After receiving one of the most prestigious honors in the music industry, the Recording Academy’s Music Educator Award, South Miami Senior High School’s Jennifer Jimenez has returned to the classroom.
Now in her 19th year as director of bands and elective department chair at the Miami-Dade County school, Jimenez has shaped the lives of countless students, guiding them to perform on renowned stages like Carnegie Hall and the Super Bowl.
Jimenez was honored for her commitment and contributions to music education during The Recording Academy’s 2026 Special Merit Award Ceremony on Jan. 31. During her speech, she addressed her students, saying:
“This award belongs to our community. To your hard work and dedication, and I’m truly honored to lead this band program daily.”
Back in the classroom this week, Jimenez said her Grammy win shines a spotlight on the community and the importance of arts funding.
“Having people understand what we work with here in Miami-Dade County specifically. I think it also has highlighted across the whole country, not just here [that] it’s really tough to fund music education,” she said.
“ But to shine the spotlight on saying, 'Okay, everybody wants an instrument, wants to be in music education. What does that take?.'”
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As an educator, Jimenez says it’s inspiring and rewarding to walk into the classroom and see students who want to be there and are willing to put in the effort.
She says what they’re learning in her classroom goes beyond the music.
“My goal is to use the arts as the tool to get [students] to wherever they wanna be and whatever that means for their careers,” said Jimenez. “The skills we learn here, the leadership and the dedication, persevering through the hard things, even when you don’t wanna do it, is something that translates to jobs.”
In addition to the Grammy recognition, Jimenez will receive a $10,000 honorarium and a matching grant for the school’s music program.
