‘It’s been a whirlwind’: CCU professor nominated for Grammy award

CONWAY, S.C. (WMBF) - Coastal Carolina’s assistant professor of music, Dr. Eric Schultz, can officially say he is a Grammy nominee.

“Now it’s real because I saw my name on that list representing Coastal Carolina and Conway. Honestly, I don’t think it has hit me yet because since it came out it’s just been kind of a whirlwind,” said Schultz.

Schultz was named one of 212 quarterfinalists for the Grammy’s 2024 Music Educator Award.

He said this is the first time someone from the university has received this kind of nomination.

The Recording Academy and Grammy Museum gives the award to a teacher who’s made significant contributions to music education.

In just his third year at CCU, Schultz has tried to do just that with his REPRESENTatoire project.

Schultz said the project gives students the opportunity to study living composers and see themselves reflected in the music they play.

“In college music study there’s a lot of Mozart, Brahms, and there’s a lot of Tchaikovsky. So, it’s a very specific time period and region that we’re studying, and so we thought why don’t we diversify that a little bit. My students who are people of color, women, queer, Hispanic, Asian, they want to sometimes study a composer that looks like them,” said Schultz.

Schultz recently brought in well-known Black flutist Valerie Colman for his class which you may remember was spotlighted on our “This is Carolina” series.

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Schultz also told WMBF exclusively that the school is bringing in prolific composer Amanda Harberg sometime next year.

The Grammy’s Museum will announce the semifinalist for the Music Educator Award in September.

In the meantime, Schultz said he is working on his debut clarinet album which he hopes will come out in the fall.

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