Coty Raven Morris, the Portland State University Hinckley Assistant Professor of Choir, Music Education and Social Justice, has been named one of 10 finalists for the prestigious GRAMMY 2024 Music Educator award.
Morris was selected from an initial 2,000 nominated music teachers from across the country, progressing from quarterfinals to semifinals and now to the finals.
Morris’s innovative, radically inclusive teaching methods, gifted musical skills, and commitment to the power of singing together as a means for healing have distinguished her throughout the competition.
In addition to her position at Portland State University, where she teaches choral music and leads the University Choir and other student choral ensembles, she is the founder of Being Human Together (BHT), a community working to normalize communication about challenging topics such as mental health and systemic oppression, through music and conversation. Her work with PSU and BHT involves The Choir for Houseless Communities Initiative, a pilot project bringing music education to organizations serving vulnerable populations through “community sings” and other events. In May 2023, Morris and Being Human Together held the first BHT Youth Summit at PSU, where high school students participated in a day of musical learning and community building, led by PSU professors and music education majors. The second youth summit is being planned for May 2024. She is an active leader in the National Association for Music Education and the American Choral Directors Association, and an on-air host at AllClassical Radio in Portland.
“Coty epitomizes the profound capacity of music to heal and unite communities,” said Dr. Leroy E. Bynum, Jr., dean of the College of the Arts at Portland State University. “She is a wellspring of joy and acceptance, inspiring individuals and groups from all ages and walks of life to embrace their intrinsic value and see themselves as artists no matter their backgrounds. Through her remarkable contributions at PSU, Coty has left an indelible mark on our students and the wider community. We are elated that the Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Museum have bestowed upon her the recognition she so richly deserves.”
The ultimate winner of the 2024 Music Educator Award will receive a $10,000 honorarium and a matching grant for their institution’s music program, and will be publicly recognized in the days prior to the 2024 GRAMMY awards on February 4. The other nine finalists will receive a $1,000 honorarium and matching grant.