Trevor Nicholas

COOK- It was a special moment for Cook native Trevor Nicholas last year when he was named as one of only ten national finalists for the 2022 Music Educator Award presented by The Recording Academy, the group that decides the winners of their the annual Grammy Awards, and the Grammy Museum.
On Monday, the accomplished vocal music teacher at Senn Arts at Nicholas Senn High School in Chicago got to live that moment over again when the ten finalists for the 2023 award were announced. Nicholas made the cut again, the only finalist from last year’s group so honored.
“UNREAL!!!” was the first word Nicholas posted to his Facebook page after learning the news, and in typical fashion, he immediately acknowledged the collective impact of others represented in his achievement.
“Deeply grateful for everyone who has poured into me over the years and encouraged me on this journey to explore and amplify the healing power of the arts,” he wrote. “May each of my students feel uplifted by this hope we’ve been building together. Thank you GRAMMY Museum for extending the reach of my students’ artistry and light.”
Being nominated for the Music Educator Award is the easy part. Nominations can come from anyone, students, teachers, administrators, Recording Academy members, and the general public. Music teachers can also nominate themselves. This year, more than 1,200 nominations from 47 states were received.
To advance toward the finals, however, requires hard work on the part of the nominees as they work with supporters to complete an extensive application process that goes well beyond an individual’s classroom teaching ability. Music Educator Award applicants are evaluated based on demonstrated evidence that they have made a measurable difference in the lives of students, have made a significant and lasting contribution to the field of music education, are exemplars of the best in the field, have shown a commitment to the broader cause of maintaining music education in schools, and have made a significant impact on their school and community.
After the applications were electronically scored and ranked, around a thousand nominees were eliminated when 207 quarterfinalists, including Nicholas, were selected in June. That triggered another round of work gathering supplemental materials such as videos, testimonials, and written essays in support of their nominations.
The field was trimmed to 25 semifinalists in October after multiple screening committee reviews, and a “blue ribbon committee” made the selection of the ten finalists and a recommendation for the winner. The Recording Academy Board of Trustees has final approval of the committee’s selections.
For Nicholas, a 2004 Cook High School graduate, a central driving factor in his teaching experience has been exploring responses to trauma through vocal music. A video-based recording project with his students at Senn Arts when the school was closed during the COVID pandemic, “Who Will Carry Me?”, a song composed by Nicholas, received wide acclaim from an array of educators, performers and local and state government officials.
Nicholas is also known for reaching outside the Senn Arts campus to establish significant ongoing collaborations for his students with noted performers and arts organizations in the Chicago area, and also to raise well in excess of $300,000 in grants and donations to support the Senn Arts program.
The winner will be recognized during Grammy Week festivities preceding the annual awards show scheduled for Feb. 5. The winner will receive a $10,000 honorarium and a matching grant for their school’s music program.