The Nashville School Of Traditional Country Music is celebrating having earned 501(c)3 status for their educational efforts. As the only organization of its sort in Music City, dedicated to teaching the next generation the basics of traditional country music, they believe that being non-profit can help elevate them to the sort of position enjoyed by similar program like Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music or Brooklyn’s Jalopy Theatre and School of Music.
Founder Meredith Watson says that…
“This nonprofit status is huge because it gives us the opportunity to connect with the financial resources we need to expand these one-of-a-kind learning opportunities to so many more families and aspiring musicians in Nashville. In addition, further funding will enable us to employ dozens of local teaching artists without compromising our commitment to paying them fairly, for both their time and their expertise.”
Current instructors include J.P. Harris, Megan Lynch Chowning, Brittany Haas, Langhorne Slim, and Kristina Murray, and the School hopes to expand that list soon.
Offerings in the near future include:
- The Fiddle Tunes of John Hartford with Megan Lynch Chowning (presented in conjunction with the John Hartford Fiddle Tune Project)
- “What Makes it Country?”: a guitar centered class with Timbo
- Fundamentals of Country Songwriting with Kristina Murray (offered in four week sessions throughout the year)
The School has this as their mission statement:
We PRESERVE HISTORY by focusing our curriculum on the vernacular music that is unique to the American Countryside, which is not being taught at any other school in Nashville.
We HARNESS the unmatched talent of Nashville’s musicians to offer our students world-class, internationally touring, Grammy-winning instructors who are dedicated to passing this music on.
We BUILD COMMUNITY through music, with our Pot-Lucks, Jams, Square Dances, and Live Events, allowing our teachers, students, and their families, to develop meaningful lasting relationships across all boundaries.
We STRENGTHEN FAMILIES by encouraging parents to learn alongside their children, giving them skills and a connection that they can continue to grow over a lifetime.
Many congratulations to The Nashville School Of Traditional Country Music on this milestone!
Full details about the School and its offerings can be found online.
