Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame Names Rocky Point Elementary’s Craig Knapp as Recipient of the “Educator of Note” Award

The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF) announced the 18th recipient of the “Educator of Note” award to Rocky Point Elementary Music Teacher and Department Chairperson Craig Knapp. 

Official logo for the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame

Knapp is the current director of the Nassau and Suffolk Treble Choirs of the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of New York and an Elementary Classroom Music Specialist and Choral Director in the Rocky Point Public School District. In the past, Knapp has worked as a professor at Hofstra University, program director at Stony Brook University, music educator, guest conductor, clinician, folk dance leader, and author. 

The “Educator of Note” award recognizes dedication to community service, innovation, impact, music education and more. Knapp, with an outstanding 27 years of professional experience, said that the impact of music education and on students’ lives stands taller than any other accomplishment of his.

The official poster of the 2024 Music Educator of Note award ceremony, including a photo of awardee Craig Knapp

“I have the luckiest job in the world as I get to wake up every Monday morning and make music with incredible children,” Knapp said. “Of all that I have achieved—more important than any accolades I could receive, books I could publish, guest conducting opportunities I could receive, invitations to present at professional development conferences, or performances I direct—my greatest accomplishment, and what I’m most proud of, is that students still come to visit me decades later to tell me that I was their favorite teacher and to thank me for the positive impact I had on their life. What could be better than that?”

LIMEHOF is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to creating a community for music and entertainment in Nassau, Suffolk, Queens, and Kings Counties. The organization has inducted more than 130 musicians and industry executives, alongside education programs, scholarships and awards to Long Island students and educators.

Knapp will be awarded the Educator of Note award at a special presentation ceremony at 2 pm on February 1 at LIMEHOF in Stony Brook. The public is invited to attend this event. For more information and ticket details, visit here.

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