George Mason High School music teacher Mary Jo West is one of 10 finalist in the running for the first-ever Music Educator Award by the Grammy Foundation.

A total of 10 music teachers from 10 cities across eight states were announced Saturday as finalists for the award. In total, more than 30,000 initial nominations were submitted from all 50 states.

The Music Educator Award was established to recognize current educators (kindergarten through college, public and private schools) who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the field of music education and who demonstrate a commitment to the broader cause of maintaining music education in the schools.

The winner will be announced next month. That recipient will be flown to Los Angeles to accept the award, attend the 56th annual Grammy awards ceremony, and receive a $10,000 honorarium. The nine finalists will receive a $1,000 honorarium, and the schools of all 10 finalists also will receive matching grants.