Westfield Academy and Central School Music Teacher Kent Knappenberger

I was watching the Grammys and I didn’t know it was coming when they announced that Kent Knappenberger won the first ever Grammy for “Music Educator.” I loved how they listed all the choirs he ever started (there were a lot of them). When asked how the award money was going to help initially he said, “Right now I have a student that wants to play violin, and our school doesn’t own a violin, so we got one on loan (from me).” Not a single violin!

This is such a great and important award. From Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the GRAMMY Foundation and The Recording Academy: “Many musicians would not be expressing their gift for creativity had it not been for the dedication and encouragement of a music teacher who inspired them to pursue a professional career.”

Very true. But I would not limit the rewards to professionals only. Anyone who has music in their life at any level benefits. So congratulations, Kent Knappenberger! You can nominate someone for next year, but you need to hurry. The deadline is March 31st.

Yesterday it was almost like spring, today this. 

SnowWalk2

My way down 11th Street was blocked by this fallen … bush thing.
SnowWalk3

Stacy Horn

I've written six non-fiction books, the most recent is Damnation Island: Poor, Sick, Mad, and Criminal in 19th-Century New York.

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