Sunday,  February 16 , 2025

Linkedin Pinterest
News / Clark County News

Camas teacher doesn’t win Grammy Award but still gets grant money

Ethan Chessin has taught variety of musical genres during 14-year tenure at high school

By Brianna Murschel, Columbian staff reporter
Published: January 31, 2025, 1:16pm

Although Camas High School’s choir teacher did not win the 2025 Music Educator Grammy Award, as a finalist, he will receive $1,000 and a matching school grant.

Ethan Chessin, 44, is the only Washington nominee out of the 10 finalists. Adrian Maclin, a teacher from Tennessee, won the award.

“There are just so many incredible teachers all over the country,” Chessin told The Columbian in January. “It’s kind of mind-boggling to be recognized on that front.”

Chessin has taught a variety of musical genres and provided learning opportunities for his students beyond singing typical choral music during his 14 years at Camas.

Within a couple of years of teaching at Camas, Chessin told The Columbian previously, he started focusing on Latin American and world religious music.

He and his classes have worked with a variety of local artists and bands to create music pieces, videos and more. Students have also immersed themselves in different music genres, including gospel, Eastern European and Jewish. They’ve performed in Portland, Seattle and New York City.

This school year, the choir’s focus is on South Asian music.

December’s concert featured a fusion of Western choral and South Asian traditional music. Chessin said the plan for the rest of the school year is to learn about the Bharatanatyam dance — a classical Indian dance — and other traditional songs.

Loading...