DeSoto HS Choir Director Receives Grammy Award

On Wednesday morning during class, members of the DeSoto Acapella High School choir practiced sight reading for the upcoming competition. They looked ahead, looking at the notes on the screen, and matched their voice to each note that appeared.

In the middle stood Mrs. Pamela Dawson, the choir director. She took the students through the exercise, but this class was a little different, not only because there was an audience of news cameras, but also for the reason they were there.

Dawson won the prestigious Grammy Award, which musicians and vocalists dream of.

“I got a Grammy just for teaching. I got a Grammy for doing what I love every day and giving my students this passion for music, which was phenomenal,” said Dawson, who attended DeSoto High School for 16 years. years old, but originally from Detroit, Michigan.

Dawson said she was still in seventh heaven, especially sitting within walking distance of famous artists.

“It was so exciting, it was the most nerve-wracking (time) but the most exciting moment of my life, this weekend was just phenomenal, I was so flattered,” she said.

It was Dawson’s second nomination in three years.

She was among nine other finalists who were also honored for her work in the classroom and for influencing students’ lives. Initially, 1,205 nominations were submitted from across the country.

Dawson said in her video that she talked a lot about mental health and how she uses music in class to help with stress, anxiety and depression. During and after the pandemic, she noticed that her students were struggling.

“Techniques that I use every day in class that I didn’t realize I’ve been doing all my life, but when I actually started talking to the music therapist, she said, ‘You’re right. ‘ You know, you breathe a lot, you move a lot, we move our bodies, our arms, everything, and what happens, it creates this movement and actually helps mentally, in the central nervous system and actually helps them with their anxiety,” Dawson explained about what happens while singing.

Her ability to provide these methods, as well as serve as an advisor to her students, also makes her stand out.

Through melody, she shapes the minds of young people to turn off the noise and listen to themselves.

“Ms. Dawson influenced me just by telling me to be who I am. For example, to understand that music is not just music, it is an artistic craft,” said Elijah Mitchell, Jr., who plans to get a degree in music thanks to Mrs. Dawson. , Dawson. “Her ability to help people as a teacher feel like a family member, a mother, I think is a unique trait of a teacher and music educator.”

And it’s her special ability to create a safe space for students, as well as her talent for helping them become successful, award-winning vocalists, that are the reasons her students weren’t surprised she won a Grammy.

“She deserved it and I’m proud of her for it,” said Mitchell, the bass-baritone singer.

“I feel like my teacher is now a celebrity, she met Beyoncé and I’m like, ‘Oh my God,’” said Tiyana Bailey, a high school student who sings soprano 1.

Bailey met Dawson in 8th grade and has respected her ever since.

“She’s been a big influence in my life, I love her so much, she’s like my best friend and mother,” said Bailey, who was heartbroken knowing this was her last year with Dawson as not only a teacher but also a model for imitations.

“If not a music teacher, then thanks to Miss Dawson I will become an English teacher,” Bailey said.

Thus, Dawson’s caring nature earned her another nickname, “Mom” or “Mom D” for many of her students.

“She is like a second mother to me,” said Gabrielle Crittendon, a student of the first soprano.

Crittendon, an accomplished singer, wants to become an opera singer and pursue music. She, too, was in awe of Dawson’s Grammy win.

“I was happy, I was very, very happy. I thought she deserved it,” Crittendon said. “I love her, she has a special place in my heart, she has helped me through so many things, she has helped me with my self esteem, my confidence. I had confidence issues when I first came to high school, she helped me a lot.”

“I always told my students when they left, ‘You get that Grammy and then you come back and say, ‘Oh, that’s Ms. Dawson taught me,’ but the fact that it’s the other way around is cool. But here’s the fun. They support me and love me and they’re so happy for me and that’s the great thing,” Dawson reflected.

She said that she hoped that the victory would shed light not only on the school curriculum, but also on music education in general and its necessity. Dawson mentioned that those who are into music tend to have higher test scores and do better academically.

In addition, she said that music teachers are those who help train future artists behind the scenes.

“Above all, I want them (my students) to see that they can achieve anything they put their heart into, and that is in loyalty and hard work,” Dawson said. “I call our society the microwave society. We want everything at once. But we don’t get everything on a silver platter that we have to work hard, and for them, I said, I put all my time and all my efforts into ensuring that you and I never give you anything but the best, so I want so that you always give you only the best.”

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