On-Site School Programs
The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum provides a variety of school and teacher programs that address national and state curriculum standards in English Language Arts, Music, Science, Social Studies, and Visual Art. Interactive programs, workshops, lesson guides, online resources, and guided and self guided tours are offered to students and teachers, grades K-12 as well as college students. For more chances to connect, please email us at schools@countrymusichalloffame.org
All School Programs
Learn songwriting fundamentals, including the basics of song form, rhyme scheme, and meter, and secrets behind the creative process. Working as a class with guidance from a professional songwriter, students will analyze a song then write original lyrics and advise on musical components. The program ends with a group performance of the new composition.
Program Length: 120 minutes (includes gallery experience)
Grades: 1-12
Group Size: 15-80 students
Curricular Connections: English Language Arts, Music, Social Studies
Select Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.4, National Association for Music Education Standards 6-9
Additional fees apply.
Using an award-winning lesson guide, teachers lead students through the lyric-writing process. Completed lessons are followed by a program with a songwriter who adds melodies to students’ original lyrics. This experience requires significant class time. Lyrics are due at least two weeks before program date. This program is offered at the museum or at your school. For more information about Words and Music, click here.
Program Length: 120 minutes (includes gallery experience)
Grades: 3-12
Group Size: 10-120 students
Curricular Connections: English Language Arts, Music, Social Studies
Select Standards:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.1, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.R.2, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.R.W
National Association for Music Education Standards 6-9
Explore the gamut of music listening technologies—from the record player to the MP3 player—in this collaborative, interactive program. Students are challenged to think critically as they make observations, compare and contrast, and eventually discover how and why these technologies have changed over time. Paired with time in the museum galleries, this program connects music to the devices on which it was played, providing a powerful look at the intersection of history, art, and technology. Pre- and Post-Lessons available here.
Grades: 3-8
Group Size: 15-100 students
Curricular Connections: STEAM, Social Studies, Music
Select Standards:
TN Music Foundations: Cn2, R1, R1, R1
TN Social Studies: SSP.01, SSP.04, SSP.05, 5.14, 5.22, US.31, US.75
TN Science: 3.ETS2, 4.ETS2.3, 8.PS4.3
Social and Emotional Learning Indicators: 3A, 3C, 4A
Experience the science of sound in a legendary recording studio on Nashville’s Music Row! Conducted at Historic RCA Studio B, this program shares the history of the studio and the songs recorded there by artists like Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley, and Charley Pride. Students explore engineering in a real-world setting, learning how soundwave properties and manipulations impact music and the recording process. Pre- and Post-Lesson available here.
Program Length: 60 minutes
Grades: 5-12
Group Size: 15-50 students
Curricular Connections: Music, Science, Social Studies
Select Standards:
TN Music GM.P1, GM.Ch2
TN Social Studies 5.64, US.86
TN Science: GLE 0507.T/E.1-E.3, GLE.0607.T/E.1, GLE.0707.T/E.1, CLE 3231.T/E.1, CLE 3231.3.1
In this hands-on hybrid tour experience, students work in teams on a quest through the Museum and interact with experts along the way. Artifact Adventure focuses on pivotal moments in United States history as told through the Museum’s one-of-a-kind collection. Students learn about music as cultural expression shaped by immigration, cultural convergence, and innovations in technology, musical instruments, and design. Familiarize students with the artists they will meet at the museum with this engaging pre- and post-lesson activity. Created for students in grades 3-6.
Group Size: 25 – 120 students
Program Length: 60 minutes (Groups 60+ must add 60 minute classroom program)
Grades: 2-6
Curricular Connections: English Language Arts, Music, Social Studies, STEAM
Select Standards:
TN Music Foundations: Cn2, R1, R1, R1
TN Social Studies: SSP.01, SSP.04, SSP.05, 5.14, 5.22, US.31, US.75
TN Science: 3.ETS2, 4.ETS2.3, 8.PS4.3
Social and Emotional Learning Indicators: 3A, 3C, 4A
During an interactive tour of the exhibits, students learn about the history of country music. Integrating the museum’s architectural details, music, films, visual art, and historic artifacts, the exhibits provide students with a multi-layered learning experience. During the tour, students have opportunities to listen to recordings and learn how different people, styles, and influences have affected the music. Familiarize students with the artists they will meet at the museum with this engaging pre- and post-lesson activity. Created for students in grades 3-6.
Tour Length: 90 minutes
Grades: K-12
Group Size: 10 – 25 students
Curricular Connections: English Language Arts, Music, Social Studies, Visual Art
TN Standards:
Common Core ELA: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.7,
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.1
TN Music GM.P1, GM.Ch2
TN Social Studies 2.28, 2.40, 5.37, 5.47, 5.64, US.31, US.44, US.86, US.104
In Texas it’s a fiddle. In Boston it’s a violin. In Nashville it depends. This one-of-a-kind, toe-tapping partnership joins the resources of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum with those of the Nashville Symphony. From tours to musical performances — classical to country music — Is It a Fiddle or a Violin? will challenge you to think about music in new ways.
2023 Dates:
February 15, 2023 – SOLD OUT
March 22, 2023 – SOLD OUT
Program Length: 135 minutes
Grades: K-6
Group Size: 10-150 students
Curricular Connections: Social Studies, Performing Arts
Select Standards:
TN Music GM.P1, GM.R3, GM.Ch2
TN Social Studies K.3, K.14, 1.19, 1.37, 1.38, 3.39, 3.41
Learn about Nashville’s emergence as Music City! String City: Nashville’s Tradition of Music and Puppetry is a lively telling of our city’s musical legacy. Start with the early days of string band music and gospel music, and the birth of the Grand Ole Opry. Meet the icons of country music as the show travels through time with classic recordings that lead to present day hits. A unique way to introduce students to their city, String City brings history, visual arts, and music together on a single stage. Over thirty country music artists appear in puppet form, and every one of them had a hand in helping Nashville become Music City. Let your students discover Nashville’s cultural heritage in a fun, new way!
2023 Dates: Coming soon!
Show times at 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
Program Length: 70 minutes
Grades: K-6
Group Size: 10-200 students
Curricular Connections: Social Studies, English Language Arts, Music, Visual Art
Select Standards:
TN Visual Art MA.P1.A, MA.P2.A, MA.R1.A, MA.R1.B, MA.R2.A, MA.R3.A, MA.Ch2.A, MA.Ch2.B
TN Music GM.R3, GM.Ch2
TN Social Studies 1.37, 1.42, 5.47, 5.64, K.3, 1.38, 2.40, 3.9
Common Core Curriculum: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.7, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.2
String City: Nashville’s Tradition of Music and Puppetry is a collaboration with Nashville Public Library.
In this program, students focus on stage costumes, accessories, and instrument design from the museum’s collection. By looking at design details, students learn about different eras in American and country music history, as well as personal expression and symbolism. Paired with an interactive museum tour, students have a chance to create their own designs. Pre-and Post-Lesson activity available here.
Program Length: 120 minutes (includes time in the Museum galleries)
Grades: K-3
Curricular Connections: English Language Arts, Music, Social Studies, Visual Art
Select Standards:
TN Visual Art MA.Cr3.A, MA.Cr3.B, MA.P1.A, MA.P2.A, MA.R1.A, MA.R1.B, MA.R2.A, MA.R3.A, MA.Ch2.A, MA.Ch2.B
TN Music GM.Ch2
TN Social Studies K.3, 1.38, 2.40, 3.9
Round up your students for cowboy culture at its finest and funniest. America’s favorite saddle pals preserve Western musical heritage, from campfire stories and slapstick humor to flashy fringe shirts and tight harmony singing. Of the many appearances, awards, and accolades earned in their forty year career, Riders in the Sky are revered for creating music for Toy Story 2, which earned the group their first Grammy Award. Come learn and laugh along with guitarist and yodeler Ranger Doug, bassist Too Slim, fiddler and rope trickster Woody Paul, and accordionist Joey “the CowPolka king.”
Program Date: Returning Spring 2024!
Program Length: 60 minutes
Grades: K-3
Group Size: 10-180 students
Curricular Connections: Music, Social Studies, Performing Arts
Select Standards:
TN Music GM.R3, GM.Ch2
TN Social Studies K.3, 1.3, 1.38, 2.19, 2.3, 3.14, 3.15, 4.48, 5.29, 5.32
Common Core Curriculum: ELA CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.7, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.2
Check out a free Traveling Trunk to bring the sounds of country music into your classroom. For two weeks, your students can feel, hold, play, and hear the timeless tools of musicians. Each kit features real instruments and accessories meant to connect your students with music in an engaging, hands-on way. Lesson plans are included with your trunk.
Acoustic Trunk: banjo, fiddle, guitar, and mandolin
Electric Trunk: electric guitar, lap steel guitar, harmonica set, acoustic guitar fiddle, and amplifier
Listening Devices Trunk: boombox, Discman (CD player), iPod, record player, transistor radio, Walkman (cassette player) and 8-track player
Grades: K-12
Curricular Connections: Music, Social Studies, STEAM
Select Standards:
TN Social Studies: 1.01, 3.31
STEAM: 2.PS4.1, 3.ETS2.1, 4.ETS2.3
TN Music: P1, Cr1, R1
Make your mark on Music City by showcasing your school’s student band, orchestra, or chorus in the Mike Curb Conservatory or outside on the Museum’s front plaza. Entertain museum visitors in an unforgettable experience. Explore the museum before or after the performance.
Program Length: 20 minutes
Grades: K-12
Group Size: 10-50 (Choir), 10-30 (Band)
Curricular Connections: Music
Select Standards:
TN Music Foundations P3, Cr3
SEL Indicators 1D, 2A, 3C, 4A, 5B
Celebrate our most fundamental freedoms through some of America’s most powerful songs. Bill of Rights: The Remix! tells the entertaining, engaging, and inspiring story of our nation through rock, pop, hip-hop, and country music. Experience a high-energy, multimedia show that illustrates constitutional issues, including freedom of speech and the rights to assemble and to petition the government. James Madison meets Beyoncé with a twist of Loretta Lynn – only in Music City. Combine this program with a museum tour to learn how Nashville and country music takes on a new and deeper meaning in relation to United States history and law.
Formerly named Music Matters and Freedom Sings. Presented in partnership with the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University.
Program Date: Returning Spring 2024!
Program Length: 75 minutes; museum tour encouraged
Group Size: 10-300 students
Curriculum Connections: English Language Arts, Music, Social Studies
Select Standards:
TN Music GM.P1, GM.Ch2
TN Social Studies 8.32, US.86, US.92, GC.15, GC.32, GC.35, GC.46, GC.47
Common Core Curriculum: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.7,
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.2
Programs and ticketing information announced as scheduled.
Hear stories and gain insight directly from recording artists and other professionals in the music business. An in-person interview in the CMA Theater, All Access explores Nashville’s creative community, history, and culture in depth, and enables students to engage with performing artists through live question-and-answer. This powerful program extends the story told in the museum’s exhibitions and brings the gallery experience to life. All Access leaves a lasting memory that inspires students for years to come. Previous All Access programs have featured Keith Urban, Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. Programs are announced as scheduled.
Program Length: 75 minutes
Grades: 6-12
Group Size: No minimum. Please call for availability
Curricular Connections: Music, Performing Arts, Social Studies, College and Career Readiness
Select Standards:
TN Music Foundations R1, R2, Cn1, Cn2
SEL Indicators 1D, 2A, 3C, 4B, 5B
Explore Hatch Show Print and learn all about the iconic poster shop. Guides share the letterpress printing process from initial sketches to the final pass through the press. Students hear the history of the second-oldest surviving printing press in the country and discover how it thrives in the digital age. Surrounded by over fifty years-worth of colorful posters, students watch print makers engineer works of art live. The program culminates in an original, limited edition poster hand-inked and printed by students. Pre-and Post-Lesson activity available here.
Group Size: 10-50 students (note: groups larger than 20 are required to book a gallery experience)
Program Length: two hours (one hour at Hatch Show Print plus one hour for time in the museum galleries for groups larger than 20).
Grade level: Grades: 3-12
Curriculum Connections: STEAM, TN Social Studies, Visual Art
Select Standards:
TN Science 3.ETS2
TN Social Studies US.44
TN Visual Art VA.P3.A, VA.R1.A, VA.CN2.A
SEL Indicators 1D, 3A, 3C, 4A, 5B
Get inky with Hatch Show Print. Using a unique typeset called Alphablox, students manipulate shapes that can be combined to make words, symbols, and patterns. Always paired with a tour of Hatch Show Print, Alpha-Blox allows students to practice each step of the relief printing process, using the real tools unique to the trade, and to make their own custom creation.
Program Length: 60 minutes
Grades: 3-12
Group Size: 10-50 students
Curricular Connections: Visual Art, Math, STEAM, Social Studies
Select Standards:
TN Visual Art: VA.Cr1.A, VA.Cr2.A
TN Math: 3.MD.C.6, 4.MD.A.3
Social and Emotional Learning Indicators: 3A, 3B, 5A
Build early literacy skills and social and emotional learning through music, movement, and lyric writing. The program includes three asynchronous pre-recorded video lessons and one 30-minute live lesson taught by a museum educator and a professional songwriter. During the live lesson, students will choose a theme, contribute ideas, and co-write a song with a songwriter! This program is offered at the museum, at your school, or virtually. Standards-aligned lesson guides now available. For more information about Words & Music for Early Learners, click here.
Program Length: 30 minutes
Grade level: Grades: Pre-K – K
Group Size: 10-20
Curriculum Connections: English Language Arts, Music
Select Standards:
TN Early Literacy: PK-K.FL.PC1,2, PK-K.W.TTP.1, K.SL.PKI.6
Creative Arts: PK.CA.4,6,7, K.D.P1, K.GM.R2, K.GM.R2
Physical Development: K.PD.1,2
Social and Emotional Learning: PK.SPC.SA1,7,8, PK.SPC.RS2,3, K.4A,4B,5B
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