Joining the Belmont University Faculty

What happens when you let your grays grow in in the music business? Well…you start teaching college! At least, that’s what happened to me…

Little did I know during the past 20+ years of going to a Music Row publishing office every day and writing songs for other artists that it would eventually qualify me to teach songwriting to college students…but this summer I was offered the opportunity to join the incredible Songwriting Department faculty at Belmont University’s world-renowned Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business. (And when I say “world-renowned”, I mean it: Billboard magazine put Belmont’s Curb College at the top of their list of colleges for studying Music & Music Business last year.)

So here I am, sitting in my brand new office at the end of my first week of classes. I’m exhausted, but so exhilarated at the quality of student talent I’m seeing here. As I posted on social media: I feel like I’m getting to hear Lizzo before she’s Lizzo, Taylor Swift before she’s Taylor Swift, Chris Stapleton before he’s Chris Stapleton. I’m getting to help mold these writers into more emotionally impactful, authentic, grounded, socially responsible, world-changing and boat-rocking songwriters. I’m getting to contribute even more of myself to the written-in-history anthology of songwriting by arming future hit writers with a toolbox of wisdom that took me decades to collect for myself! What could be more satisfying than that?

Plus, I get to spend a few sweet hours every day writing songs in the silence of my new office. I had almost forgotten how to do that in this pandemic era of multitasking Zoom co-writing sessions while my dog went ballistic at the Amazon delivery driver and my kids melted down on my lap.

So here’s to new beginnings and fresh inspiration!

*****

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