Gina Waters Miller

Music educators are not only teachers. Many are songwriters, composers, producers, arrangers, orchestrators, music directors, creators of original musicals, film & documentary scorers, and recording professionals whose work is shaping the future of our industry every single day.

Please join me in congratulating my friends Franklin Willis, Metro Nashville Public Schools Director of Visual and Performing Arts, and Dee Hammonds, two extraordinary educators whose impact extends far beyond the classroom. They are Telly Award and Emmy Award winners, CMA Foundation Music Teachers of Excellence recipients, contributors to the Every Student Known and Music City High documentaries, and are preparing to release their second @mnpsnashville album, along with accompanying music videos. Their work continues to elevate students, music education, and our creative community.

Being able to celebrate Franklin and Dee’s invitation to this year’s Recording Academy Member Class, surrounded by the very students whose lives they are helping shape, alongside Superintendent Dr. Adrienne Battle and GRAMMY Award winner @mrtalkbox, was a powerful reminder that recognition matters. Representation matters. Opportunity matters.

I hope those students see that excellence, creativity, and service are valued, and that there could be a place for them too within our industry’s highest professional community.

Thank you, @fwillismusic & @fearlessdee, for all you continue to pour into your students, our city, and the future of music.

Congratulations to you both and to every one who was invited to join the 2027 Recording Academy (@grammys) Class.

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