Chances are, if you have young children, you're familiar with the music of Steven Courtney. The Manheim-based musician has been making music for families for decades, and now he's being honored for his craft.

Steven has been nominated for a Central Pennsylvania Music Award (CPMA) in the Kids & Family category. The awards ceremony will be held on Wednesday, March 4, at the American Music Theatre in Lancaster.

"The nominations are generated through the central Pennsylvania music community - fans, artists, record labels and others who participate in the process each year," Steven explained.

Public voting took place over a 10-day window in January, and after that closed, the CPMA also used a committee made up of music and industry professionals from across the region to choose the nominees.

"It's really impressive when you see the level of talent and accomplishment represented in the central Pennsylvania music scene," Steven said.

The CPMAs began about seven years ago, he noted, and since then, Steven has received several nominations in the Kids & Family category, as well as for his work as a songwriter and for his recording studio, RadioVibe Recording. He won the Kids & Family category during the fourth annual CPMAs in 2022. In 2021, he won Best Recording Studio.

"The Central Pennsylvania Music Awards shine a spotlight on the depth and variety of musical talent in our region," Steven said. "They celebrate artists across many genres and categories, and they really help highlight the fact that central Pennsylvania music has a strong presence - not just locally, but across the state and beyond."

Although Steven appreciates the honor of being nominated, he doesn't make music for accolades, he said. Instead, he loves the positive impact of his music.

"Making music became something even more meaningful once I discovered how much I love writing for children and families back in 1990," he said. "I really enjoy creating songs that kids can connect with but that parents and grandparents can also listen to again and again and still appreciate as real, authentic music with strong lyrics and storytelling."

This past year has been an especially productive one for Steven.

"I still perform between 75 and 90 live events each year - everything from elementary schools and community events to playing local pubs with my folk-rock band," he shared. "I also wrote the script and scored the music for two original youth musicals: 'Mystery on the Airwaves,' set in the competitive radio drama world of the 1940s, and 'Steven the Pirate,' a family musical I created alongside my son, Taylor Courtney."

He also released the album "Kindness and Love" this past year.

"I'm especially proud of this record because it connects back to the fun, upbeat themes from some of my earlier albums in the '90s like 'Supersized Energized Sunshine,' 'Funtime,' 'Dat Dat Boom!' and 'Love Bug,'" he said.

While the past year has been a productive one, he's excited about the future as well.

"Right now, I'm developing an episode-style streaming show with the working title 'Sing Along With Me,'" he shared. "The idea is to reimagine songs from my vault of over 300 kids' and family songs I've written and produced since 1991. I'm currently building out the production team and exploring opportunities to pitch the project to platforms like Apple TV Family, PBS Kids and potentially Netflix."

He will also perform with his folk-rock group, the Steven Courtney Band, at the Lancaster Roots & Blues Festival on Saturday, Feb. 28. The band performs a mix of original music and covers with a heartland folk-rock vibe.

Although he's been making music for decades, Steven is not about to stop.

"I truly believe the world - and especially children and families - need safe places where they can share laughter, joy and music," he said. "Focusing on themes like kindness, sharing, giving and love will always be the right choice, and those ideas continue to inspire everything I write."