Music Education Innovator Award
The Music Education Innovator Award, presented by the Give A Note Foundation, recognizes creative K–12 public school music educators who lead inclusive and innovative programs that expand access and sustain student engagement in music as part of the regular school day.
With thanks to our founding sponsor, the CMA Foundation and Huber Materials, the award provides $4,000 grants to build on programmatic successes and create lasting change in schools and districts. Associated music educators also serve as Innovative Ambassadors to the field, sharing their models so other schools can learn and benefit.
Applications Now Open for 2026!
Winners of this cycle will each receive a $4,000 grant, national visibility through Give A Note’s press releases, social platforms, and partner networks, and an all-expense-paid trip to the MusicPro ’26 conference in Los Angeles, March 27–29, 2026. The conference experience includes professional development opportunities, music industry networking, and a special awards recognition dinner.
Eligibility
Applicants must:
• Work as a K–12 music teacher in a publicly funded school
• Offer a program that is part of the regular school day (not exclusively after-school or extracurricular)
• Have implemented the program and shown success with students
Timeline
Applications close: Saturday, October 25, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET
Semifinalists notified: By November 15, 2025, and asked to submit a short video (any resolution) of them leading their program
Winners announced: By early March 2026
Conference participation: March 27–29, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted through Jotform.
Complete the Application Here
(Entries can be saved and completed later. Estimated completion time: 2–3 hours, depending on how much optional material you include.)
Download the Application PDF
(Use this PDF to review all questions and prepare your responses in advance. Please note: entries will only be accepted through Jotform.)
Accessibility
We want every applicant to feel supported in sharing their story. If you have difficulty writing out your responses, please email juliana.lee@giveanote.org to request an accommodation. We can arrange for you to submit video responses in place of written answers.
Questions?
For any questions, please contact Juliana at juliana@giveanote.org.
Nomination Form
OUR REVIEW CRITERIA
Give A Note (GAN) is committed to supporting creative, impactful, and sustainable programs in public school music classrooms. We do that, in part, by grounding all our grant programs in community benefit. What matters most to GAN is that the classrooms we support are connected to and serving their community. We call this Community Benefit, and it is the area in our review that is most heavily weighted.
During this particular award, we have an added focus on Innovation. See below for our definitions of both in addition to our third review category: Program Capacity.Community Benefit
GAN defines “Community Benefit” as a teacher’s ability to meaningfully engage their students, parents, the school, and members of the geographic area in which it’s located.
Exceptional applicants will:Demonstrate an understanding, respect, and ongoing response to student needs and interests.
Use knowledge of their students culture and interests to drive their program.
Build meaningful relationships with parents, administration, community partners, and peers.
Create an accessible and inviting environment for their students.
Innovation
GAN defines “Innovation” as a quality music program that inspires and challenges students outside traditional music curriculum.
Exceptional applicants will:Inspire their students, parents, and neighbors to creatively define music education.
Incorporate a process of reflection to ensure fresh programming.
Involve students in activities that go far beyond simply preparing them for concerts/festivals or listening to recorded music.
Make lessons learned in the music classroom more applicable to real world settings.
Show evidence of or potential to attract, enroll, and include students that have not previously been involved in school music programs.
Help students grow in their ability to perform, create (improvise or compose), and/or respond to music in inventive and exciting new ways.
Use approaches/materials/media that are markedly different from those typically found in band, choir, orchestra, or general music settings.
Program Capacity
GAN defines Program Capacity as a teacher’s ability to successfully plan for, manage, and inspire other teachers around the country through its program.
Exceptional applicants will:Demonstrate potential for the program to be transferred to and implemented in other school settings.
Use the support offered by GAN to put in place an innovative program that survives the grant period, thus bringing lasting change to the school and to the student population served.
Show evidence of or potential to attract students ongoing.
Set project goals to measure progress and evolve.
Demonstrate potential to garner additional support for this music program from outside sources with the infusion of this grant money.
