Arvada West Choir Teacher Semifinalist For 2018 Grammy Music Educator Award

ARVADA, CO -- Arvada West HS Choir Director Chris Maunu was named as one of 25 semifinalists for the Music Educator Award, presented yearly by the Recording Academy and the Grammy Museum. The contest supports music teachers, kindergarten through college, 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," according to a statement from the Recording Academy. The winner will be flown to New York to attend the 61st Annual Grammy Awards and Grammy Week events. The nine additional finalists will receive a $1,000 honorarium, and the other 15 semifinalists will receive $500. Schools of all 25 finalists will receive matching grants.

Maunu, who has been at Arvada West since 2006, brought the Arvada West Vocal Showcase Choir national renown in the spring when the choir was invited to perform among collegiate choirs from around the world at the Minneapolis national conference of the American Choral Directors Assn. held in March.

Maunu is also a professional singer and co-founder of Denver's Anima Chamber Ensemble. His bio on the Anima website says he grew up in Frederick, South Dakota. Under Maunu's leadership, the number of students participating in Arvada West's choir program has more than doubled from 120 to 300 students, according to Maunu's bio profile.

JeffCo School Supt. Jason Glass congratulated Maunu on Twitter after the Grammy announcement:

Hear the Arvada West Choir perform here:

Image Chris Maunu and one of the Arvada West choirs. Courtesy: YouTube