BTNF exists so that children and youth in cities across America can have access to rigorous and inspiring music arts enrichment programs while out of school. With that vision in mind, we are expanding to serve the children and youth of MUSIC CITY, Nashville Tennessee. After spending a considerable amount of time in Nashville as a music industry professional, Executive Director Rob Levine has become very familiar with the landscape of the music scene. From your favorite Country Artists that you hear on the radio, to the expansive array of creatives including musicians, songwriters, and producers in all genres, to the concentration of live entertainment for tourists and locals alike, Nashville is through and through a music town!
In Rob’s experience, most people that he has met in the past 3 years are transplants to Nashville and those numbers continue to rise exponentially year in and year out. Truth is, everyone moves to Nashville to pursue their music dreams. After spending a considerable amount of time with Nashville natives, Rob has become increasingly aware of the familiar disconnect with the lack of consistent music arts enrichment exposure in out of school time settings for children and youth. Being no stranger to this, it became increasingly clear that transplants to Nashville seem to be a great source of what keeps Music City thriving. However, what if a pipeline is created for children and youth that continues to build the culture of everything Music City is and growing to become?
Through Rob Levine’s advocacy for the arts, it became increasingly apparent that one thing he can do is utilize the vehicle of BTNF to serve Nashville children and youth by engaging them in music education and performance to provide expressive therapy and inspiration for creating greater life opportunities. Therefore, we will be launching a series of workshops this year to introduce BTNF programs to the Nashville area! During these workshops, participants will have fun getting hands on experience learning the fundamentals of music using state of the art equipment being led by amazing teaching artists. After all, this is why BTNF exists. Since Rob Levine has truly fallen in love with this beautiful town, this is the least he can do to give back and invest in the future of Music City.