What has recently become its own school will also have its very own new contemporary music program.
Lipscomb’s School of Music recently announced the expansion of its existing classical music offerings to include contemporary music undergraduate programs, which will dive into songwriting and music production.
This charge first began after Lipscomb formed its College of Entertainment and the Arts that houses the new school.
School of Music director Sally Reid said that the idea of having a College of Entertainment and the Arts, and even the School of Music, have been in the works for a while.
“At some point the president [Lipscomb President Randy Lowry] intervened and said ‘this really sounds like a new college,'” Reid said.
After the new college was formed, Lipscomb’s filmmaker-in-residence Steve Taylor had a connection that made the contemporary music program come to life.
“Steve had this really good friend who was at a point in his career where he was looking to give back,” Reid said. Producer and singer-songwriter Charlie Peacock will serve as Lipscomb’s artist-in-residence for the contemporary music program.
“I really think that we couldn’t launch out and do this without his guidance, because none of the faculty are trained in contemporary music or have any experience,” Reid said. “We needed new faculty, and we needed someone who understands the music industry.”
And Peacock has demonstrated his understanding of the music industry ever since he started his career in the ’70s, producing hundreds of albums.
He will lead the new program to become more integrated with Music City.
“His vision is for it to be Nashville-centric in that it immerses the students in how business is done in this city, and then of course expands universally beyond that,” Reid said.
Franklin’s Dark Horse Recording Studio is one connection that Lipscomb has already lined up for the new program.
The studio — that has been recording home for musicians Neil Diamond, Faith Hill and Martina McBride — initially contacted Lipscomb’s School of Music, according to Reid.
As Nashville’s music community is growing, Reid explained that making a living in this industry is more difficult now than it’s ever been.
“You can’t just attach yourself to a record label, you can’t just have a publisher, you can’t just have a recording studio — all those people were struggling with how to make a living,” Reid said.
“The people who are going to be successful in the industry at this point have to be able to do everything. They have to be able to arrange, they have to be able to write, edit, perform, everything, and at a very high musical level.”
The new program will train student musicians to do just that. Reid said Lipscomb’s School of Music will continue to have a strong commitment to literacy, including lessons in the Nashville number system and the Roman numeral analysis.
Musicians in the new program will be taught the project-based studio approach, utilizing Dark Horse and other local studios.
“I have felt all along that everything is going project-based, and what that means is you don’t need the large recording studio, except maybe for the final parts of the production,” Reid said.
But when students do need to get in some studio time, Reid said she hopes students can walk right down the road to a recording studio. There is also a possibility of holding certain classes in recording studios within walking distance, according to Reid.
The new degree will have two tracks — songwriting and music production — and will be offered in the fall, pending the approval of the National Association of Schools of Music Commission on Accreditation.
New program brings new facilities
Music will soon ring from the corner of Caldwell Lane and Granny White Pike.
In addition to the new contemporary music program, Reid said Lipscomb has acquired a house for the School of Music to use for recording, rehearsals, editing and classroom and office space.
The new home — which is almost 3,000 square feet — will be renovated during the summer months.
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