Kevin Brawley, an alumnus of the Department of Music, has been named a 2019 Music Teacher of Excellence by the Country Music Association Foundation. Brawley was one of 30 music teachers nationally who have received recognition “for their commitment to shaping the next generation through music.” He will receive the award and $5,000 ($2,500 for his classroom needs and $2,500 unrestricted) at a ceremony on April 30 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Brawley graduated from UNC Charlotte in 2013. He teaches at Torrence Creek Elementary School in Huntersville. In 2013 he founded The Quarter Notes, an after-school choir for fourth and fifth graders. Open to all students without audition, The Quarter Notes has been named one of the top 13 ensembles across all grade levels of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) in two of the past three years.
In his free time, Brawley performs and tours with fellow UNC Charlotte music alumni John Woodall and Edward Bender as the band Water From Fire. This fall, Brawley was hand-picked by the superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to give the opening address to all 15,000 CMS teachers before the start of the 2018-2019 school year.