Pittsburgh-area teacher to be honored at CMA Foundation's Music Teachers of Excellence Awards
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A teacher in the Canon-McMillan School District will be honored at the CMA Foundation's Music Teachers of Excellence Awards in Nashville, Tennessee.
Deanna Grandstaff, a band teacher at Cecil Intermediate School in Cecil Township, is among 30 music educators who will be honored for their "dedication and impact on music education in their classrooms and school communities," the school district said in a news release on Thursday. The award show is on Sept. 17 at the Country Music Hall of Fame.
"I can't think of a music teacher more deserving of this honor than Deanna Grandstaff," said Bob Kleinhans, principal of Cecil Intermediate School, in Thursday's news release. "She epitomizes what it means to be an outstanding music educator on a daily basis."
Kleinhans went on to say that Grandstaff is "an advocate for all of the students in the Canon-McMillan School District," adding that student participation in the musical instrument program at the school has "grown exponentially each year."
Grandstaff is set to receive $2,500 for improving her school classroom and $2,500 as a personal stipend.
Of the 30 teachers being honored, 10 are from Metro Nashville Public Schools, 10 from other school districts in Tennesse and 10 are from across the United States.
According to its website, the CMA Foundation "was birthed from the passion of our artists and industry professionals who first fell in love with music within the four walls of a classroom."