College of Charleston chorus conductor, adjunct music professor and alumnus William Bennett ’04 has been named by the Grammy Foundation as one of 10 finalists for the 2015 Music Educator Award.
William Bennett
Bennett is the director of choirs at Cane Bay High School in Summerville, S.C., and was nominated for the award by some of his students. At the College, he conducts the University Chorus, and since 2007 has taught undergraduate conducting as an adjunct in the Department of Music.
RELATED: Learn more about other performance ensembles at the College.
The award recognizes full-time educators in the U.S. who teach music in public or private schools, kindergarten through college, and who “have made a significant and lasting contribution to the field of music education and who demonstrate a commitment to the broader cause of maintaining music education in the schools,” according to the foundation.
The winner will be flown to Los Angeles to accept the award and attend the Grammys and receive a $10,000 honorarium. The nine finalists will each receive a $1,000 honorarium, and the schools of all 10 finalists also will receive matching grants.
Now in its second year, the award program received more than 7,000 nominations from all 50 states. Bennett says he’d be thrilled to win, but being a finalist has already brought positive recognition to two schools he cares about deeply.
“This recognition has already shined a huge light on our choral program at Cane Bay and brings recognition to the things we are doing here at the College,” he says. “If I won, this would be one of the great highlights in the history of our school. It is incredible to be considered for this honor!”
RELATED: Read more about the Grammy Foundation’s Music Educator Award.
Bennett grew up in Fort Mill, S.C., where he was a member of the Fort Mill High School band and choir. He came to the College in 2000 and was the inaugural recipient of the Charleston Men’s Choir Scholarship at the College.
After graduating from the College with a bachelor’s of arts in music – vocal performance in 2004, Bennett attended Louisiana State University from 2004 to 2006. He returned to the Charleston area to teach at Wando High School from 2006 to 2008 and moved to Cane Bay High School when it opened in 2008.
In addition to serving as assistant conductor and logistics manager for the College’s Taylor Festival Choir, Bennett also performs with the choir, sings in his church choir and performs with other choirs around Charleston.
