Dierks Bentley will be on hand to honor the country’s best in music education when he hosts the CMA’s fourth annual Music Teachers of Excellence Awards on Tuesday, April 30 in Nashville.

The invite-only event will honor 10 music educators from districts across the state of Tennessee, 10 from Metro Nashville Public Schools and 10 from across the country. Award recipients are selected because of their dedication to bringing a high-quality music program to their students and the impact they’ve had on their school community through music. To date, the CMA Foundation has invested over $575,000 to ensure music educators have the support and funding needed to create a thriving program within their school and community.

“These teachers have gone above and beyond in their classrooms to really bring music to life and their commitment and determination has not gone unnoticed,” said Bentley. “As a parent I have seen first-hand the importance of music in my children’s lives and its importance in school programs. Every child deserves the chance to feel the power of music and it’s not possible without supporting these teachers.”

The CMA Foundation created their Music Teachers of Excellence program in 2016 in an effort to recognize those who are having the greatest impact on their students, using music as a vehicle for change. Along with a night of celebration, the CMA Foundation will invest $2,500 into each teacher’s music program to help drive their commitment to high quality music for all children forward. Additionally, each winner will receive a $2,500 gift to use for whatever they’d like, with past winners using their award earnings for down payments, continuing education, to record their own music, and more.

“Music education has proven to be an effective and invaluable tool for academic achievement and social development, yet we consistently hear that programs are not properly supported,” said Tiffany Kerns, CMA Foundation Executive Director. “Each year, when we recognize the tremendous group of music educators through our Music Teachers of Excellence program, it allows us to give back to those who have dedicated their lives to serving our next generation. These educators, who spend countless hours in the classroom, are helping to shape creative, collaborative, future leaders through the power of music.”

• Bryant Adler, Alcoa Intermediate School, Alcoa City Schools – Alcoa, TN
• Kathryn Affainie, Granbery Elementary School, Metro Nashville Public Schools – Brentwood, TN
• Josephine Cappelletti, Coulter Grove Intermediate School, Maryville City Schools – Maryville, TN
• Benjamin Easley, Nolensville High School, Williamson County Schools – Nolensville, TN
• Carole Smith Grooms, Freedom Middle School, Franklin City Elementary School District – Franklin, TN
• Sherie Grossman, Mt. Juliet High School, Wilson County School District – Mt. Juliet, TN
• John Hazlett, McGavock High School, Metro Nashville Public Schools – Nashville, TN
• Michael Holland, Nolensville High School, Williamson County Schools – Nashville, TN
• Trey Jacobs, Nashville School of the Arts, Metro Nashville Public Schools – Nashville, TN
• Kevin Jankowski, W.H. Oliver Middle School, Metro Nashville Public Schools – Nashville, TN
• Robbin Johnston, Clarksville High School, Clarksville-Montgomery County School System – Clarksville, TN
• Spencer Nesvick, Houston Middle School, Germantown Municipal School District – Germantown, TN
• Denise Rives, Barksdale Elementary School, Clarksville-Montgomery County School System – Clarksville, TN
• Matthew Taylor, Meigs Academic Magnet Middle School, Metro Nashville Public Schools – Nashville, TN
• Alice Asako Walle, Waverly Belmont Elementary School, Metro Nashville Public Schools – Nashville, TN
• Susan Waters, W.H. Oliver Middle School, Metro Nashville Public Schools – Nashville, TN
• Anna Laura Williams, Siegel Middle School, Rutherford County Schools – Murfreesboro, TN
• Franklin Willis, Andrew Jackson Elementary School, Metro Nashville Public Schools – Old Hickory, TN
• Frank Zimmerer, Antioch High School, Metro Nashville Public Schools – Antioch, TN
• Ben Zolkower, Hillwood High School, Metro Nashville Public Schools – Nashville, TN

• Kevin Brawley, Torrence Creek Elementary School, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools – Huntersville, NC
• Sheldon Frazier, North Cobb High School, Cobb County School District – Kennesaw, GA
• Robyn Starks Holcomb, Roosevelt High School, Sioux Falls School District – Sioux Falls, SD
• Jeff Horenstein, Meadowdale High School, Edmonds School District – Lynwood, WA
• Theresa Kennedy, Jamestown Middle School, Guilford County Schools – Jamestown, NC
• Chris Maunu, Arvada West High School, Jefferson County R-1 School District – Arvada, CO
• Henry Miller, Sierra Vista Middle School, Irvine Unified School District – Irvine, CA
• Amy Rangel, Glendale High School, Glendale Unified School District – Glendale, CA
• Ashleigh Spatz, Burgess-Peterson Academy, Atlanta Public Schools – Atlanta, GA
• Brianne Turgeon, Springdale Park Elementary School, Atlanta Public Schools – Atlanta, GA

Garth Brooks‘ new tour has been setting new records even before he hit the stage at St. Louis’ Dome at America’s Center for the first night of this stadium tour on Saturday, March 9. He has set a record at all five of his scheduled stadium concerts.

In St. Louis, Brooks’ show set a record for the any paid event at the center. His upcoming March 23 concert at Glendale, Arizona’s State Farm Stadium has been named the largest concert attendance in the history of the venue.  In Gainesville, Florida, his upcoming April 20 show will hold the largest crow of any non-athletic event at the University of Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

In Pittsburgh, Brooks’ upcoming May 18 show will hold the largest crowd in the history of Heinz Field, while his Minneapolis concerts on May 3-4 will boast the largest concert attendance in the history of U.S. Bank Stadium.

Back in October, Brooks sold out the first-ever concert At Notre Dame Stadium. The concert, Garth: Live At Notre Dame! was filmed for television and aired Dec. 2 on CBS.  On Nov. 20, 2018, Brooks released The Anthology Part III, LIVE.

Singer/songwriter Heath Sanders has signed a worldwide publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing. This partnership follows the release of Sanders’ self-penned, sophomore single “Down on the South.” The former Arkansas oil-worker turned full-time musician has been making his mark on the music industry after catching the eye of Bobby Bones, host of the nationally syndicated Bobby Bones Show, with his cover of Chris Stapleton’s “Either Way.” He made his second appearance on the morning show in February to celebrate the release of his new single.

Since the release of his debut single “Bloodline” in 2019, Heath has performed with national acts including Justin Moore, Cody Johnson, Drake White, Chase Rice, Whiskey Myers and Corey Smith. Heath is managed by L3 Entertainment, whose roster also includes Justin Moore, Tyler Rich, Leah Turner and Scott Stevens.

Miranda Lambert and her mom Bev are celebrating the 10th anniversary of MuttNation Foundation, the nonprofit they co-founded with the mission of promoting the adoption of shelter animals, assisting with animal transport, and helping animals during times of natural disaster.

Between the two of them, they share their homes with 15 shelter pets, and to celebrate the special anniversary of MuttNation, they have donated $150,000 in surprise grants to shelters across the country through MuttNation’s Mutts Across America program, which was created by Bev Lambert in 2015. Mutts Across America awards 50 grants to 50 shelters, providing an outstanding and carefully vetted shelter in every state with a MuttNation grant. Since the initiative’s inception, Mutts Across America has supported 250 shelters with more than $750,000.

“Music and rescue animals are the two driving forces in my life and I’m so fortunate that the success I’ve had with my music allows me to help shelter animals more than I dreamed possible,” Lambert said. “MuttNation’s 10-year milestone is amazing and what we’ve been able to accomplish gets better every year. Just in this past year, alone, we helped 1,776 shelter pets find their forever homes.”