Music Teachers of Excellence 2025: CMA Foundation honors 30 nationwide – The Tennessean

The CMA Foundation just named its 30 „Music Teachers of Excellence“ winners for 2025 who span 11 states.
The foundation, which is the philanthropic arm of the Country Music Association, announced the winners in a May 6 news release. Each teacher will receive $5,000 to split evenly between their classroom or program and their personal use. The awards highlight music teachers who demonstrate instructional excellence, innovation, leadership and community impact. Half of the recipients are from Tennessee.
„Music Teachers of Excellence is about shining a light on educators who are transforming the lives of their students every single day,“ CMA Foundation Executive Director Tiffany Kerns said in the release. „These teachers are leaders, mentors and changemakers, and they deserve to feel seen and uplifted by our music community. This program isn’t just a moment of recognition; it’s a way for our industry to stand behind them and say, ‚We’re with you.'“
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Winners also get a year of professional development and opportunities to engage with the wider network of CMA, the release stated. That includes special access to the annual CMA Fest and CMA Awards. A red carpet gala to celebrate the winners will be held Sept. 10 at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville.
Here’s a look at this year’s winners, by region.
Midwest
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Northeast and Mid-Atlantic
Southeast
Southwest
West
More information about the foundation and the Music Teachers of Excellence process can be found at CMAfoundation.org.
Rachel Wegner covers education and children’s issues for The Tennessean. Got a story you think she should hear? Reach her via email at RAwegner@tennessean.com. You can also find her on Twitter or Bluesky under the handle @RachelAnnWegner.

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