From quarter notes to the quarter finals! Out of the 200 quarter finalists in the Grammy Foundation’s 2026 Music Educator Award, no less than five are Syracuse University graduates.
In the running for 2026 are:
- Erin L. Althen ’03, G’04, Westhill (Syracuse, NY) High School (Legacy Applicant)
- Laura H. Del Rosso ’17, G’18, Lower Manhattan (NY) Community Middle School (an SOE Alumni Ambassador)
- Erin E. McConnell ’06, G’07, Camillus (NY) Middle School
- Zachary T. Moser ’09, G’10, Jordan-Elbridge (NY) High School
- Alexandra L. Snabon-Jun ’03, G’04, Tyrone Thompson (Las Vegas, NV) Elementary School
“All of these educators completed our undergraduate and graduate programs in music education,” says John Coggiola, Associate Professor of Music Education in the College of Visual and Performing Arts and School of Education. “This is a true distinction of excellence for our signature five-year undergraduate to graduate program of study that has graduated many outstanding music educators currently making positive change in the schools and communities in which they work.”
In total, more than 2,000 initial nominations were submitted. In addition to this year’s quarter finalists—200 chosen from 180 cities—214 legacy applicants from 2025 are also eligible to win the 2026 award. The semi-finalists will be announced in September, and the winner will be honored during Grammy Week, days ahead of the 68th Annual GRAMMY Awards, early in 2026.
A joint partnership of the Recording Academy and Grammy Museum, the awards are made possible by the support of the Chuck Lorre Family Foundation, along with the American Choral Directors Association, National Association for Music Education, NAMM Foundation, and National Education Association.