Kimble Funchess makes quarterfinals cut for the 2026 GRAMMY Music Educator Award

Master Trumpeter Kimble Funchess said of his making the quarterfinals cut for the GRAMMY Music Educator Award, “When the expectation is great, great things happen.” 

The GRAMMY selection committee is  in the process of determining who will be awarded the 2026 Music Educator Award, and Mississippi’s own Kimble Funchess is in the running.  Mr. Funchess is the music educator and music teacher at the Mississippi School for the Blind. He has been working there for three years and is very proud of the accomplishments his students have made and are making every day. 

Mr. Funchess said, “I received an official letter from the GRAMMYs dated May 6, 2025, stating that I had made the quarterfinals cut among a field of 2,000 participants. I was so elated; there are three Mississippians, including myself, who are now among 200 quarterfinalists. However, I am the only one of the three who works with totally blind and low-vision students. I began my work at the School for the Blind to build a music program because they haven’t had a music program for several years.”

Mr. Funchess is among the quarterfinalists of teachers from public and private K-12 schools, along with colleges and universities. These teachers are contenders for the Music Educator Award.

Mr. Funchess explains that the Mississippi School for the Blind’s curriculum is very progressive. They focus on four skill sets, which results in students being able to play their instruments. 

Mr. Funchess said: “Now that I am in the quarterfinals, I feel the video that I sent in of me working with my students will impress the judges. In the video, the judges can see my students playing a variety of music genres such as blues, jazz, pop, country, and classical. I’m betting on what my students bring to the table, regardless of their disability. I have taught my students to play 11 of the major music scales, and my goal is to have the ensemble playing all 12 major scales by the end of the school year…that also includes dismantling and reassembling their instruments.”

Mr. Funchess’ resume includes tours with blues icons B.B. King and Johnnie Taylor and his Taylormade Orchestra. He has done studio work for Denise LaSalle and Willie Clayton. He also taught in the public schools of the Mississippi Delta and the Pine Belt in southern Mississippi. He attributes his love of the trumpet to Louis Armstrong when he saw Armstrong as a youngster. “I was enthralled by the reception Armstrong received after his performance, and I was hooked on the trumpet. A few years ago, I got to pay tribute to Satchmo when I played with members of the Mississippi Opera. I have had the pleasure of playing with gospel legend Mavis Staples and R&B singers as the O’Jays and Wilson Pickett. I also got to appear in the movie biopic of James Brown, “Get On Up,” says Funchess. 

The official GRAMMY information page notes the Music Educator Award program, including honorariums, is made possible by the generosity and support of the Chuck Lorre Family Foundation. In addition, the American Choral Directors Association, National Association for Music Education, NAMM Foundation, and National Education Association support this program through outreach to their constituencies.

The GRAMMY selection committee will decide on the semifinalists in September 2025, and hopefully, Mississippi nominee, Kimble Funchess, will be one step closer to being selected as the recipient of the GRAMMY Music Educator Award in February 2026!