This Texas choir director has officially won a Grammy.

DESOTO, Texas. Pamela Dawson is the director of the DeSoto High School choir program.

In her 16 years of work, she has always put her students first.

But this year, the Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Museum put it at number one.

Following his second nomination, Dawson received the 2023 Grammy Music Education Award.

The award, according to a district press release, honors educators who have made significant and lasting contributions to the field of music education and who demonstrate a commitment to the broader cause of maintaining music education in schools. Each year, one laureate is selected from 10 finalists and is recognized for their outstanding impact on students’ lives.

The award is a testament to Dawson’s hard work, dedication and mentorship over the years, the district said.

“I believe the Grammy Foundation has done a thorough research of what we have provided in regards to the qualifications required to be a finalist,” Dawson said of her nomination submission.

“The fact that I spoke about what I put into my children, especially this year regarding mental health, was a decisive factor in receiving this award. I am so honored that the Grammy Museum and the Recording Academy have deemed me worthy of this honor.”

Dawson turned the choir program into a national powerhouse, adding to the county by touring and winning numerous competitions around the world.

Students have performed at Carnegie Hall and in the Southwest American Choir Conductors’ Association (SWACDA) national honorary choir.

Locally, her choirs regularly performed at the Dallas Black Dance Theater’s Dance Africa event, the county said.

According to the district, some of her former students even play on Broadway.

But Dawson has always remained humble.

“I think my students are now really realizing that what I did was always for them, not for me,” she said when asked about her prestigious award.

DeSoto, the district said in a statement, is one of the most popular school systems in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, according to recent Texas Education Agency Accountability Rankings. The district’s last three graduating classes have received an average of about $15 million in college scholarships, the result of extensive vocational and technical education, STEM, and early childhood education programs that build literacy and numeracy skills in younger students.

“DeSoto ISD is proud to celebrate Pam Dawson’s work in achieving this recent achievement,” DeSoto ISD Principal Dr. Osama Rogers said in a statement.

“Her commitment to excellence and positive impact on student lives demonstrates what makes this amazing school community the epitome of DeSoto excellence.”

Dawson is a native of Detroit, and in addition to her duties as a teacher, vocalist, and musician, she is also a proud mother and grandmother.