Calling All Music Teachers!

The CMA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Country Music Association (CMA) that works to ensure every child has access to a high-quality music education, is now accepting applications for its fifth annual Music Teachers of Excellence awards. The CMA Foundation will celebrate music educators from across the United States alongside those in Tennessee and within Nashville Metro Public Schools during a ceremony taking place in the spring of 2020 in Nashville.

To submit yourself or encourage a music teacher you know to apply, click here. The application process closes November 18, 2019 at 11:59 PM CT.

“Our Music Teachers of Excellence program is designed to celebrate those making a difference in their music classroom and impacting their greater school community,” says Tiffany Kerns, CMA Foundation Executive Director. “With research continuing to show us the positive benefits a quality music education can have on a child’s life, it’s vital that we support, encourage and recognize those teachers who are creating these positive environments and opportunities through music for our children to thrive.”

The CMA Foundation created the Music Teachers of Excellence program in 2016 in an effort to recognize the best and brightest music teachers from Nashville and beyond. Award recipients are selected because of their dedication to bringing a quality music program to their students and the impact they’ve had on their school community through music.

In addition to a night of celebration, this year, the CMA Foundation will invest a combined $150,000 to support both personal and professional expenses related to recipients’ music programs in an effort to help drive their commitment and innovation forward. To date, the CMA Foundation has invested over $25 million into music education programs with 2020 marking $700,000 specifically in support of music educators through Music Teachers of Excellence.