More than 200 Music Teachers Across the Nation Named Semifinalists for CMA Foundation’s Music Teachers of Excellence Award
Award enters 10th year, expanding reach and impact to music teachers nationwide
The CMA Foundation, a national music education nonprofit and the philanthropic arm of the Country Music Association, today named 222 public school music teachers as semifinalists in the Music Teachers of Excellence program.
Entering its 10th year, Music Teachers of Excellence (MTOE) will honor 30 music teachers nationally, across Tennessee, and in Nashville, providing them with grants for their classrooms and tailored professional development. The CMA Foundation will host an awards ceremony in their honor at The Pinnacle in Nashville, Tennessee on October 7, 2026.
To date, the program has honored nearly 200 public school music teachers, and provided more than $1.4 million directly into public schools since 2016.
“Access to music education should be a part of growing up in America; and we are proud to celebrate the public school teachers that are at the forefront of providing that education to students,” said Tiffany Kerns, executive director of the CMA Foundation.
“Ten years ago, the music industry wanted to find a way to honor and support music education in public schools,” continued Kerns. “I’m proud of the impact we’ve had to-date and cannot wait to honor another 30 public school teachers on this milestone anniversary.”
Semifinalists come from 43 states and the District of Columbia. Half of the MTOE semifinalists teach at low-income public schools. Nearly three-fourth of semifinalists have been teaching for 13 or more years; nearly four in 10 have 20+ years of teaching experience. MTOE semifinalists teach band, general music, choir, orchestra, music technology, mariachi, AP music, AP music theory, musical theater, world percussion, opera, history of jazz, and more.
Semifinalists will submit footage of their instructional approach and reflections on the impact of music education on young people between Thursday, December 11, 2025, and February 19, 2026. The 30 final awardees will be announced during Teacher Appreciation Week in May 2026.
The 2026 MTOE semifinalists are:
Midwest
- Jennifer Bailey, Longacre Elementary School, Farmington, MI
- Alexis Bell, Sherwood Elementary School, Springfield, MO
- Devon Bonds-Gess, Bay High School, Bay Village, OH
- Jason Canfield, Prescott Middle and High School, Prescott, WI
- Logan Caywood, Arkansas City High School, Arkansas City, KS
- Samantha Cruz, Cumberland Elementary School, Whitefish Bay, WI
- David Davis, Park Spanish Immersion Elementary School, St. Louis Park, MN
- Daniel Dorsett, Harshman Middle School, Indianapolis, IN
- Charissa Duncanson, Ferndale Upper Elementary School, Oak Park, MI
- Lesley Earles, Edison High School, Minneapolis, MN
- Demetrius Farley, Wayne Elementary School, Detroit, MI
- Teresa Fowler, Brownsburg West Middle School, Brownsburg, IN
- Tanya Gabel, Central Middle School, Eden Prairie, MN
- Bojan Hoover, Oak Ridge Elementary School and Shannon Park Elementary School, Eagan, MN
- David Hutter, Maine South High School, Park Ridge, IL
- Angel Ingram, University Prep Science and Math Elementary School, Detroit, MI
- Ben Jaeger, Vel Phillips Memorial High School, Madison, WI
- Rachel Johnson, Center for Creative Learning, Ellisville, MO
- Valerie Leising, Arapahoe-Holbrook Public School, Arapahoe, NE
- Chris Marple, J.C. Harmon High School, Kansas City, KS
- Rachel Maxwell, Traughber Junior High School, Oswego, IL
- Carin Mcevoy, Donley Elementary School, Lansing, MI
- Anna Mounts, Theodore Potter School #74 and James Garfield School #31, Indianapolis, IN
- Michelle Naegele, Waupun Senior High School, Waupun Junior High School, and School for Agricultural and Environmental Studies (SAGES), Waupun, WI
- Debra Navin, Greenfield Elementary School and Beverly Elementary School, Michigan, MI
- Jeanne Paff, Horace Mann Elementary School, Huntington, IN
- Jennifer Page, Niles North High School, Skokie, IL
- Rebecca Raines, Comstock STEM Academy, Kalamazoo, MI
- Raymond Roberts, Milwaukee High School of the Arts, Milwaukee, WI
- Kevin Schoenbach, Oswego High School, Oswego, IL
- Jeremy Sterk, Tri-County Jr. and Sr. High School, Wilcott, IN
- Kevin Sucher, Taylor Middle and High School, Cleves, OH
- Christina Tierney, Sayler Park School, Cincinnati, OH
- Stefan Wolf, Cedar Island Elementary School, Maple Grove, MN
Northeast and Mid-Atlantic
- Aaron Gage, Seneca Valley High School, Germantown, MD
- Alice Tsui, New Bridges Elementary School, Brooklyn, NY
- Amanda Rash, Claymont Elementary School, Claymont, DE
- Antoine Dolberry, P.S. 103 Hector Fontanez School, Bronx, NY
- Cassandra DeVita, Branchburg Central Middle School, Branchburg, NJ
- Christopher Washington, Inspired Teaching Demonstration School, Washington, DC
- Christopher Scheetz, Perry Hall Middle School, Perry Hall, MD
- Cole Lundquist, Gloucester High School, Gloucester, MA
- Corey Riley, Westhill High School and Onondaga Hill Middle School, Syracuse, NY
- Courtney Powers, Hoboken Charter School, Hoboken, NJ
- Cyndi Mancini, Montour High School and David E. Williams Middle School, McKees Rocks, PA
- Deanna Grandstaff, Cecil Intermediate School and Muse Elementary School, McDonald, PA
- James Cottone, P.S. 376Q, Bayside, NY
- Karen Anghinetti, Howard Hathaway Elementary School, Portsmouth, RI
- Kellie Harvey, Fruitland Primary School, Fruitland, MD
- Kelly Hanson, Mount Pleasant High School, Wilmington, DE
- Kendra Dongre, McDowell High School, Erie, PA
- Kevin McDonald, Wellesley High School, Wellesley, MA
- Krista Carney, Kent County Middle School, Chestertown, MD
- Laura Allison, Ridge Ruxton School, Towson, MD
- Maria Doreste Velazquez, Edison K-6 School, Boston, MA
- Melissa Salguero, The Bronx Math Preparatory School, Bronx, NY
- Melissa Manzano, West Deptford Middle School, West Deptford, NJ
- Robert Giglio, New Brunswick Middle School, New Brunswick, NJ
- Ryan Mack, P.S. 10 Magnet School of Math, Science, & Design Technology, Brooklyn, NY
- Sandra Granobles, Marie Reed Elementary School, Washington, DC
- Shana Pistilli, Woodlyn Elementary School and Amosland Elementary School, Folsom, PA
- Stephanie Corbett, Marlboro Middle School, Milton, NY
- Thomas Marinaro, Maple East Elementary School and Country Parkway Elementary School, Williamsville, NY
- Thomas Pierre, Capitol Heights Elementary School, Capitol Heights, MD
- Tony Small, KIPP Harmony Academy, Baltimore, MD
- Wayne Splettstoeszer, Torrington High School, Torrington, CT
Southeast
- Lucy Alegria, Gallatin High School, Gallatin, TN
- Mary Armstrong, Millington Central Middle High School, Millington, TN
- Amy Assad, Farmington Elementary School, Germantown, TN
- Michael Aymett, Riverdale High School, Murfreesboro, TN
- Thomas Bates, Gibbs High School, Knoxville, TN
- Trevor Baxter, Centennial High School, Franklin, TN
- Melissa Blizzard, Stevens Creek Elementary School, Martinez, GA
- John Bourn, Franklin Elementary School, Franklin, TN
- Andy Bower, Homer Plessy Treme Community Schools, New Orleans, LA
- LaToya Brooks, Bolton Academy, Atlanta, GA
- Scott Brown, Dickerson Middle School, Marietta, GA
- Kelley Burroughs, Ocoee Middle School, Cleveland, TN
- Mira Jennifer Burton, Walter Hill Elementary School, Murfreesboro, TN
- Chris Cardona, Schilling Farms Elementary, Collierville, TN
- Kevin Carpenter, Houston High School, Germantown, TN
- Matthew Case, Clinton Elementary School, Clinton, TN
- Hanna Castellano, Ligon Magnet Middle School, Raleigh, NC
- Thomas Cesario, Snowden School, Memphis, TN
- Thomas Chesnut, Blackman Middle School, Murfreesboro, TN
- Quandrell Claybrooks, Westlake High School, Atlanta, GA
- Kyle Cook, Maplewood Middle School, Sulphur, LA
- Kyle Cook, Western Branch Middle School, Chesapeake, VA
- Johnny Croft, Cane Ridge High School, Antioch, TN
- Julia Culp, Freedom Middle School, Franklin, TN
- Jordan Davidson, Spotswood High School, Penn Laird, VA
- Andre DeRamus, Grayson Technical Education Program, Loganville, GA
- Ashley Dunford, Millis Road Elementary School, Jamestown, NC
- Calogero Fanara, William R. Boone High School, Orlando, FL
- Robert Fay, Ravenwood High School, Brentwood, TN
- Sloane Feeley, Woodland Middle School, Brentwood, TN
- Elmer Feliciano, McMurray Middle School, Nashville, TN
- Joshua Fleetwood, Dillon Middle School and Dillon High School, Dillon, SC
- Heather Foister, Somerset High School, Somerset, KY
- Aurora Foster, Woodland Middle School, Brentwood, TN
- Laura Gabriel, Hendersonville High School, Hendersonville, TN
- Michael Gagliardo, Nolensville High School, Nolensville, TN
- Andrew Gaskill, Clarksville High School, Clarksville, TN
- Elizabeth Gaskill, Cumberland Heights Elementary School, Clarksville, TN
- William Germany, Central Magnet School, Murfreesboro, TN
- Carroll Gotcher, Jackson County Middle School and Jackson County High School, Gainesboro, TN
- Darlene Grande, Stonewyck Elementary School, Orlando, FL
- Sherie Grossman, James Lawson High School, Nashville, TN
- Nicole Guimaraes, Mount Daniel Elementary School, Falls Church City, VA
- Angela Guira, Bartow Senior High School, Bartow, FL
- Mark Gurnow, Allatoona High School, Acworth, GA
- Tony Hartman, Scales Elementary School, Murfreesboro, TN
- Kinsey Healy, Houston High School, Germantown, TN
- Erik Herndon, Marietta High School, Marietta, GA
- Donald Hero, Powell Middle School, Powell, TN
- Kyndall Herring, Arlington Middle School, Arlington, TN
- Tiffany Hitz, Robinson Secondary School, Fairfax, VA
- Angela Hix, College Grove Elementary School, College Grove, TN
- William Hoffman, Scott High School, Huntsville, TN
- Laura Hoggard, Doddridge County Middle School, West Union, WV
- Samuel Holmes, Garden Hills Elementary School, Atlanta, GA
- Mark Hopkins, Shelby Valley High School and Valley Elementary School, Pikeville, KY
- Brent Hopper, Lakeland Preparatory School, Lakeland, TN
- Roderick Jefferson Huntington High School, Shreveport, LA
- Brittany Jerrell, Stewarts Creek Middle School, Smyrna, TN
- Jennifer Jimenez, South Miami Sr. High School, Miami, FL
- Zelda Johns, Pope High School, Marietta, GA
- Ronda Johnson, New Center Elementary School, Sevierville, TN
- Cathleen Johnson, Jacob L. Adams Elementary School, Richmond, VA
- Heath Jones, McConnell Middle School, Loganville, GA
- Allen Kennedy, Hume-Fogg Academic High School, Nashville, TN
- Phillip Kigaita, Rocky Fork Middle School, Smyrna, TN
- Holly Kinsey, North Murray High School and Bagley Middle School, Chatsworth, GA
- Aaron Klausing, Owensboro High School, Owensboro, KY
- Emily Knight, Briarwood Elementary School, Camden, TN
- Taylor Kollmeier, Page High School, Franklin, TN
- Katherine Kovalsky, Royal Palm Beach Elementary School, Royal Palm Beach, FL
- Caleb Latham, Stratford STEM Magnet High School, Nashville, TN
- Joshua Latham, RePublic High School, Nashville, TN
- Katheron Latham, Chattanooga Central High School, Harrison, TN
- Ashleigh Ledford, Sterling School, Greenville, SC
- Christy Ledsinger, East Coffee Elementary School, Manchester, TN
- Monica Leimer, DeLand High School, DeLand, FL
- Rebecca Leonard, League Academy, Greenville, SC
- Ollie Liddell, Memphis Central High School, Memphis, TN
- Grayson Martin, Henry County High School, Paris, TN
- Elizabeth McCord, Grassland Elementary School, Brentwood, TN
- Sarah McVey, Bel-Aire Elementary School, Tullahoma, TN
- Tyler Merideth, James Lawson High School, Nashville, TN
- Raymond Meza, Heritage Middle School, Thompson’s Station, TN
- Katie Grace Miller, Lake George Elementary School, Orlando, FL
- Abbi Miller, Bradley Academy, Murfreesboro, TN
- Shelby Montgomery, George Jenkins High School and Lakeland Highlands Middle School, Lakeland, FL
- Aaron Moore, Chattanooga Center for Creative Arts, Chattanooga, TN
- Nathaniel O’Neal, DuPont Hadley Middle School, Nashville, TN
- Mark Peay, Charles R. Drew Charter School, Atlanta, GA
- Michael Perryman, Ooltewah Elementary School, Ooltewah, TN
- Caroline Player, Langley High School, McLean, VA
- Susan Rodberg, U.B. Kinsey/Palmview Elementary School of the Arts, West Palm Beach, FL
- Marcos Rodriguez, Franklin Academy Charter School, Pembroke Pines, FL
- Alex Sears, Rockvale High School, Rockvale, TN
- Ashlee Sexton, Southside School, Lebanon, TN
- Dixie Smith, Happy Hollow Elementary School, Fayetteville, AR
- Becca Steele, Dresden Middle School and Martin Middle School, Dresden, TN
- Tonya Suggs, Wildwood Forest Elementary School, Raleigh, NC
- Sarah Theres, Florosa Elementary School, Mary Esther, FL
- Katie Thomas, Yates Elementary School, Brandon, FL
- Nicholas Thomas, Wilson Central High School, Lebanon, TN
- Jennifer Timidaiski, Longleaf Elementary School, Hattiesburg, MS
- Briana Vogt, Ravenwood High School, Brentwood, TN
- Hunter Weber, Schaumburg Elementary School, New Orleans, LA
- Roberta Whiteside, Blue Ridge Elementary School, Burnsville Elementary School, and South Toe Elementary School, Burnsville, NC
- David Wing, Venice High School, Venice, FL
- Megan Woodring, Riverdale Pre-K – 8 School, Germantown, TN
- Edith Wright, Evans High School, Orlando, FL
- Evan Ziegler, Vineyards Elementary School, Naples, FL
Southwest
- Rose Arevalo, Juan Seguin Elementary School, McAllen, TX
- Efrain Casillas, Desert Oasis Elementary School and Porfirio H.Gonzales Elementary School, Phoenix , AZ
- Beth Duhon, Oakland Elementary School, Estates, TX
- Andrew Geyssens, Mayde Creek High School, Katy, TX
- William Glass, Western Hills High School, Fort Worth, TX
- Micah Gordon, Ada Junior High and High School, Ada, OK
- Corey Graves, Themer Middle School and Rhea Intermediate School, Forney, TX
- Allison Griesel, Vistancia Elementary School, Peoria, AZ
- Cody Jackson, Heights Middle School and Piedra Vista High School, Farmington, NM
- Andrew Kesten, Tucumcari Elementary School, Tucumcari, NM
- Samantha Lozano, Homer Davis Elementary School, Tucson, AZ
- Christa Martien, Chanthavongsy McLean Middle School, Fort Worth, TX
- Vicki Nichols, Grandview Elementary School, Grandview, TX
- Ramon Nino, North Side High School, Fort Worth, TX
- Keavon Runnels, Stephen F. Austin High School, Houston, TX
- Valentina Salgado, Rylander Elementary School, Katy, TX
- Loy Studer, Legacy High School, Wichita Falls, TX
- Loren Tarnow, St. Elmo Elementary School, Austin, TX
- Natasha Thurmon, Herbert G Boldt Elementary School, San Antonio, TX
- Rebecca Wilson, Edward J. Briscoe Elementary School, Fort Worth, TX
West
- Gracie Carrillo, Ceres High School, Ceres, CA
- John Chen, Aragon High School, San Mateo, CA
- Michael Draut, West Hills Middle School, West Jordan, UT
- Chloé Eklof, Meeker Middle School, Tacoma, WA
- Cassandra Franklin, John Muir High School, Pasadena, CA
- Guillermo Gonzalez, James A Garfield High School, Los Angeles, CA
- Honglac Hathuc, Rancho Verde High School, Moreno Valley, CA
- Andrea Krein, Spruce Elementary School, Lynwood, WA
- Grace Kwon, Stoddard Elementary School, Anaheim, CA
- Joseph LaCombe, Carmel Community School, Colorado Springs, CO
- Rachel Lake, Ilwaco High School, Ilwaco, WA
- Andrew Lewis, Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts, Los Angeles, CA
- Joshua Lindberg , Southridge High School, Kennewick, WA
- Amy Lui , John H Francis Polytechnic High School, Sun Valley, CA
- Darlene Machacon, La Quinta High School, Westminster, CA
- Henry Miller, Sierra Vista Middle School, Irvine, CA
- Bethany Moslen, Katherine L. Albiani Middle School, Elk Grove, CA
- Cassandra Nevarez, Octavia E. Butler Magnet Middle School, Pasadena, CA
- Kimberly Ritzer, Green Valley High School, Henderson, NV
- Jason Rodgers, Woodburn High School, Woodburn, OR
- Heather Stoker, Tumwater Hill Elementary School, Tumwater, WA
- Estela Torres Guernsey, Paintbrush Elementary School, Gillette, WY
- Erica Turrell, Plaza Vista School, Irvine, CA
- Wanda Vásquez García, Escuela Bilingüe Pioneer, Lafayette, CO
- Valerie Vinnard, Cesar Chavez Elementary School, Los Cerritos Elementary School, and McKinley Elementary School, Long Beach, CA
- Cleo Weick, Morningside Elementary School, Twin Falls, ID
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The CMA Foundation transforms lives through the power of music education. Established by the Country Music Association in 2011 and headquartered in Nashville, TN, the nonprofit 501(c)(3) invests in high-quality programs that ensure all students have access to music. In partnership with the music industry and like-minded nonprofits, the CMA Foundation directs research-informed funding where it makes the greatest impact—empowering music teachers through professional development, providing resources for classrooms and programs, and creating life-changing opportunities for students.
