Congratulations to Zadda Bazzy, our 2024 NCMEA Elementary Teacher of the Year!
Dr. Zadda Bazzy has been in education for more than 25 years. She currently teaches general music at Queens Creek Elementary School in Swansboro, North Carolina.
Dr. Bazzy holds a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre, an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Music Education, and a second M.A. in Educational Leadership. She has maintained her certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards since 2003. In addition, she completed her post-Level III certification in the Orff-Schulwerk approach to music education.
In addition to teaching, Dr. Bazzy regularly presents professional development to her colleagues across the district and state. She writes lessons for the North Carolina Symphony’s Education Concerts, as well as the Sarasota Orchestra’s Young Persons Concerts. For the past two years, she has worked closely with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction by serving on the Data Review Committee and the Standards Resources Team for our new state standards. In addition, this fall she was one of only 10 music educators across the country to participate in a project by the National Coalition for Arts Standards called “Creating a Community for All Learners – Reimagining Standards-Based Arts Education for Equity and Inclusion.” Furthermore, Dr. Bazzy was a contributing author of the book The Learner-Centered Music Classroom: Models and Possibilities published in 2019.
Dr. Bazzy has received multiple recognitions for her work in the field, including the North Carolina Symphony’s Maxine Swalin Award for Outstanding Music Educator (2023), Teacher of the Year for Onslow County Schools (2020), Teacher of the Year for the School District of Manatee County, Florida (2013), and the Provost’s Award for Outstanding Teaching by a Graduate Teaching Assistant for her work at the University of South Florida (2010).
NCMEA Grants and Scholarships
NCMEA Offers various Grants and Scholarships in addition to the Elementary Teacher of the Year award.
Click here to learn more about grants offered by NCMEA.
Click here to learn more about scholarships offered by NCMEA.