Congratulations to my friend Coty Raven Morris!
I'm very excited to share that my friend and colleague Coty Raven Morris of Portland State University is a quarterfinalist for the 2024 Grammy Music Educator of the year. Coty is among 212 music educators currently nominated for the award.
The Grammy Music Educator Award recognizes current educators — kindergarten through college 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. The quarterfinalists, who hail from 197 cities, were selected from more than 2,000 initial submitted nominations. It's quite an honor to have been nominated, let along have made it this far!
Coty is a proud alumnus of Texas State University- San Marcos where she studied with Drs. Lynn Brinckmeyer, Jonathan Bacock, and Joey Martin. She received her Masters of Music in Choral Conducting from Michigan State University in the Spring of 2020 under Drs. David Rayl, Jonathan Reed, and Sandra Snow.
She is currently the Visiting Assistant Professor of Choir, Music Education, and Social Justice at Portland State University. Prior to this, she was the Director of Choirs at Crosby High School in the Houston area and has served as the Outreach Choir Director at the MSU Community Music School and Music Director at Grand Ledge United Methodist Church. Her choirs received consistent Sweepstakes & Division I ratings at UIL and choral festivals.
I’m fortunate to know Coty through my work with the Oregon Music Educators Association. I'm also very excited to be working with Coty and her Portland State choirs. I'll also be working support Coty with her community outreach work in Portland and where ever she might need the help.
Once again, congrats Coty! I can't imagine a music educator more worthy of such praise. Congrats on becoming a Grammy nominated educator. Here's to you becoming a Grammy winner! You can learn more about Coty and her work on her website https://www.cotyravenmorris.com.