Community MusicWorks has received local and national recognition, including the prestigious National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award. First Lady Michelle Obama presented the award to CMW’s Founder and Artistic Director Sebastian Ruth and CMW student Kirby Vasquez during a ceremony at the White House in 2010. That same year, Sebastian was the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, commonly known as a “genius” grant, for his work building CMW. Sebastian received an honorary doctorate from Brown University in 2012.