DeSoto High School choir director receives Grammy award
DeSOTO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – In DeSoto, this year's Grammy Music Educator Award winner Pamela Dawson is sharing the love.
Friday night, the DeSoto High School choir director attended a special event to unbox the trophy in front of her students.
"I am still on cloud nine," Dawson said. "I am still on cloud nine. To be in that atmosphere with all this energy and watching it happen live, it was an amazing experience."
It's an experience she says is proof your passions will lead to your greatest accomplishments. From a young age, she had a deep love for music but was initially pushed away from pursuing it as an actual career.
"My dad said there's no money in music, so I went into business to please father," she said. "But you know how you have that passion for something? You just can't get away from it. So, I eventually turned my story back around and said I got to go do music again."
Over the past 27 years, she's taught thousands of students. She treats them like family, which is why they call her "Mama Dawson."
"When you enter her class not only are you there to express yourself and be who you are, but you have somebody there to lean on," student Arieana Williams said.
"Everybody listens to Ms. Dawson," student Jamari Walker said. "Everybody respects Ms. Dawson. She loves us, but also gives us the discipline we need to be a great group."
"I just feel like she deserves it," student Elijah Mitchell said. "There's no other teacher that is doing what she's doing, taking these musical lessons and turning them into life lessons."
"The reason why I'm here is because of them and so I decided when I was going to get this Grammy the thing I wanted to do is share with them and I wanted them to enjoy this moment," Dawson said.
She hopes her story inspires them to follow their passions.
"Whether it's art, it's dance, it's music.. whatever that is just give your 100%," she said.
