CMA Foundation Honors Music Educators At Eighth Music Teachers Of Excellence Ceremony Presented By One Country

THE CMA FOUNDATION HONORS MUSIC EDUCATORS
AT EIGHTH MUSIC TEACHERS OF EXCELLENCE CEREMONY
PRESENTED BY ONE COUNTRY

Performances by Kassi Ashton, Priscilla Block, Lourde Childs, Jordan Davis,
Riley Green and Walker Hayes

Nominate or Apply for 2025 Music Teachers of Excellence HERE

The CMA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Country Music Association, held its eighth Music Teachers of Excellence ceremony presented by One Country, the premier platform for Country Music fans, on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. The event honored 30 music teachers—10 teachers from Metro Nashville Public Schools, 10 from districts across the state of Tennessee, and 10 from across the United States. Honorees were selected for their commitment to bringing a high-quality music program to their students and the impact they have had on their school community through music.

The theme of the night was focused on honoring the impact of these incredible teachers and the way music brings color into every aspect of our lives. The ceremony began decked out in sleek black and white decor. The classic look then began to blossom into a more vivid theme, with color being incorporated into the room throughout the ceremony. Guests then emerged from the ceremony hall into an explosion of color at the after party overlooking the Nashville skyline, to continue celebrating the transformational power of music.

The evening celebration included dinner with over 30 artists from the Country Music community and multiple performances throughout the night. Videos illustrating the profound impact of music education were shown throughout the evening, including a heartfelt catchup with Berklee College of Music student Lourde Childs on his journey through music. The CMA Foundation first met Childs in his hometown Phoenix when he was a budding teenage musician, as part of a CMA Songwriters Series concert. Watch Childs’ story HERE.

Cayley Tullman (President of Tullman Family Office and Founder of Let Music Fill My World) spoke on behalf of her organization, a supporter of the night’s event, about the importance of ensuring every child in America has access to music education in their school. Walker Hayes took to the stage alongside students from Metro Nashville Public Schools for a performance of “if father time had a daughter.” Presenting sponsor Chase Locke (CEO, One Country) and Tenille Townes spoke to the power of music in a person’s life and the impact that goes beyond the classroom. Childs then took to the stage alongside Kassi Ashton for a powerful rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” earning a standing ovation, before Charlie Worsham gave a passionate and heartfelt testimony on how his music career began and recognized the 10 Metro Nashville Public Schools recipients. Priscilla Block took to the stage for a performance of “Peaked In High School.” Tigirlily Gold gave a heartfelt thank you to the sponsors and organizers of the night’s event for shining a well-deserved spotlight on the 30 honorees with a beautiful ceremony and recognized the 10 educators from across the state of Tennessee. Riley Green followed with a performance of “Jesus Saves.” Tiera Kennedy and Angie K spoke about their own personal experiences with music education, sharing the support and guidance their music teachers provided in their early years, before recognizing the 10 recipients from across the country. Jordan Davis closed the night with a performance of “Next Thing You Know” while Alana Springsteen gave a final thank you message and kicked off the after party where the night’s stand-out educators continued to be celebrated.

Prior to the night’s event, teachers began the day at CMA HQ for a series of professional development sessions, where they heard from leaders and executives including Sarah Trahern (CMA Chief Executive Officer) and Tiffany Kerns (CMA Foundation Executive Director), as well as Mia Jones (CMA Senior Director, Industry Relations & Inclusion), who led a session on “Teacher’s Pet: Bias in the Classroom.” Members of the CMA Communications team hosted a session on perfecting your public presence and Nada Taha (Multi-Hyphenate) led a workshop highlighting why “What do you want to be when you grow up?” is the wrong question. The professional development part of the day concluded with a session led by Coy Bowles (Musician, Zac Brown Band) on connecting to your calling.

In addition to Tuesday’s celebration, the CMA Foundation invested $5,000 to each recipient – half to help enhance each teacher’s music program and half for personal use. Thanks to the generosity of industry partners, the CMA Foundation was able to secure sponsorship for all 30 of its Music Teachers of Excellence recipients through the “Sponsor A Teacher” campaign. To date, the CMA Foundation has invested over $1.3 million towards its Music Teachers of Excellence honorees to ensure music teachers have the support and funding needed to create thriving programs within their schools and communities. Applications for the 2025 Music Teachers of Excellence are open now through Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. Nominate a teacher or apply HERE.

Sponsors for the 2024 Music Teachers of Excellence event include ABC/Abbott Elementary, AllianceBernstein, Altar’d State, Amazon, Anheuser-Busch, Berkley Entertainment Insurance, Best Brands, Jamie Cheek, Deaton Family Foundation, DJ and Kella Farris, Dr Pepper, Galante Entertainment, Girlilla Marketing, G2 Structures, KP Entertainment, LBMC Cares, Let Music Fill My World, Levine Group, Merrill Lynch-Klindt Cole & Assc., Moo TV, Jason and Rob Ollander-Krane, Omni Hotel Nashville, One Country, Pancoast Benefits, Stephen Parker, Pinnacle, Proximo Spirits, REACH, Risk Strategies, Charlie Morgan and Kelly Smith, Solotech, STN Digital, Universal Music Group, Josh and Jenny Van Valkenburg, Warner Music Nashville, Wells Fargo and Jay and Katherine Williams.

2024 Music Teachers of Excellence Award Recipients (in alphabetical order):

• Justin Antos – Dwight D. Eisenhower High School, Blue Island, IL
• Evan Burton – Page Middle School, Franklin, TN
• Vanessa Cobb – Montgomery Central High School, Cunningham, TN
• Johnny Croft – Cane Ridge High School, Antioch, TN
• Charissa Duncanson – Ferndale Lower Elementary School, Ferndale Upper Elementary School, Oak Park, MI
• Deanna Grandstaff – Cecil Intermediate School, McDonald, PA
• Corey Graves – Jackson Middle School, Forney, TX
• DaJuana “Dee” Hammonds – Warner Arts Magnet Elementary, Nashville, TN
• Eric Hanson – Wilson Elementary, Coppell, TX
• Tony Hartman – Scales Elementary School, Murfreesboro, TN
• Michael Holland – Franklin High School, Franklin, TN
• Brent Hopper – Lakeland Preparatory School, Lakeland, TN
• Allen Kennedy – Hume–Fogg Academic High School, Nashville, TN
• Ollie Liddell – Memphis Central High School, Memphis, TN
• Tyler Merideth – James Lawson High School, Nashville, TN
• Allen Moody – Idlewild Elementary, Memphis, TN
• Linzie Mullins – Snowden School, Memphis, TN
• Cody Newman – Forney High School, Forney, TX
• Katiana Nicholson – Siegel High School, Murfreesboro, TN
• Dave Petrelli – Lockeland Design Center Elementary, Nashville, TN
• Holly Rang – Pennington Elementary, Nashville, TN
• Samantha Reid – Oliver Middle School, Nashville, TN
• Stephanie San Roman – Oswego High School, Oswego, IL
• Jonathan Seligman – Casillas Elementary, Chula Vista, CA
• Laura Shepherd – Donelson Middle School, Nashville, TN
• Andrew Smith – Powell High School, Powell, TN
• Sarah Theres – Florosa Elementary School, Mary Esther, FL
• Kaitlin Tilden – Andrew Jackson Elementary, Old Hickory, TN
• Taylor Walkup-Amos – Yorktown Elementary School, Yorktown, VA
• Shoshana Wulf – Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Magnet High School, Nashville, TN

About the CMA Foundation

Established in 2011 as the philanthropic arm of the Country Music Association (CMA), the CMA Foundation is committed to improving and sustaining high-quality music education programs across the United States, working to ensure every child has the opportunity to participate in music. Through strategic partnerships, professional development and grant distribution, the CMA Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3), invests various resources across the national public school system, after school programs, summer camps and community outreach organizations.

About One Country

One Country, founded in 2012, is the premier country lifestyle platform. Providing fans incredible prizes from their favorite artists along with exclusive content and unique giveaways, One Country is the ultimate destination for every country music and southern lifestyle enthusiast. With different membership options, each One Country giveaway raises money for a different charitable organization highlighting One Country’s mission to pay it forward. In 2024, One Country is expanding their curated content offerings to include additional podcasts, videos and more. To learn about One Country please visit: www.onecountry.com