Don Greene

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Donald Greene, music teacher at L. J. Bell Elementary School in Richmond County, has been selected to receive the Yale Distinguished Music Educator Award and attend the Symposium on Music in Schools. The Symposium on Music in Schools is held once every two years at the Yale School of Music as part of the Music in Schools Initiative. With support from the Yale College Class of 1957, the Symposium honors fifty teachers from around the country for their outstanding accomplishments teaching music in public schools. For three days in June, distinguished music educators convene in New Haven, all expenses paid, to participate in a variety of skill-building workshops, discussions, and other events, culminating with the presentation of fifty Yale Distinguished Music Educator Awards at the closing banquet.

When members of the Yale College Class of 1957 made a 50th reunion gift to the School of Music to “improve the quality of public education,” they made a provision to fund biennial meetings for dedicated teachers who transform their students’ lives through music.

“Music educators impart the gift of music to students across this nation, and their efforts bring hope and dignity to our society. The Symposium is an occasion for us to honor these teachers and to thank them for enriching our lives, and for us in turn to enrich theirs,” comments Yale School of Music Dean Robert Blocker.

This year the School of Music reached out to school superintendents and principals across the country, as well as to members of the Class of 1957, for nominations. The effort yielded a pool of 448 candidates from 46 states and Washington, D.C.