Mark Edwards, a Brooklyn music teacher and guitarist, has achieved his first Grammy nomination for his work on the album "Bespoke Songs" by Fontina Naumenko and Jonathan Newman. While facing stiff competition in the "Best Classical Solo Vocal Album" category, Edwards expresses surprise and joy at the recognition. He is dedicated to nurturing his students' musical skills at Success Academy in Prospect Heights, emphasizing experiential learning. His students, inspired by his achievements, express enthusiasm for music and aspirations to pursue their own paths in the field.
"We very much knew when we were recording it that like, 'oh, my goodness, this is amazing.' But you would never expect to receive accolades necessarily."
"It's much more about getting kids hearing music and experiencing music so that they build up the vocabulary to be able to, if they want, to eventually read music and continue to perform it."
"I can just tell my friends, my teacher's been nominated and stuff makes me feel excited. Makes me feel like, you know, my teacher has a bigger purpose."
"He pushes us harder and, like, gives us challenges and makes sure we get the piece perfect before we go to the performance."
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