GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. — Two Guilford County Schools teachers are finalists for the Grammy’s Music Educator Award.

Brian McMath and Donny Walter both teach at Northwest Guilford High School in Greensboro. Both are top 10 finalists for the prestigious Music Educator Award by the Grammy Museum.

The nominations came as a surprise, but the advancements to next rounds shocked both teachers.

Both McMath and Walter have come close to a Grammy before. McMath says he was nominated years ago. Walter was nominated as part of the UNCG Wind Ensemble when he attended in the 1990s.

“It’s fantastic to have someone that I know and respect also to be in this process,” Walter says.

UNCG is where both teachers first met while studying during their undergraduate years. Now, McMath is the director of bands at Northwest, while Walter splits his time teaching at Northwest Guilford High School and Middle School.

“This is the first time we’ve been able to find two people from the same school, district, county, even state sometimes have been in the finals together,” McMath says.

McMath says winning this award is more a reflection of his students than himself. Walter says teaching is different due to coronavirus restrictions, but his students are worth it.

“It is a lot of fun teaching music. You get a bunch of kids together and give them noise-making devices and then you turn it into music and that’s just really cool,” Walter says.

The Grammy Awards were postponed until March due to the pandemic, but McMath and Walter still patiently wait for results expected to be announced this month. The winner gets $10,000 and a matched grant is awarded to their school.