For as long as I can remember, music has been the biggest part of my life. Heck, my parents met in a band. They moved to Nashville in the ‘90s to pursue their dream of making it in the music industry. They’ve since moved into other careers, but they passed the music bug down to me. I have particularly always been fascinated by the business behind music. Nothing excites me more than watching a hardworking artist develop a platform and use their talent to bring a new perspective to the world.
Going into high school, I started to solidify this music business passion and got serious about pursuing a degree in it. The music industry is mostly concentrated in three cities: Los Angeles, Nashville, and New York. After doing some research, the University of Southern California (USC) became my dream school. Luckily I applied, got accepted, and moved my life out to LA.
But as iconic as LA has been, my love for my hometown of Nashville and country music has slowly grown louder and louder. Junior year, I found myself in my room, itching for a way to get plugged into the country music scene. That’s when I stumbled upon CMA EDU, Country Music Association’s leadership program that helps develop and support a cohort of students seeking to enter the country music industry. After applying and interviewing in January, I was accepted. My dreams of entering the country music industry were actually coming true!
Every year, the CMA EDU cohort is invited to Nashville for a three-day CMA EDU Summit to speak with artists, learn from industry professionals, and sharpen our resumes. Here’s how it went for me.
DAY 1
3 p.m.: Welcome & Kickoff
After flying in from LAX, I got in a car to head straight to the CMA office on Music Row. The building was just as iconic as I’d pictured it to be! While admiring some of the signed artists’ photos on the walls, I got to chat with the rest of the students in the program. It was so cool to meet students from schools all over the country who are so passionate about the country music business.
4 p.m.: Tour of Rock Nashville
Once we were all loaded onto buses, we took a trip to a more remote area of the city. Here, we got to tour the newly opened Rock Nashville. This is a rehearsal facility built for artists to practice their shows with full stage setups before they hit the road for tours. The campus was huge, and I learned it houses six soundcheck studios along with a variety of stages.
6 p.m.: Dinner & Hotel Check-in
When we got back to the CMA office, we were met with fresh Dicey’s pizza waiting for us. After dinner, my roommate Sarah and I headed to the Virgin Hotel just down the street. The hotel had the most intricate musical decor on the ceiling right as you walked in. I had to grab a photo! Once we checked in, Sarah and I decided to unpack and call it an early night.
DAY 2
7:30 a.m.: Wake Up & GRWM
I started the day bright and early as our first session had a call time of 8 a.m. It was dreamy waking up so close to all the action in country music! I did my go-to makeup routine, and I had time to snag a coffee on my walk over to the CMA office.
8 a.m.: Breakfast
For breakfast, we had Pop Up Bagels. I’m so glad the programming included this time in the morning because it gave us all a chance to meet and mingle before the day really started.
9 a.m.: Summit Kickoff with CMA Speakers
Our first speaker was none other than CMA CEO Sarah Trahern. She spoke to us about her career journey and how it’s key to always have peripheral vision when you’re part of a company, so that you can see where you can add value. Then, we got the chance to hear from SVP of Industry Relations at CMA, Tiffany Kerns, who led us through an exercise that helped us to discover our non-negotiables for our future jobs.
11 a.m.: HARDY Panel
HARDY being our first artist visit was nothing short of amazing! This panel consisted of him, his manager, tour manager, and the head of marketing from his agency. They each walked us through a day in the life on tour and spoke to what skills are most valuable on the road.
12 p.m.: Lunch
CMA EDU spoiled us all week with my favorite food chain spots — this time, it was Chick-fil-A. No better way to prep for a long conference day than an eight-count nugget and fries.
2 p.m.: The Sandbox Management Panel
I’ve always been intrigued by the way Billie Eilish and Kacey Musgraves manage their names and businesses so well. They are two of my favorite artists. This is why I was ecstatic when I got to hear from members of their management team at The Sandbox Management. The panelists all made sure to emphasize the importance of work ethic, communication, and ability to work with creatives.
5p.m.: The Alumni Panel & Mixer
This portion of the day might be my favorite of the whole summit. Getting to hear from program alums Jackson, Claire, and Landon was so valuable. Each of them shared how they’ve been able to navigate getting their first job in the industry and expand their networks organically. Afterwards, I got the chance to talk with some of them one-on-one and ask more questions. They were so encouraging and made me feel really confident about entering the field post-grad.
8 p.m.: Nightly Debrief
My sweet parents were so invested; each night, they wanted to hear what we’d been learning! I stepped out into the hallway to call them and debrief after each day.
9 p.m.: The Baked Bear Sweet Treat
I can always go for a sweet treat. Luckily, my roommate Sarah had a sweet tooth, too! We ended our night by walking to the closest ice cream shop and indulging in some epic ice cream sandwiches.
DAY 3
8 a.m.: GRWM
I woke up today and spent a little extra time on my hair and makeup as I knew we’d be having headshots taken in the afternoon. Then, Sarah and I packed up our room and checked out of our beautiful hotel.
9:30 a.m.: Keynote Speaker
After a quick doughnut for breakfast, we all got to hear from Troy Tomlinson, CEO of UMPG Nashville. He was so well spoken and had so many great thoughts on where the music business is headed. My favorite quote he said was, “Every dreamer needs a believer.” He said this while explaining how he’s tried to be that believer for so many songwriters throughout his career.
10 a.m.: Rotating Small Group Session
For the rest of the morning, we broke into small groups and split our time between mock interviews, headshots, and one-on-one mentorship. I gained so much practical knowledge from this.
1:30 p.m.: Stella Lefty Performance
To officially close out the summit, CMA brought in rising star Stella Lefty. I have been a huge fan of hers since her most recent EP came out. Getting to hear her live was the perfect cherry on top of the conference. I am so grateful to have experienced something this formative so early in my career! I’m walking away with a stronger network and zero doubts that this industry is exactly where I’m supposed to be.