Music Teachers of Excellence with the CMA Foundation

Music education helps students engage with learning and has many positive benefits. Today's guest, Tiffany Kerns, Executive Director of the CMA Foundation talks about remarkable music teaching and their quest to recognize the top music teachers in the United States. www.coolcatteacher.com/e489   Related Resources Music education gives students an exciting and creative reason to be in the classroom. Student engagement in music class creates better attendance, which translates to higher test scores and graduation rates. There is significant data proving the positive impact music has on a student’s ability to retain, learn, and articulate information. This is seen especially in reading – without an improvement in literacy alone, our country will not be able to properly support this generation. Some of the benefits of music education include higher graduation rates, a greater chance of post-secondary success, social and emotional development, and shaping the next generation to be collaborative, creative and forward-thinking leaders.   Previous Shows Relating to This Topic Seesaw in the Elementary Music Classroom with Amy Burns K-6 Educational Music Videos: Selecting the Right Videos for Learning Making Music with iPads and #edtech   Tiffany Kerns - Bio as submitted A common thread throughout Tiffany Kerns’ career has been her dedication to creating meaningful change and advocacy for nonprofit organizations. Paired with a steadfast focus on improving the philanthropic model of giving, Kerns has lead the Country Music Association (CMA) Foundation in their mission of enriching music education programs across the United States, working to ensure every child has the opportunity to participate in music. Established as the philanthropic arm to the Country Music Association (CMA), the CMA Foundation has invested over $25 million into music education programs across all 50 states. As executive director, Kerns is responsible for the growth, development, and execution of the nonprofit’s charitable investments by creating strategic partnerships, working with policy leaders and implementing an impact-driven grant process. Kerns works with each and every grantee organization to provide strategic planning, compliance, project management, and community impact. She oversees advocacy efforts for the CMA Foundation at the state and federal level, which includes working with more than a dozen community partners to elevate the cause. Kerns also oversees the CMA’s collegiate program CMA EDU, which currently has 25 collegiate chapters nationwide and works to educate students on the music industry by providing opportunities to hear from industry professionals and participate in a hands-on work experience alongside marketing and tour production. Before joining the CMA Foundation, Kerns was the director of development at The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. For over six years, Kerns filled various roles in special events and development. Driven by her passion to grow the organization and fueled by her exceptional leadership skills, single-handedly, Kerns implemented new fundraising initiatives and opportunities across the Southeast and Pacific Northwest regions. After expanding her footprint in nonprofit management and learning the biotech industry in San Francisco, Kerns moved to Nashville to develop and strengthen the donor portfolio for CFF which ultimately led her to CMA. Kerns is a graduate of the University of Tennessee Knoxville, where she received a BA in Political Science and a minor in Business Administration. Blog: https://www.cmaworld.com/foundation/ Twitter: @cmafoundation