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2017 Grammy Music Educator of the Year

Choral teacher Keith Hancock, the 2017 Grammy Music Educator of the Year, makes the case for music as a fundamental part of every child's education.

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By Keith HancockMay 1, 20171 min read

A large outdoor amphitheater is filled with a crowd at night The stage is brightly lit with a blank blue screen surrounded by trees and hills silhouetted against the dark sky

In this episode, 2017, Grammy Educator of the Year award recipient Keith Hancock talks about the importance of music education in this country.

How fitting it was to speak with Keith Hancock, the 2017 Grammy Educator of the Year award recipient, about the importance of having a platform to vocalize music education concerns in this country. After all, Keith Hancock is a Choral teacher at Tesoro High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA and knows first-hand about the incredible effect of vocal harmony. Keith feels music education needs to be a fundamental part of every child’s education in the United States, but it starts with parents and teachers coming together to express their concerns at the local and federal levels.

CoffeED: Keith Hancock — CoffeED: Keith Hancock9 min 26 sedCircuit on Vimeo

Hancock sees music technology as a driving force in bringing greater interest to the field. Classes in technology managed music platforms have increased in popularity allowing students who normally would not choose traditional music classes to explore the field. Kids who love pop music can begin to create and write musically, without disposing of traditional music education concepts.

Keith was first exposed to the grandeur of music performing at the Hollywood Bowl as a high school choral singer. The experience hooked him but never in his wildest dreams did he believe he would be a Grammy winner. Humbled and kind throughout the process, Keith has remained even-keeled even after being approached by Jason Mraz about a collaborative coral project with his students.

It’s the teaching that matters, and Keith still believes his best impact comes from instilling lifelong music learning skills at the high school level.

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Choral Music Teacher, Tesoro High School

Keith Hancock has taught choral music for 15 years at Tesoro High School, where he directs more than 250 students in five curricular and four extra-curricular ensembles, and oversees the music production/audio engineering program. Last year, Hancock was selected as a Music Educator Award finalist and he was recently awarded as the Secondary Vocal Music Teacher of the Year for Orange County, California.The Tesoro High School music program was chosen as one of 13 GRAMMY Signature Schools nationwide for 2015. Under his direction, the Tesoro High School Vocal Ensemble was invited to perform at the ACDA Western DivisionConference in 2012 and 2016, representing one of four high schools in the Western United States. The Tesoro choirs have performed to rave reviews in Spain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, England, and Ireland, as well as Carnegie Hall in New York. In addition, ensembles under his direction have won two Golden State Choral Competitions and three Barbershop Harmony Society high school quartet championships.A former faculty member at the Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music at Chapman University, Hancock has earned three degrees (summa cum laude). As a performer, he has sung at Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, the Orange County Performing Arts Center, and with the Cypress Pops Orchestra, in addition to performing at various venues around Europe and Asia. Hancock has been married to his wife and fellow music teacher, Carly, since 2003. They have two sons, Joel and Chase.

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