Bill Podolski was alone at recess as an elementary schooler in New York when the band teacher approached him.
Podolski didn’t have many friends at the time, he said, and the educator mentioned he might be a good fit in the band. He accepted the recommendation and quickly learned an instrument.
Then, his perspective shifted. He felt a connection with other students in a “way that I wasn’t finding on the soccer field,” he recalled.
It’s the same feeling Podolski said he hopes to create for his choir students at H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program in Arlington, Virginia. He won’t accept it when someone tells him they can’t sing, and he strives to help everyone find their voice.
A parent nominated Podolski for the 2026 Grammy Music Educator Award for those efforts, and he learned last week he’s a finalist for the prestigious recognition.
“My quest as a music teacher is helping students like me, but all students, to feel that music can be a place where everyone belongs, and that there’s a place for you to be seen and heard, and for it to just be a safe place for my students to make connections and thrive through music,” Podolski told WTOP.
He’s been teaching at the Rosslyn school for 18 years and is now its director of choral activities. He works with over 100 students in the chorus program each day, and teaches a handful of kids general music. He also co-directs the high school and middle school musicals.
But his teaching isn’t always about singing. Sometimes, students play with a big parachute or beach balls and bean bags. They organize games that aren’t about singing, with the goal of helping each participant find their voice.
“Through those community builders, through the sense of play, that’s how I seek to help students find their voice and find their confidence in singing,” Podolski said.
He oversees four school-based concerts each year, and some students also sing at community events. Planning a concert, he said, is typically the most difficult part of the job.
He aims to pick a variety of music, representing a wide range of cultures, languages and perspectives. Often, he selects a theme, and hopes to create a “subtle story” from song to song.
Podolski suspected the parent that nominated him for the award did so, in part, because of the H-B Woodlawn Community Chorus. Each December, he picks three nights to invite community members, parents, grandparents and alumni to learn two songs that the group sings at the school’s winter chorus concert.
The award’s pool started with thousands of candidates and went down to 250 quarterfinalists, 25 semifinalists and 10 finalists. The Music Educator Award honors teachers who have made a “significant and lasting” contribution to the music education field, according to the Grammy Museum’s website.
Annie Ray, a Fairfax County orchestra teacher, won the award in 2024.
For Podolski, the recognition came as a surprise. He learned about his nomination through an email and said it’s something he’s “so humbled and grateful for.”
He said his focus remains on helping students feel something unique when they walk through his classroom.
“I want them to feel proud,” Podolski said. “I want them to feel what it feels like to have goose bumps” while performing.
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