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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Pamela Dawson of the Desoto Independent School |
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District has been named the recipient of the 2023 Music Educator |
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Award by the Recording Academy, the organization that confers the |
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annual Grammy Awards; and |
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WHEREAS, The director of choral music at DeSoto High school, |
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Ms. Dawson uses the principles of kinesthesia to help singers |
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become more expressive; she has taught varsity chorus, handbells, |
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and piano for 15 years while also overseeing the choral programs at |
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DeSoto ISD middle schools; choirs under her direction have |
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consistently received high rankings in competition, and they have |
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performed at Carnegie Hall and in London, England; many of her |
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students have gone on to study at such prestigious institutions as |
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Berklee College of Music, and some have pursued rewarding careers |
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on Broadway; in 2022, she was inducted into the DeSoto ISD Hall of |
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Honor; and |
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WHEREAS, Ms. Dawson has worked extensively with the Texas |
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Music Educators Association, and she is a member of the American |
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Choral Directors Association and Texas Choral Directors |
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Association; in addition, she has served as chair of the DeSoto Arts |
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Commission and helped organize its music festivals and events, |
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which have often featured her students; a gifted harpist, she has |
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performed with several ensembles and in numerous venues; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Detroit, Michigan, Ms. Dawson began harp and |
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piano lessons as a young girl, and she was influenced significantly |
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by her godsister, acclaimed jazz harpist and composer Dorothy |
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Ashby; in high school, Ms. Dawson played clarinet in the band, and |
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she earned her bachelor's degree in communications and theater from |
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Eastern Michigan University, with an emphasis in music and |
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business; she was initially employed in an administrative job, but |
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she recognized her true calling immediately when a friend requested |
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her assistance with a choral class; in 1995, she began teaching, |
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serving as head choral director at several high schools in the |
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Detroit metropolitan area before moving to Texas; in all her |
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endeavors, she enjoys the love and support of her two daughters, |
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Elizabeth and Mariah, and she takes great pride in her |
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granddaughter, Rhylee; and |
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WHEREAS, Pamela Dawson has greatly enriched the lives of many |
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young Texans through her passion for teaching and her extraordinary |
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expertise in choral music, and she is truly deserving of this |
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national recognition; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby congratulate Pamela Dawson on her receipt of the |
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2023 Music Educator Award from the Recording Academy and extend to |
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her sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Ms. Dawson as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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House of Representatives. |