KENMORE, N.Y. — A Buffalo area band director is a finalist for an educator award from the GRAMMY Museum.
On Monday, the museum announced the 10 finalists for the 2023 Music Educator Award. After being a quarterfinalist twice, the Kenmore East band instructor, Phil Aguglia, has been named one of the finalists.
He's known by his students for his colorful costumes on the podium, as well as organizing music trips and hosting guest artists from around the country. He's been at Ken East for 20 years, with stops at Cleveland Hill, West Valley, and in Massachusetts before that.
"This is for every student I've ever taught," Mr. Aguglia told 2 On Your Side. "For my family, my wife my kids. Everybody who's sacrificed and allowed me to have this wonderful career that I have, and there's a lot of sacrifice. This doesn't come with a 40 hour week. This is a 80 hour a week or 100 hour a week lifestyle. I'm blessed every day that I get an opportunity to walk through the doors here and have a job."
Aguglia was selected out of 1,200 initial nominations.
"The annual Music Educator Award recognizes current educators who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the music education field and demonstrate a commitment to the broader cause of maintaining music education in the schools," a statement on the GRAMMY Museum website read.
The winner will be recognized during the week leading up to the 65th GRAMMY Awards. The recipient will get a $10,000 honorarium and matching grant for their school music program.
The nine finalists will receive $1,000 and a matching grant, and 15 semifinalists will receive $500 and a matching grant.