Painesville Schools music teachers receive national recognition
Jul. 6—Painesville City Schools music teachers David Amos and Amir Jones have been named as quarterfinalists for the Recording Academy and Grammy Museum's Music Educator Award, with the semifinalists to be announced in September.
Jones teaches band and general music classes at Harvey High School and is the director of the Harvey Red Raider Marching Band. Amos teaches band and general music classes at Heritage Middle School and is an assistant director for the high school marching band.
Both were nominated by students — Jones by an 11th-grade student and Amos by a seventh-grade student.
After learning that they had been nominated, Amos said that the two teachers wrote about their philosophies of education and program accomplishments. They learned that they had been selected as quarterfinalists in June.
"I filled out the initial application and I thought, wow, I mean, hundreds and hundreds of educators across the country who are working really hard doing the same thing I do...day in and day out, are going to be up for the same thing, and just to sort of be on that same list and to be recognized in this way, and the fact that it came from a student, is really special," Amos said.
Jones added, "Once I received the email and they asked me to answer questions and fill things out I thought, like, OK, I'll do this, but the odds of this happening are probably pretty low given the amount of applicants and just the scale of the awards, so what are the chances that I would advance that far. So, I was very pleasantly shocked to see that both David and I made it, from thousands of people down to hundreds."
For the next stage, Amos said that the educators were asked to submit video interviews discussing their philosophies of music education, proudest moments and what they value about their programs. They also submitted recordings showing themselves leading band rehearsals.
Amos added, "Amir and I have talked in great detail about this, and we both believe that the really important thing is, like, providing that community for the students and the connections for the students and the experiences that they wouldn't get inside, you know, their standard general education classes," citing a trip to Disney World and performances at a Cleveland Cavaliers game and on Fox 8.
In his audition interview, Amos mentioned his belief in the importance of patience and empathy in the classroom, adding, "Before any instruction can take place effectively, students need to feel that they're welcomed and included."
In his video interview, Jones highlighted his desire to provide students with a good band experience and to "buy into the kids." He added that his education strategy involves helping them understand that they have a stake in the band experience.
"Create an environment of shared ownership," he said. "When we own something or have an investment in something, it's in our nature to treat that differently."
Both instructors also mentioned that they are invited to various student and community events outside the classroom.
And while their nominations are separate and only one teacher can win, Amos noted that they have enjoyed seeing each other advance to the quarterfinals.
"We're both very good friends, we love working together at Painesville, and we're both excited that we both made it this far in the process," Amos said.
According to a press release from the Grammy Museum, Jones and Amos are among the 207 quarterfinalists that were selected from an initial group of almost 1,500 music teachers from around the country. The winner will be recognized at Grammy Week 2023.
Meanwhile, Painesville City Schools was also named one of the NAMM Foundation's 738 Best Communities for Music Education Districts in 2022. Amos said that the district applied for that recognition, which he added is based on the number of students in the music programs and the types of programs the district offers.
