A Maine South High School music teacher is in the running for a coveted GRAMMY award as an educator.
In a news release, Maine Township High School District 207 leaders announced that Leo Park, orchestra director at Maine South, is a quarter finalist for the annual Music Educator Award, “which honors impactful music educators in the U.S.”
The release explains that a total of 200 music teachers from 180 cities – and a pool of 2,000 initial nominations – are currently in the running for the award. The semi-finalists for the award are expected to be announced in September, with the winner of the 2026 Music Educator Award honored during GRAMMY Week 2026, which is days ahead of the 2026 GRAMMYs and officially known as the 68th Annual GRAMMY Awards.
“We are incredibly proud of Leo and will be eagerly following the next phase of the selection process,” Teralyn Keith, Maine South Fine Arts Department chair, stated in the release.
The Music Educator Award is a joint partnership and presentation of the Recording Academy of the GRAMMY Museum, and it recognizes current educators — kindergarten through college, and public and private schools — 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,” according to the release.
The award is open to current U.S. music teachers. Anyone can nominate a teacher, including students, parents, friends, colleagues, community members, school deans, and administrators. Nominated teachers are notified and invited to complete an application, the release explains.
Each year, one recipient is selected from 10 finalists.
The winner will will be flown to Los Angeles to attend the GRAMMYs and a range of GRAMMY Week 2026 events. The nine additional finalists will receive a $1,000 honorarium, and the schools of all 10 finalists will receive matching grants. Fifteen semi-finalists will receive a $500 honorarium with matching school grants, according to the release.
