88R15536 BPG-D
By: Davis H.R. No. 481
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Pamela Dawson of the Desoto Independent School
District has been named the recipient of the 2023 Music Educator
Award by the Recording Academy, the organization that confers the
annual Grammy Awards; and
WHEREAS, The director of choral music at DeSoto High school,
Ms. Dawson uses the principles of kinesthesia to help singers
become more expressive; she has taught varsity chorus, handbells,
and piano for 15 years while also overseeing the choral programs at
DeSoto ISD middle schools; choirs under her direction have
consistently received high rankings in competition, and they have
performed at Carnegie Hall and in London, England; many of her
students have gone on to study at such prestigious institutions as
Berklee College of Music, and some have pursued rewarding careers
on Broadway; in 2022, she was inducted into the DeSoto ISD Hall of
Honor; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Dawson has worked extensively with the Texas
Music Educators Association, and she is a member of the American
Choral Directors Association and Texas Choral Directors
Association; in addition, she has served as chair of the DeSoto Arts
Commission and helped organize its music festivals and events,
which have often featured her students; a gifted harpist, she has
performed with several ensembles and in numerous venues; and
WHEREAS, Born in Detroit, Michigan, Ms. Dawson began harp and
piano lessons as a young girl, and she was influenced significantly
by her godsister, acclaimed jazz harpist and composer Dorothy
Ashby; in high school, Ms. Dawson played clarinet in the band, and
she earned her bachelor's degree in communications and theater from
Eastern Michigan University, with an emphasis in music and
business; she was initially employed in an administrative job, but
she recognized her true calling immediately when a friend requested
her assistance with a choral class; in 1995, she began teaching,
serving as head choral director at several high schools in the
Detroit metropolitan area before moving to Texas; in all her
endeavors, she enjoys the love and support of her two daughters,
Elizabeth and Mariah, and she takes great pride in her
granddaughter, Rhylee; and
WHEREAS, Pamela Dawson has greatly enriched the lives of many
young Texans through her passion for teaching and her extraordinary
expertise in choral music, and she is truly deserving of this
national recognition; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate Pamela Dawson on her receipt of the
2023 Music Educator Award from the Recording Academy and extend to
her sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Ms. Dawson as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.