New Additions to Advisory Board Approved on September 10

 

We assembled our first advisory board in the spring of 2011. An orientation teleconference was held in the fall and the group began their work on January 1st of this year. Interest in our great programs is rapidly expanding and so is our advisory board. On September 10, the governing board of directors of Nashville Singers formally approved new additions to this important advisory group, including:

• Dr. Jeffrey T. Phillips, President-elect - Tennessee Music Education Association and Director of Fine Arts - Hendersonville High School,
• Dr. Gary Wilson, Director of Choral Activities - Lipscomb University,
• Dr. Robert L. Elliott, Professor and Department Head - Tennessee State University,
• Laura Landress, Manager of Corporate Support - Nashville Public Radio,
• Amanda Runnels, VP of Development - Hendersonville Chamber of Commerce,
• Jane Schnelle, Executive Director - The Larry Keeton Theatre,
• Emily Lansdell, Director of Marketing & Admissions - Columbia Academy,
• Carrie Hobbs Guiden, Executive Director - The Arc of Tennessee,
• Lynn D. McGill, Financial Advisor - The McGill Financial Ensemble,
• Roger White, Trainer - Equipment Finders, Inc.,
• Joann McIntire, Office Assistant IV - Neurology Department at Vanderbilt University

Our current advisory board members include:

• Dr. Jane Warren, Associate Professor of Music - Belmont University,
• Sarah Beatty, Manager of Marketing Development - Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee,
• Craig Adams, Manager of Creative Development and Publishing - Lifeway Worship,
• Tom Ventress, President - Ventress Design Works,
• Don Hart, music composer and arranger - Don Hart Music,
• Celeste LaReau, Consultant/Proprietor - Tangible Business Solutions

 

"I'm inspired by what continues to come out of conversations with such a wide-ranging and esteemed group of passionate people," added Board Chair Sloan Yarborough. "Assembling this group of thought leaders is the culmination of many hours of tireless work by our Executive Director, Todd Wilson. We are grateful to Todd, and have already begun realizing tremendous benefits. It is important for our board to hear from different voices and different sectors of our community, from well-connected people who believe in our mission to support music education in our schools and the community."

 

Choral Arts Link Hosts Reception Honoring Advocates for Music Education

Mrs. Campbelle-Holman, Todd Wilson, and Laurie Schell (photo by Perri duGard Owens)

On September 11, Choral Arts Link (CAL) hosted an event on the 27th floor of the Nashville City Center to honor Laurie T. Schell, and Nola Jones from Metro Nashville Public Schools. CAL Executive Director, Margaret Campbell-Holman and members of the CAL board of directors were present, along with Carol Crittenden, and many MNPS music educators. One of those educators present was Franklin Willis, choral director at Oliver Middle School, one of the schools supported by the Nashville Singers with a 2012 Music Makes a Difference music education grant. Nashville Singers was represented by Executive Director Todd Wilson.

Laurie T. Schell joined Metro Nashville Public Schools in June of this year, after a nationwide search. She was selected the inaugural director of the Music Makes Us education project, and brings 25 years of experience as an arts education advocate and leader. Schell moved from California, where she served as the executive director of the California Alliance for Arts Education, a statewide policy and advocacy organization, from 2001 - 2011. She garnered a national reputation for innovative, effective leadership for her role in securing $105 million for ongoing state funding for arts education for all 6 million California students in 2006. Most recently, she has worked as founding principal of Laurie Schell Associates, providing consulting services and issue expertise to nonprofits with a focus on the arts and K-12 education.
 
Nola Jones joined MNPS this year the as the new coordinator of music. She comes to Nashville from the University of Tennessee at Martin where she most recently
served as director of bands and associate professor of music education. Sh has been working alongside long-time MNPS educator Carol Crittenden, coordinator for the arts, to increase opportunities for music education in Metro Schools.

The Nashville Music Education Project, Music Makes Us is a public/private partnership among Metro Schools, Mayor Karl Dean, the Music City Music Council, and music industry leaders in Nashville. The initiative will move Metro Schools beyond a traditional performance-based music curriculum to an expanded curriculum that includes diverse music genres. New classes in composition, rock band and hip-hop performance will be added, while traditional music curriculum in band, orchestra and choir will be enhanced. The initiative is under the overall direction of Jay Steele, associate superintendent of high schools, with a community advisory board to be appointed by Mayor Dean and Dr. Jesse Register. The staff also includes Dr. Nola Jones, music coordinator, and long-time Metro Schools educator Carol Crittenden.

Dr. Robert L. Elliott serves as Head of the Department of Music at Tennessee State University.  He holds the Bachelor of Arts in Instrumental Music Education from the University of New Orleans, the Master of Music Education from Loyola University-New Orleans, and the Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Memphis.  His studies also include work at Northern Kentucky University, the University of Central Arkansas, and Duquesne University.  He was a school music teacher in and around New Orleans and has also taught at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and the University of Memphis.  He frequently serves as a consultant for other universities in the areas of music technology and music education, writes nationally distributed technology-based instructional materials in music, and is the author of the music appreciation course textbook, Our World, Our Music.  Dr. Elliott continues his career as an upright and electric bassist.

Shane Williams was introduced to Nashville Singers by one of our members, Tim Mullican. He has experience in creative design, web development, photography and videography. Williams is also co-founder of Lebanon Road Church of Christ Hiking Ministry. He studied graphic design Nashville State Community and Volunteer State Community College.

Nashville Singers is very grateful to have the support of in-kind sponsors like Shane.

If you are interested in becoming one of our in-kind sponsors, visit the wish list page of our website for details.

September 22 - (Sat) All-day rehearsal (8:30am, to 4:00pm) Location TBD;

October 19 - (Fri) Encore performance at the Franklin Wine Festival, benefiting Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee - Chorus call 6:15pm, perform at 7:00pm.

October 27 - (Sat Afternoon) Performance at Nashville Sings a choral singing event to be held at Cumberland Park on the banks of the Cumberland River. Chorus call 12:30pm, performance time from 1:15pm to 1:45pm. Other performers include MNPS Elementary Chorus, MNPS High School Honors Choir, MET Singers, Nashville in Harmony, and the Fisk Jubilee Singers This event is part of the Artober program sponsored by the Metro Arts Commission.

2013

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