How Nashville students have shared in Music City’s songwriting tradition for 44 years — and counting

This Is Nashville · May 30, 2023 · 50m

Nashville is a “song town,” but what’s the first step into songwriting for young people? For many, that first touch comes through the Words & Music curriculum from the Country Music Hall of Fame, which has been teaching kids how to write lyrics since 1979.

The initiative guides teachers — often in language arts or music classes — to teach songwriting to students. They turn out songs about fun things like chicken nuggets, bus rides, and prom, but also their challenges, like loneliness, the isolation of the pandemic and the loss of loved ones.

“It makes these topics that are often taboo or hard…