With more than 2,000 nominations from 197 cities, the 212 quarterfinalists for the highly competitive 2024 Music Educator Awards were announced by the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum from Santa Monica, California, this summer. For two years running, Hayley Winslow is in!
What’s notable about this award is the broad scope and high bar—kindergarten through college educators across 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 Academy and GRAMMY partnership.
Once you meet Hayley, the instrumental music teacher at Snow Canyon Middle School, it is easy to see how she garnered national attention by rising to the top 10%. She is one of only two Utah teachers in the quarterfinals.
“The process is arduous,” Hayley explains, "as it begins with a community member nomination, which then requires the nominee to prepare teaching videos and commentary for adjudication." Semifinalists will be announced this fall and the winner named in February.
Teachers are generally known for their passion and tenacity—whether for the subject matter or grade level they teach. Hayley’s enthusiasm for her profession, however, comes across as something deeper, more like a life mission.
“I don’t think I could ever give up on arts education,” she said in a recent phone interview, and her travel agenda proves it.
While some teachers spend summers away from anything educational, Hayley recently attended the Music for All Summer Symposium in Muncie, Indiana. The week-long event focused on elevating high school and middle school bands and their directors to be the best they can.
This fall, Hayley, and her husband Michael—a Washington County School District administrator and fellow musician—will jet to New York City to perform in the 2023 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with the Band Directors Marching Band, 400 strong, in a salute to band directors across America. While in town, they will also perform at Ground Zero and participate in a wreath laying ceremony.
One of the New York performances will serve as an overture for what Hayley is orchestrating here at home. She is working with several local schools to create an event similar to the Ground Zero experience. Her vision for all participating students extends beyond performing patriotic music to more deeply understanding the historical significance and the sacrifice of first responders on September 11 and now.
Last January, the Winslows marched with more than 300 band directors in the Rose Bowl Parade.
Hayley and her students are no strangers to the national spotlight, with Snow Canyon Middle School band winning the Indiana-based 2023 Music for All Community Involvement Award—one of four bands honored nationwide. The band was recognized for gathering more than 100 children’s books during its December 2021 concert for the Americas Band Directors Band to distribute to needy children.
Hayley’s belief is that while music education builds skill in mastery and performance, there is more to it, such as experiencing “core human traits like love and kindness,” as stated in a recent press release.
The artistry and values Hayley is instilling in her students will always be in style—and that makes everyone a winner.