CMHOF To Launch New Online ‘Words & Music: Journey Of A Song’ Series

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The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is launching a new online video series, “Words & Music: Journey of a Song.” The five-episode educational series follows four teenage songwriters through an immersive experience crafting and presenting their original songs with support from professional songwriters.

The series will chronicle each student’s creative journey, from collaborating with a songwriter to recording and performing their original song. Songwriting mentors Tenille Townes, Shannon Sanders, Caitlyn Smith and Cameron Bedell participated in the new weekly series, which will premiere on the museum’s YouTube channel and website on Wednesdays starting Dec. 13.

The first four episodes will each focus on one student’s experience workshopping the song, co-writing with a mentor, recording the song and adapting it for the stage. In the final episode, the four students perform for a live audience in the museum’s CMA Theater and share reflections on their experience.

The series was designed by museum educators as an extension of the museum’s flagship education program, Words & Music, which promotes language arts skills by pairing students with professional songwriters to create original songs in the classroom. The experience was filmed and edited by the museum’s award-winning creative team.

“Through ‘Words & Music: Journey of a Song,’ students were given the unique opportunity to expand their skills, collaborate with professionals and learn to stay true to their own creative voices,” says Katie Palmer, Museum Senior Director of Education & Community Engagement. “We hope the series will encourage youth and families—and anyone who has not previously tried songwriting—to experience it.”

Viewers will also be able to download a step-by-step guide to writing song lyrics for free on the museum’s website. The guide includes supplemental video content and encourages users to write their own lyrics and share on their socials. For teens ages 13-18 who participate in “Words & Music: Journey of a Song,” the museum will offer a lyric-writing contest. The winner will receive a trip to Nashville and a full scholarship to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Beginner-to-Intermediate Summer Songwriting Camp next June.

Lorie Hollabaugh
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