CMA Foundation Named NAfME’s 2017 Stand for Music Award Winner
Country Music Association Foundation Is Committed to Supporting Music Education for All Students
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RESTON, VA (June 26, 2017)—The generous support of music education by the Country Music Association (CMA) and CMA Foundation over the past 11 years is well known in music and music education circles. And in recent years, the influential voice of the CMA Foundation has been heard on Capitol Hill.
“NAfME is grateful to the CMA Foundation for their tireless support of the cause of music education,” said Michael J. Blakeslee, NAfME’s Executive Director and CEO.
National Association for Music Education (NAfME) is proud to name the CMA Foundation the 2017 Stand for Music award winner. The CMA Foundation is the sixth recipient of the Stand for Music Award. Previous recipients include: Andrew Dost of the band fun. (2014); Brooklyn-based band San Fermin (2015); Barbershop Harmony Society’s 2009 International Champion Quartet, Crossroads (2016); and Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Sen. Patty Murray of Washington (2016) for their work on the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which included, for the first time in history, “music” listed as a stand-alone subject, necessary for a “well-rounded” education.
“NAfME is grateful to the CMA Foundation for their tireless support of the cause of music education,” said Michael J. Blakeslee, NAfME’s Executive Director and CEO. “The CMA Foundation has been a great friend to the Association and the teachers and students for whom we advocate. From their financial and personnel support of NAfME affiliate Give a Note Foundation’s Music In Our Schools Tour; to recognizing music educators as Music Teachers of Excellence for the past two years and awarding them grants; to joining us on Capitol Hill these past two years to advocate for music; to bestowing a $150,000 grant to Give a Note and NAfME for research on music education access in the United States—the generosity of the CMA Foundation on behalf of music education advocacy is boundless. Moreover, the research results will help future benefactors know where the need is greatest for music education, and where the infrastructure exists to make gifts sustainable and impactful, so they can best focus their resources.”
L to R: NAfME Immediate Past President Glenn E. Nierman; All-National Honor Ensemble student Elijah Micheaux; Sarah Trahern, Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley, and Ron Samuels of CMA; and Give a Note Chairman and Board Chair Beth Slusher. Photo: Dusty Draper / CMA.
“The CMA Foundation works from the belief that every child who wants access to music has the right to it, and that every music educator should know they are an invaluable part of their students’ success,” said Joe Galante, CMA Foundation Chairman. “NAfME has been a tremendous partner to the Foundation as we pursue these important, common goals, and we are honored to stand next to them as advocates.”
“The CMA Foundation works from the belief that every child who wants access to music has the right to it, and that every music educator should know they are an invaluable part of their students’ success.”
The Stand for Music Award is bestowed upon supporters who:
- demonstrate excellence in their craft of music or support those who do;
- amplify the benefits of music education and training, such as: innovation, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and other 21st century skills;
- speak to music’s power in the lives of students as they prepare to be our nation’s next leaders and innovators; and
- support music teachers and the schools and communities that support them.
NAfME’s Stand for Music Award is its most prestigious music education advocacy honor. Bestowed only upon select, appropriate recipients through the course of NAfME’s 110-year history, the award recognizes personal commitment to the promotion of the music education cause, both through engagement with policymakers and outreach to potential music education supporters.
On June 29, NAfME will lead the single largest gathering of music education advocates to Capitol Hill. The event also will feature advocacy training, a special Collegiate Advocacy Summit, and an award ceremony, including the presentation of the Stand for Music Award to the CMA Foundation.
NAfME is grateful to the CMA Foundation for its enduring support of the importance of ensuring access to music education programs, for all young people.
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National Association for Music Education, among the world’s largest arts education organizations, is the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. NAfME advocates at the local, state, and national levels; provides resources for teachers, parents, and administrators; hosts professional development events; and offers a variety of opportunities for students and teachers. The Association orchestrates success for millions of students nationwide and has supported music educators at all teaching levels for more than a century. With more than 130,000 members, the organization is the voice of music education in the United States.
Follow NAfME on Twitter and on Facebook.
For additional information, contact 703-860-4000.
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CMA created the nonprofit 501(c)(3) CMA Foundation in 2011. Guided by the generosity of the Country Music community, the CMA Foundation focuses on improving and sustaining music education programs everywhere while supporting worthwhile causes important to the Country Music Association. In 2017, the CMA Foundation has earmarked a record $3.1 million to 44 in- and after-school music education programs across the country, bringing the Foundation’s total contributions to date to more than $17.5 million, touching the lives of one million students. For more information, visit CMAfoundation.org or the CMA Foundation official Facebook page.
