TOWSON, MD—Terri Iacarino, vocal music teacher at Cromwell Valley Elementary Magnet School, has been named Music Teacher of Excellence by the CMA Foundation, a national nonprofit for music education.
The Country Music Association’s philanthropic arm bestows this honor upon 30 music teachers nationwide each year. Recipients receive a $2,500 stipend for their classrooms, a $2,500 personal stipend, tailored professional development, access to CMA Fest, and an awards ceremony in their honor in Nashville.
Iacarino has taught for 20 years, five of those years at Cromwell Valley. She is a National Board Certified Teacher and has received numerous accolades, including being the 2025-26 Teacher of the Year nominee from Cromwell Valley and receiving the 2020 Outstanding Music Educator Award from the Maryland Music Educator Association.
“Every day is an opportunity to use music as a tool to teach students how to be beautiful people,” Iacarino said.
The Music Teachers of Excellence program, now in its eighth year, has recognized over 180 music teachers. This year’s recipients represent 11 states and various teaching roles, including band directors, orchestra directors, choir directors, and lead drumming ensemble directors. In addition to teaching, department and curriculum leadership, recipients founded and led drumlines, symphonies, mentoring programs, and local festivals for local youth.
“The CMA Foundation recognizes the outsized role music and music education has on a student’s life,” said Tiffany Kerns, executive director of the CMA Foundation. “Music teachers’ dedication and commitment to their classrooms and school communities supports students in finding their passions, expanding their social-emotional learning, and achieving more academically. This award recognizes that dedication.”
This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.
Photo via BCPS
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