PACIFIC BEACH – JP Balmat, the longtime music director at Mission Bay High and a well-known member of the local music scene, will find out during on Feb. 1 if he is selected as the 2026 Music Educator of the Year.
“It would be great to have a Grammy statuette in our classroom at Mission Bay, no doubt about that,” Balmat said. “It is such an honor to even be considered for a nomination. The other nine nominees are all outstanding music teachers from around the United States.”
Balmat — who is also an internationally recognized saxophonist and member of the Euphoria Brass Band — has his dream job working at Mission Bay High. He graduated from Mission Bay in 2002, went off to college, majored in music, and then in 2006 started teaching music at MBHS.
Balmat teaches eight ensemble groups at Mission Bay, from beginning orchestra to award-winning jazz groups such as the Mambo Orchestra and The Preservationists.
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