In an effort to support music education and to celebrate local educators who excel, the Blues Angel Music Foundation announces the awarding of their inaugural Music Educator of the Year prize to Jonathan Clark of the Escambia County School District. Clark will receive $1,000 for his program.
A team leader and strings instructor at several schools in the Escambia County School District, Clark founded the Fifth Grade Strings Program, which teaches more than 400 students per week. He also directs the Emerald Coast Honors Orchestra, a performance-based string orchestra comprised of local students from elementary school through high school.
In addition to teaching, Clark plays with a number of local bands, including Clark and Company, and founded of the White Tie Rock Ensemble. Area music students play an integral role in many of the White Tie Rock Ensemble’s performances as the backing symphony orchestra.
“I am lucky that I am able to have a job that I love. As an educator, I get to pass on my love of music to a new generation. As a musician, I see and recognize the sense of discovery in my students’ faces because I’ve experienced the same discoveries. Watching them accept and excel at the challenges they encounter will teach them a life lesson like no other, and it has taught me more than I could ever convey†Clark said of his career and its impact on his life and the lives of his students.
For his dedication to his students, and the cause of furthering music education in Escambia County, Jonathan Clark has been named the Blues Angel Music Foundation’s inaugural Music Educator of the Year.
Those interested in nominating an instructor for this award may do so at bluesangelmusic.com/educator-of-the-year.