Here Are Some Of The Country Music Community’s Mentoring Programs
Beasley Media Group has an on-going commitment to making a difference in the local communities we serve; this has been the foundation upon which the company was built back in 1961, when George Beasley purchased his first radio station in North Carolina! We proudly continue that tradition today, with four initiatives a year. This time around, our theme is “Join In, Give Back!” Everyone has something to offer to the next generation, and we’re looking at musicians that share their time to serve as mentors, and the organizations that promote mentoring.
An important part of the country music industry has always been supporting local communities and about helping others, and that includes serving as mentors to budding songwriters and performers, including those who are in financial need.
The Academy Of Country Music’s ACM Lifting Lives works through partnerships with artists and the music industry, to develop and fund music-related therapy and education programs and serves members of the community. ACM Lifting Lives funds everything from disaster relief and helping communities in need, to music education in schools and music camps for those with disabilities, to supporting programs that use music therapy as a means to help our veterans and wounded warriors.
A great example of ACM Lifting Lives is a young camper program with kids who have Williams syndrome that took place in 2017, when Chris Young joined campers on stage at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville to perform a song that the campers wrote.
The Country Hall of Fame has a songwriting camp, with separate classes for beginners and more advanced songwriters, and while it costs a few hundred dollars, there are also needs-based scholarships available that reduce the camp fee to $25 for those who express a strong interest in songwriting and demonstrate financial need. Email the camp for more information at [email protected].
Last year, CMT launched a year-long mentorship program for the industry’s next rising stars. The network will host 12 unsigned developing country artists in its CMT Studio in Nashville over one year to record demos with country’s leading producers in an effort to launch their careers. Once the demos are recorded, each artist will have an opportunity to learn from mentors comprised of industry leaders. The program is not affiliated with any label, but the hope is that through the mentorship program, artists will be able to play their music to label A&R representatives, and given CMT’s clout, it seems likely that that will happen. Unsigned artists who have worked with CMT in the past include Luke Combs, Old Dominion, Jillian Jacqueline, Chris Lane and Tenille Arts.
Learn more about the Academy of Country Music’s Lifting Lives here. Learn more about the Country Hall of Fame’s songwriting camp here.
-Nancy Brooks