For Immediate Release
Contact: Kerry Minster
706.454.1562
kerry.minster@lakeoconeeacademy.org

LAKE OCONEE ACADEMY MUSIC TEACHER AMY REBER ANNOUNCED AS A QUARTERFINALIST

FOR THE 2018 MUSIC EDUCATOR AWARD™ PRESENTED BY THE RECORDING ACADEMY® AND THE GRAMMY MUSEUM®

Greensboro, Ga. (June 19, 2017) - A total of 197 music teachers from 187 cities across 45 states plus Washington, D.C., have been announced as quarterfinalists for the Music Educator Award™ presented by the Recording Academy® and the GRAMMY Museum®. Lake Oconee Academy (LOA) music teacher Amy Reber was named as one of the quarterfinalists from among 2,300 initial nominations from all 50 states.

The Music Educator Award was established to recognize current educators (kindergarten through college in 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 recipient will be recognized during GRAMMY® Week 2018.

Reber, originally from Castle Rock, Colorado, has been a music instructor at LOA since 2007. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and a Master of Music in Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy from Baylor University.

Reber has enriched the lives of LOA students across all grade levels, from Pre-Kindergarten to seniors, with her passion for music and music education. Reber shares her love of music with elementary, middle and high school students in general music, piano and musical theatre. She will lead piano instruction for approximately 160 students this school year. As a concert pianist, she supports many organizations in the community through music as an accompanist for Christ Our King Catholic Church, Reynolds Lake Oconee Chorus, Lake Oconee Presbyterian Church (also serves as choir director), and Oconee Performing Arts Society (OPAS). She hosts Kindermusik camps for children ages 2-6 each summer. Reber is an active member of the American College of Musicians in the Piano Guild. She works tirelessly supporting students outside of the school day with private piano and voice lessons. Reber is a parent of five children with her husband Jay.

"I am truly honored to represent my family, my school, and my community with this nomination for the Music Educator Award," said Reber. "There are a lot of people who have poured countless hours, time, and resources into my musical training. I am where I am today because of their sacrifices. I want to provide the children of Greene County and LOA the same opportunity I was given. It is so exciting and rewarding to see the joy that music brings to their lives. I always tell my students, 'I don't have a job. I have a joy.'"

Each year, one recipient is selected from 10 finalists and recognized for their remarkable impact on students' lives. The fifth annual honoree will be flown to New York to attend the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards and a range of GRAMMY Week events. The nine additional finalists will receive a $1,000 honorarium, and the schools of all 10 finalists will receive matching grants.

Fifteen semifinalists will receive a $500 honorarium with matching school grants. The matching grants provided to the schools are made possible by the generosity and support of the GRAMMY Museum's Education Champions Converse, Disney Performing Arts, Ford Motor Company Fund, and Journeys. In addition, the American Choral Directors Association, National Association for Music Education, NAMM Foundation, and National Education Association support this program through outreach to their constituencies.

Photo: LOA music instructor Amy Reber has been named a quarterfinalist for the Music Educator Award™ presented by the Recording Academy® and the GRAMMY Museum®.