Country Music Association Leadership Academy

Through CMA EDU, students are empowered and trained to learn about the music industry, network with professionals, and ultimately find jobs in their desired fields. The program only accepts 30-50 students each year, so we spend a lot of individualized time with the students helping them meet their goals. Additionally, we are proud that of our 28 graduating seniors in May 2025, 21 of them already had full-time roles in their desired field lined up prior to graduation.

Throughout the year, we hold virtual events for our students to get a better understanding of roles throughout the industry. We also provide hands-on opportunities to work at the CMA Awards and CMA Fest. As an added bonus – all opportunities we provide are paid opportunities – we believe financial limitations shouldn’t keep students from having these opportunities to work in a real-world setting. We connect our students with mentorships and networking opportunities throughout the course of the program. Our main goal is to help our CMA EDU students earn full-time roles/internships in the industry after graduation.