The Jazz Education Network and Berklee College of Music will collaborate to present the John LaPorta Jazz Educator of the Year award. The award is named after legendary jazz educator John LaPorta who served as a distinguished professor at Berklee for more than three decades prior to his death in 2004 and played a pivotal role in the earliest stage of formalized jazz education. The award will recognize an outstanding high school or elementary school educator with a focus on jazz education and who represents the highest standards of teaching and whose results in the classroom have brought distinction to their institution and their students.
The LaPorta Award and a $2,500 check will be presented to the winner at the 2011 JEN Conference in New Orleans. The honored recipient will be provided with coach airfare (up to $500), one complimentary hotel room, and conference credentials. The recipient will also be profiled in JAZZed magazine, on the JEN website and in the conference program. The winner's school receives up to $200 of Berklee Press publications, a Berklee online course and a visit by a Berklee clinician to their school.
Eligibility Criteria for Nominee:
- Minimum of 5 years of successful classroom and/or directing experience
- Open to an educator in elementary or secondary education
- Nominee represents the highest standards of jazz teaching, and results in the classroom have brought distinction to nominee's institution and students
Submission Criteria:
- Nominations may be submitted by current JEN members online at JazzEdNet.org
- Include complete contact information of the person submitting the nomination
- Describe how the nominee meets the eligibility criteria
- Include a nominee biography, address, phone number(s) and email address
- Up to five letters in support may be uploaded as a unit to the JEN website
All nominations must be received by October 1, 2010 to be considered for the award. Additional support materials must be submitted as a unit by October 15, 2010.
