CMA Teams Up With Discovery Education For New Virtual Experience

The Country Music Association, in partnership with Discovery Education, has launched a new virtual experience as part of their Working In Harmony: Every Voice is Instrumental educational initiative. The newest piece of content—Country Music’s Biggest Night: STEAM Takes the Spotlight Virtual Field Trip—offers students in grades 6-12 an exclusive look at what it takes to produce the annual CMA Awards telecast. Watch the engaging Virtual Field Trip today at CMAWorkinginHarmony.com.

The first-of-its-kind experience, which allows students to further explore careers within Country Music, takes viewers behind the scenes of the 2022 CMA Awards, introducing them to several Country Music professionals who work together to bring the awards show to television audiences across the globe. With a heavy focus on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math), the Virtual Field Trip introduces students to several critical individuals and roles within the CMA Awards production including Jessica Basile (Post Production Supervisor), Alana Billingsley (Art Director), Mel Black (Head of Security), Robert Deaton (Executive Producer), Tiffany Gifford (Celebrity Wardrobe Stylist), Gary Natoli (Head Stage Manager), and Risa Thomas (Production Supervisor). Discovery Education offers an accompanying educator guide and multiple classroom activities to provide teachers with material and activities before, during and after the Virtual Field Trip.

“Our partnership with Discovery Education is just getting started,” says Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “Certainly, our industry knows what it takes to deliver the CMA Awards each year, and now we have the great opportunity to meet students in their classrooms and bring them along for the ride. Our hope is for students from a multitude of backgrounds to see themselves in these roles, inspiring their ambitions beyond the classroom.”

“Exposure to the workforce allows students to make informed decisions about future career pathways and positions them to set realistic goals as they work towards their future,” says Tiffany Kerns, CMA Vice President, Industry Relations & Philanthropy and CMA Foundation Executive Director. “We also know this type of exposure enriches their learning experience inside the classroom. We are so proud to be providing students with the opportunity to dream and be inquisitive about an industry like Country Music.”

CMA Members are invited to join a special “Lunch & Learn” next Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 12:00 PM/CT at CMA’s office to hear more about the Discovery Education partnership. As part of the session, attendees will watch the Virtual Field Trip together before discussing ways to become more involved with the initiative. Lunch will be provided. An additional session will be held virtually on Thursday, Feb. 23 at 12:00 PM/CT. Current CMA Members can RSVP to either session HERE.

CMA launched its multi-year partnership with Discovery Education in October of 2022. Designed to empower students to explore STEAM, the Working in Harmony educational initiative provides a suite of no-cost digital resources for students to learn the many career opportunities offered within the Country Music industry. CMA is the first-ever music organization to partner with Discovery Education.

Learn more about Working in Harmony at CMAWorkinginHarmony.com or within Discovery Education’s K-12 learning platform. Connecting educators to a vast collection of high-quality, standards-aligned content, ready-to-use digital lessons, intuitive quiz and activity creation tools, and professional learning resources, Discovery Education provides educators an enhanced learning platform that facilitates engaging, daily instruction.