Words & Music Partnership Program
Nashville School of the Arts
During the 2022-2023 school year, the Museum launched a Words & Music partnership program with Metro Nashville Public Schools’ Nashville School of the Arts, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. Students received deep-dive songwriting education with semimonthly guidance and mentoring from professional songwriters, artists, and music business leaders. Students experienced learning about every aspect of a song finding its way to an audience, from the earliest idea of lyric writing and music composition to a polished recording and live performance. Listen to the songs written and recorded by NSA students, mixed by professional audio engineers.
2023 – 2024 Recordings
“Kentucky Champagne”
Written and performed by Silas Hutton
Accompanied by NSA Stage Band
Engineered by Diana Walsh
Produced and mixed by Adam Ollendorff
Recorded at Nashville School of the Arts
Cover Artwork by Lillian Smith
“Another Night”
Written and performed by Jerius Oliver
Accompanied by NSA Stage Band
Engineered by Diana Walsh
Produced and mixed by Adam Ollendorff
Recorded at Nashville School of the Arts
Cover Artwork by Wyatt Hamilton
“Love Worm”
Written and performed by C’yanni Storey
Accompanied by NSA Stage Band
Engineered by Diana Walsh
Produced and mixed by Adam Ollendorff
Recorded at Nashville School of the Arts
Cover Artwork by Rocko MacCasland
“Made a Fool Out of the Liar”
Written and performed by Sky Wise
Accompanied by NSA Stage Band
Engineered by Diana Walsh
Produced and mixed by Adam Ollendorff
Recorded at Nashville School of the Arts
Cover Artwork by Cortland Harris
2023 - 2024 Credits
Nashville School of the Arts Songwriting Class and Stage Bands are taught and directed by Ryan Murphey
Silas Hutton: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Maddie Combs: Backing Vocals
Max Pedigo: Electric Guitar
Sawyer Clark: Acoustic Guitar
Sam Grando: Bass
Gabe Grizzard: Drums, Percussion
Cooper Eltringham: Organ
Jerius Oliver: Vocals
Jed Locke: Electric Guitar
David Dickerson: Acoustic Guitar
Noah Geddes: Bass
Gabe Grizzard: Drums
Glancy Piper-Osborne: Keyboards
Sam Grando: Cello, String Arrangement
C’yanni Storey: Vocals
Kai Harvard: Electric Guitar
Ethan Geddes: Electric Guitar
Sam Grando: Acoustic Guitar
Noah Geddes: Bass
Gabe Grizzard: Drums
Cooper Eltringham: Piano, Synthesizer
Sky Wise: Vocals
Boyd Hamilton: Electric Guitar
Rylan Kent: Acoustic Guitar
Sam Grando: Bass, Percussion
Gabe Grizzard: Drums, Percussion
Cooper Eltringham: Piano
Annie Adams
Aaron Helvig
John Oates
Adam Ollendorff
Diana Walsh
Photos
2022 – 2023 Recordings
“Evergreen”
Written by Lola Bobeck and Mattie Lyn Smith
Performed by NSA Band 2
Produced by Adam Ollendorff
Engineered by Justin Croft, Kalvin Brandon
Mixed by Rachael Moore
Recorded at Nashville School of the Arts
Cover Artwork by Elena Ruiz
“Baby Now”
Written by Avalon Simpson
Performed by NSA Band 1
Produced by Adam Ollendorff
Engineered by Ryan Griffin
Mixed by Rachael Moore
Recorded at SAE Institute Nashville
Cover Artwork by Mary Rippie
“Good Lookin’”
Written by Cyrus Dodson and Lytle Landers
Performed by NSA Band 4
Produced by Lytle Landers
Engineered by Christian Torres-Moreno
Mixed by Ebonie Smith
Recorded at Nashville School of the Arts
Cover Artwork by Ken Sorrow
“Definition of a Man”
Written by Mattie Lyn Smith
Performed by NSA Country Band
Produced by Max Rees
Engineered by Kalvin Brandon and Christian Torres-Moreno
Mixed by Rachael Moore
Recorded at Nashville School of the Arts
Cover Artwork by Kendyll Blakley
“Use You”
Written by Max Rees
Performed by NSA Country Band
Produced by Adam Ollendorff
Engineered by Justin Croft, Kalvin Brandon
Mixed by Micah Tawlks
Recorded at Nashville School of the Arts
Cover Artwork by Strade Harper
“Again”
Written by Indigo Pyles
Performed by NSA Band 3
Produced by Indigo Pyles and Maeve Hasty
Engineered by Kalvin Brandon and Cyrus Dodson
Mixed by Rachel Moore
Recorded at Nashville School of the Arts
Cover Artwork by Makia Esaw
“Black Woman in the USA”
Written by Jahnae Hardnett
Performed by Jahnae Hardnett
Brass arrangement by Maestro Lightford
Brass performed by Max Rees (trumpet), Alex Leon (tenor saxophone), and Ellayna “JJ” Thomas (trombone)
Produced by Adam Ollendorff
Engineered by Justin Croft, and Kalvin Brandon
Mixed by Ebonie Smith
Recorded at Nashville School of the Arts
Cover Artwork by Sheala Smartt
“Square One”
Written by Mattie Lyn Smith
Performed by NSA Band 2
String arrangement by Eleonore Denig
Strings performed by Mattie Lyn Smith (violin), Tian McDonald (violin), Alex Tipping (viola), and Sam Grando (cello)
Produced by Adam Ollendorff
Engineered by Justin Thomas, Kalvin Brandon, Christian Torres-Moreno
Mixed by Micah Tawlks
Recorded at Nashville School of the Arts
Cover Artwork by Cad Hanchek
“Slow You Down”
Written by Avalon Simpson
Performed by NSA Band 1
Produced by Avalon Simpson
Engineered by Kalvin Brandon and Christian Torres-Moreno
Mixed by Ebonie Smith
Recorded at Nashville School of the Arts
Cover Artwork by Avalon Simpson
“Pieces”
Written by Indigo Pyles
Performed by NSA Band 3
Produced by Indigo Pyles and Maeve Hasty
Engineered by Kalvin Brandon and Christian Torres-Moreno
Mixed by Ebonie Smith
Recorded at Nashville School of the Arts
Cover Artwork by Alex Holt
“Left Alone”
Written by Hadyn Casler
Performed by NSA Band 2
Produced by Hadyn Casler
Engineered by Christian Torres-Moreno and Kalvin Brandon
Mixed by Micah Tawlks
Recorded at Nashville School of the Arts
Cover Artwork by Ariadna Mena Guillen
“Atmosphere”
Written by Sam Grando
Performed by NSA Band 2, featuring Noah Geddes on 2nd elec. lead guitar
Produced by Sam Grando
Engineered by Kalvin Brandon and Christian Torres-Moreno
Mixed by Micah Tawlks
Recorded at Nashville School of the Arts
Cover Artwork by Mason Friddell
“Undecided”
Written by Avalon Simpson
Performed by Avalon Simpson
Produced by Adam Ollendorff
Engineered by Justin Croft and Diana Walsh
Mixed by Justin Croft and Diana Walsh
Recorded at Historic RCA Studio B
Cover Artwork by Avalon Simpson
2022 - 2023 Credits
Nashville School of the Arts Songwriting Class and Stage Bands are taught and directed by Ryan Murphey
Avalon Simpson: guitar and vocals
Max Rees: lead guitar and vocals
Zy Kent: drums
Noah Geddes: bass
Cooper Eltringham: keys
Mattie Lyn Smith: vocals, fiddle, and guitar
Eddy Hay: lead guitar
Sam Grando: bass
Gabe Grizzard: drums
Hadyn Casler: keys, guitar, and vocals
Indigo Pyles: vocals and guitar
Maeve Hasty: lead guitar
Sam Grando: bass
Zy Kent: drums
Cooper Eltringham: keys
Lytle Landers: vocals
Noah Geddes: lead guitar
Cyrus Dodson: guitar
Maeve Hasty: bass
Gabe Grizzard: drums
Annie Adams
Shane Adams
Ellen Angelico
Kyshona Armstrong
Justin Croft
Wesley Dean
Eleonore Denig
Mason Douglas
Caitlin Evanson
Ryan Griffin
Aaron Helvig
Shannon LaBrie
Maestro Lightford
Rachael Moore
Adam Ollendorff
Ebonie Moor
Micah Tawlks
Alex Thomen
Phil Towns
Kayley Walker
Diana Walsh
About Words & Music
Since 1979, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has helped students tell their stories through its innovative Words & Music program. More than 150,000 students have learned to write song lyrics while developing key skills in language arts. Not only does Words & Music teach core curriculum, but it also connects young people to Nashville’s music community, pairing classes with songwriters who transform student lyrics into finished songs that are performed in an interactive workshop.
Sponsors
This Words & Music partnership program is made possible by the National Endowment for the arts. Words & Music is made possible by the Country Music Association Endowment for Words & Music and is funded in part by CMA; CMA Foundation; the Dinah and Fred Gretsch Family; Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission; Nashville Predators Foundation; National Endowment for the Arts; and Tennessee Arts Commission.
Special thanks to Lauren Daigle and The Price Fund and SAE Institute Nashville.