Miami-Dade County School Board chair recognizes Jennifer Jimenez, band director at South Miami Senior High School, during the board’s Mar. 11 meeting.
Miami-Dade County School Board chair and District 6 representative Mari Tere Rojas, during the meeting of Mar. 11, proffered agenda item B-3, recognizing Jennifer Jimenez, band director at South Miami Senior High School and the recipient of the 2026 Recording Academy’s Music Educator Award (GRAMMY).
“This prestigious national recognition highlights Ms. Jimenez’s dedication to her students, her passion for music education, and the extraordinary impact she has made in the classroom and beyond,” Rojas said.
Jimenez, a National Board Certified Teacher and 19-year veteran at South Miami Senior High School, is a pioneering figure in music education. Currently serving as the band director and Electives Department chair, she recently made history as the first educator in Miami-Dade County Public Schools to receive the Recording Academy and Grammy Museum’s 2026 Music Educator Award.
This prestigious honor, earned from a pool of over 2,000 nominees, follows her 2019 Kennedy Center Sondheim Inspirational Teaching Award and numerous other accolades, including the Oliver Hobbs Award and MusicEd Idol Teacher of the Year.
Her career, which began at West Miami Middle School in 2004, is defined by a commitment to excellence that has led her students to performances at Carnegie Hall and two Super Bowls.
A graduate of the University of Miami and an inductee into its Band Hall of Fame, Jimenez views the band room as “the family you choose.” Beyond the classroom, she is a prolific grant writer, securing financial resources for her program, and a dedicated advocate for underrepresented populations in music.
Her professional contributions extend to leadership roles within the Florida Bandmaster’s Association and Women Band Director International, as well as serving as the principal percussionist for the Miami Symphony Orchestra.
Despite her extensive national recognition, she remains deeply rooted in the local community through her collaborations with the Greater Miami Youth Symphony and her life in Miami with her husband, Desi, and their two children.
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