officials said.
For being named a finalist, Bennett is guaranteed to receive at least a $1,000 honorarium, and Buffalo Grove High School will get a matching grant.
The still-to-be-announced winner will be flown to Los Angeles to attend the 62nd annual Grammy Awards and a series of events leading up to the awards show on Sunday, Jan. 26.
Bennett, a teacher at Buffalo Grove since 2008, said on social media Monday that being named a finalist was both “humbling and thrilling.”
“Thank you for such an unbelievable outpouring of support,” she wrote on Facebook. “I am proud to represent the amazing music educators that I had as a student, as well as the fantastic colleagues and students that have been such a blessing on my career and life.”
Two decades ago, Bennett was a student at Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa, when the school's music program won the first Grammy Signature School Award.
Today, she's behind some of Buffalo Grove's innovative music programming, including creation of 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.
The 10 finalists named Monday come from 10 cities across nine states.