School of Education Graduate Student Named a 2024 CMA Foundation Music Teacher of Excellence

"While I’m thrilled to receive this recognition, it’s really all about my students. It’s their hard work, enthusiasm and love of music that’s a continual inspiration to me."

Deanna Grandstaff '25

Point Park University graduate student Deanna Grandstaff '25 has been named a 2024 CMA Foundation Music Teacher of Excellence.

Grandstaff, a band teacher for the Canon-McMillan School District in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, was one of 30 music educators nationwide to be recognized by the CMA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Country Music Association. The organization’s Music Teachers of Excellence recognizes "music educators from across the country who are making the greatest impact on their students and communities."

Grandstaff is pursuing her Master of Education in Teaching and Leadership in Point Park's School of Education. She learned about the CMA recognition earlier this month.

"I was called into our principal’s office where I sat down to watch a congratulatory video message from country music singer-songwriter Tiera Kennedy," she said. "It was humbling and surreal."

A native of Honesdale, Pennsylvania in Wayne County, Grandstaff lives in Reserve Township with her husband and daughter. She has been a band teacher since 2007.

"We are immensely proud to celebrate these 30 remarkable music educators as part of our Music Teachers of Excellence program," says Tiffany Kerns, CMA Foundation executive director. "These teachers consistently go above and beyond to build inclusive environments in their classrooms and communities, often removing barriers that prevent even just one student from participating in music education."

Grandstaff will join her fellow Music Teachers of Excellence honorees this September in Nashville for a red-carpet event at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

"While I’m thrilled to receive this recognition, it’s really all about my students," she said. "It’s their hard work, enthusiasm and love of music that’s a continual inspiration to me."