A great benefit of growing up in Music City is the dynamic landscape of opportunity budding young musicians, singers and songwriters have right in their own backyards. With all the recent Taylor Swift/Scooter Braun news over the ownership of her masters (remember, she signed her rights away with Big Machine Records at the age of 15), there's a brighter spotlight on the importance of young people having an understanding of the industry and how it works.
Mentorship is a great asset for youth who yearn to gain as much knowledge as possible, and for girls in particular, there's a Nashville nonprofit solely dedicated to their aspirations.
ABOUT GIRLS WRITE NASHVILLE
Founded in 2017 by artists Georgia English and Jen Starsinic, Girls Write Nashville is a songwriting and production community for girls ages 7 – 17. It seeks to empower expression through mentorship, songwriting and music production. With funding by the Metro Arts Commission's Thrive Program, Girls Write Nashville's official launch was in 2018. The program is a recent recipient of a $50,000 grant from the USA TODAY Network/The Gannett Foundation's A Community Thrives. Girls Write Nashville gained nationwide recognition recently on NBC's Today Show.
Girls Write Nashville aims to eliminate barriers for young girls, primarily those in underserved communities where music education and opportunities are a challenge. Girls Write Nashville's All-City Program pairs girls in Davidson County with professional female musician mentors. The pairs work closely during the course of five months, and they attend the monthly Writer's Guild. At each Guild session, the girls share their work in front of peers and professionals. It's a tremendous opportunity to hone their craft and to gain amazing lifelong skills. The season ends with the kids getting to record their finished work in some of Nashville's professional studios.
"In Nashville, with this huge boom going on and all the musicians moving to the city in this new wave, it became clear to us as educators and musicians that the community's children should be benefiting from this boom," says English. "Music education has become a luxury. When music is part of the vibrancy of our town, there shouldn't be walls preventing kids from being a part of that," she adds.
The All-City Program is a full-scholarship opportunity with no costs to participants. Young writers must audition in October. Priority enrollment is given to young writers attending Title I MNPS schools.
Girls Write Nashville also has a satellite after-school club at McMurray Middle Prep. The club provides weekly guitar and songwriting instruction with accompanying social-emotional-learning activities.
For more info about joining Girls Write Nashville as a youth writer, click HERE. To volunteer as a mentor or event supporter, click HERE. For general information about the program, visit girlswritenashville.com.
Photo by Laura Rockett Photography.
