Congratulations to our 2026 scholarship and award recipients! We’re thrilled to offer $9,000 to such worthy winners toward their pursuit of music. Meet the 2026 winners:
CMA Excellence in Teaching Award
Mary Pohlmann, Clarke Community Schools
“I am deeply grateful to the Civic Music Association for their generous support. This grant will have a meaningful and lasting impact on my students by helping provide access to classroom resources and performance opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach.
Through this funding, students in my classroom will be better equipped to grow as musicians, collaborators, and confident individuals. Choral music offers them not only artistic expression but also a sense of belonging and shared purpose—something truly invaluable.
Thank you for investing in music education and in the lives of these students. Your support helps ensure that every voice is heard and every student has the opportunity to succeed.“
CMA Young Artist Scholarship Recipients
$1500 Collegiate: Delaney Steenblock, Drake University
“I am extremely honored to be an awardee of the 2026 Marian Sharp Revocable Trust: Young Artist Scholarship. Music is such an important part of my life, and the Civic Music Association’s generosity means the world to me. I want to thank them and Marian Sharp’s family for their gracious gift as it will assist me in achieving my lifelong dream to teach new and passionate musicians.”
$1000 Collegiate: Josephine Koppes, Drake University
“Thank you so much to the Civic Music Association for this award! I am so thankful I get to pursue a career in music, it is such a fulfilling and exciting journey, and this scholarship means so much! It will help me continue to participate in competitions and upcoming summer programs!“
“Thank you to CMA, I am able to pursue my dreams of becoming a music teacher and teach my passion for music.This wouldn’t have been possible without your help; I thank you again and again for everything you do. Using these funds I have received will help pay my college tuition and help me benefit through and through. Again, I thank you with all my heart.“
“For as long as I can remember, music and other forms of art have been an incredibly essential part of my life and who I am. Throughout the years, I have grown to love performing more and more, whether it be with music, theater, or both. Music and performing had become so important to me that I couldn’t imagine leaving them behind after high school, so I decided to take the passion with me and share it with others by becoming a music teacher. Receiving the Civic Music Association’s Young Artist Scholarship provides me with a step in the direction of achieving my goal of being able to afford and attend college to pursue what I love the most.“
Majorie Spevak Music Scholarship
High School: Grace Byrnes, George Washington High School
“This scholarship is so important to me and my family. It will help pay for part of my college tuition and allow me to focus more intensely on my career and studies, enabling me to pursue my passions in music and teaching. I am so thankful for this scholarship and how it will help alleviate some of the need for student loans.“
Middle School: Marianne Rose Scott, Seton Home Study School
