Our interns are part of a fun, friendly, and supportive learning environment! Our paid internships are work-based learning opportunities that introduce college students to museum-related careers and other professions found in large cultural organizations. Each internship is designed to further the intern’s educational goals and the Museum’s mission. You’ll be assigned a mentor from your internship department and immediately become part of the team.

• Will you be working on projects that impact your internship department and the Museum? Yes!  
• Will you be part of the team’s weekly planning meetings? Yep, to that, too! 

Paid internships!
We offer a variety of paid internships, designed for undergraduate and graduate students seeking professional experience. The hourly rate is $15/hr. for students pursuing a bachelor’s degree; $18/hr. for students pursuing a master’s degree or higher. Internships are designed for a maximum commitment of eighteen to twenty-five hours per week for twelve weeks, with consideration given to individual college/university requirements. (Additional adjustments to the program schedule will be at the discretion of the internship supervisor and internship program manager).

You belong here!
The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is an equal opportunity employer. We respect the varied attributes, characteristics, and perspectives that make each person unique, and we believe that fostering a culture of inclusion is essential to institutional excellence. The Museum promotes an environment of respect, communication, and understanding, while actively seeking opportunities to learn about and establish practices that further facilitate equity. The Museum does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions), national origin, political affiliation, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, genetic information or characteristics, age, membership in an employee organization, military or veteran status, or other non-merit factor. The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum does not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. 

Easy commute!
Interns receive either free 24/7 downtown parking (one block from the Museum) or a free WeGo bus pass, with most stops just a short walk away. 

Free and discounted stuff!   

• Complimentary admission to the Museum for yourself during your internship. Two complimentary Museum admission passes for friends and family use.   
• Free guided tour of Hatch Show Print, Historic RCA Studio B, and the Museum’s galleries   
• Discounts at Museum stores and restaurants   
• Free or discounted entry to local venues including: The National Museum of African American Music, the Opry, Ryman Auditorium, and more. 

We care!
The Museum’s award-winning sustainability program significantly reduces waste through recycling and composting and provides meals to food insecure Nashvillians. 

A possible career!
Many of our interns go on to apply, and are accepted, for full-time staff positions.  

A chance to create lifelong friendships and memories!
You’ll be invited to Museum and staff-only events and have opportunities to make connections with your fellow interns. 

Internship Opportunities

Available internship opportunities, within the Museum, Hatch Show Print, and Historic RCA Studio B include (Note that internship offerings are subject to change each semester): 

Creative – Graphic Design: The Creative Department is responsible for the design and production of all exhibits, advertisements, collateral support materials, web graphics (social media, website, and email) and on-property signage – from concept to delivery.  Our overall goal is to perpetuate the mission of the Museum. The Creative Department interacts with nearly all other departments such as Education, Programming, Events, Development, Retail, Ticketed events, and Dining. 

• Creative Internship Overview: The goal of the Creative internship is to engage the intern in various areas of graphic design at the Museum including print, digital, content, project management, and vendor relationships. The intern will also learn about the best practices for graphic design and how the Creative Department interacts and collaborates with other Museum departments. 

Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Housed within the Information Technology Department, the IT Systems Applications group strategically integrates technology solutions to further the Museum’s mission and enable the education and preservation of country music. The IT Systems Applications team provides collaborative business process management, business application support, and centralized institutional data analysis. We provide support and reporting mechanisms to improve the customer experience through planning, procurement, and implementation with cross-departmental teams. We provide oversight for the data cycle and process management for organizational data, as well as oversee data compliance programs and policies.

• CRM Internship Overview: Under the guidance of the IT Applications team, the CRM intern will learn to support the organization, work within a team environment, and prioritize new requests while maintaining current projects. 

Development: The Development Department oversees all philanthropy on behalf of the Museum, which includes Museum membership; annual, major, and planned giving; special events, which range from exhibition opening receptions to fundraisers; as well as foundation, corporate, sponsorship and government giving programs. We also steward relationships with Country Music Hall of Fame® members; the broader music community; elected officials; local, state, and national arts organizations; and Museum donors. We are constant advocates for the arts on local and national levels, and we publish strategic communications on the Museum’s behalf, such as the Annual Report. Our goal is to provide excellent stewardship to all who make gifts of time, talent, and treasure to the mission in support of our mission-focused work.

• Development Internship Overview: The Development intern will be a part of and work alongside the Development team. The goal of this internship is for the intern to learn the various aspects of philanthropy and stewardship at a major museum. The intern will gain hands-on experience in: hosting Museum events, grant research, donor and constituent support, corporate partnerships, memberships, and major gifts.

Education and Community Engagement; Museum Education – School Programs or Youth and Family Programs: Charged with the mission of educating varied audiences about country music, the Education and Community Engagement Department develops programs and resources that illuminate the stories, themes, and music explored in the Museum’s galleries. Serving nearly 100,000 people per year through 1,100 programs, the Education and Community Engagement Department supports students of all ages, from school groups and families who engage in hands-on learning activities to general Museum guests who experience performance presentations during their visit. A creative and curious team, staff is composed of traditional and nontraditional educators, including classroom teachers, visual artists, historians, Museum educators, and professional musicians. Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum educators share a passion for country music, popular culture, and lifelong learning and regularly collaborate to develop and implement dynamic educational offerings commensurate with one of the most-visited history museums in America. 

• School Programs Internship Overview: School Programs provide dynamic, interdisciplinary learning experiences that support curriculum standards in core subject areas for Pre-K–12. This internship’s goal is to engage the intern in a variety of interdisciplinary educational experiences in a museum environment. The School Programs intern will receive hands-on training from museum educators, and they will interact directly with student and teacher audiences who visit the museum to participate in activities that align to STEAM, College and Career Readiness, ELA, Social Studies, Social and Emotional Learning, and/or fine arts curriculum. 

• Youth and Family Programs Internship Overview: Youth and Family Programs seek to educate young Museum guests and families through hands-on programs in the Taylor Swift Education Center and through off-site programs in community settings such as libraries, parks, and festivals. Youth and Family Programs include art making, dance, design, music instruction, and preschool-specific programs. An intern with Youth and Family Programs will develop their skills related to researching, planning, executing, and evaluating educational programs and resources for the Museum’s young guests and families. 

Events: The Events and Culinary Department is comprised of six sectors: Sales, Services, Entertainment, Catering, Banquets, and Administration. It plans and executes approximately 1,500 internal and external events per year. The Events and Culinary team offer unique, incomparable experiences designed to foster community and give an authentic connection to the story of country music, while also providing vital revenue for the Museum. 

• Events Internship Overview: The goal of this internship is to familiarize the intern with various aspects of events administration. The intern will rotate throughout the Events and Culinary Department shadowing and learning the different aspects of each area: from entering and maintaining event information in CRM software to planning and managing internal events. 

Historic RCA Studio B: Historic RCA Studio B—once home to musical titans such as Elvis Presley, Chet Atkins, Eddy Arnold, Roy Orbison, and the Everly Brothers—is one of the world’s most famous recording facilities. The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum preserves and interprets Studio B as a legacy landmark in the rich history of popular music in Nashville and the U.S. The Museum makes Studio B accessible to the public through daily tours, educational programs, and events.

• RCA Studio B Internship Overview: The Studio B intern works with the Studio B audio team on recordings and helps manage historic assets and equipment. The intern will experience a vibrant educational environment focused on developing skills as an audio professional, as a caretaker of a historic space, and as a host to guests from around the world. 

Marketing: The Marketing Department manages the marketing, promotional, digital, and music and media licensing needs of the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum to ensure that best-of-class marketing practices are applied and institution branding standards are met to support the many goals, objectives, and audiences of the Museum and its additional properties.

• Marketing Internship Overview: This internship’s goal is to engage the intern in various areas of marketing at the Museum: research and data, advertising/media buying, partnerships and promotions, and digital marketing. The intern will learn the elements of a successful marketing plan for Museum exhibits and events, best practices for a marketing department, key marketing metrics and data, and how the Marketing department interacts and collaborates with other Museum departments.  

Guest Relations: The Guest Relations Department is responsible for box office sales for the Museum, Hatch Show Print Tours, Historic RCA Studio B Tours, and other publicly ticketed events and programs. The Department manages staff that impacts the guest experience, such as but not limited to Box Office Sales, Information Desk, Membership Desk, greeters, tour guides, reservationists, and ushers all while providing excellent customer service and hitting revenue goals. 

• Guest Relations Internship Overview: The Guest Relations intern will consistently provide strong customer service and be able to make decisions and work well in a fast-paced environment. Candidates should have strong verbal/written communication and organizational skills. An open, friendly attitude and proactive work ethic are essential. The intern will assist Guest Relations management in functions relating to the daily operations of front-line staff.

Museum Services – Collections, Library and Archives, or Public Programs: In direct support of the mission statement of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the Museum Services Division preserves and protects the Museum’s collections using best practices, while incorporating emerging technologies to provide access to these collections. Within Museum Services are teams of registrars, collection specialists, librarians, archivists, exhibit managers, and curators. 

• Collections Internship Overview: The goal of this internship is to learn the necessary skills to provide exceptional care to artifact collections, as well as the importance of proper collections care within a museum setting. The Collections intern will work closely with the team of registrars who focus on collections processing and will assist with organizing, photographing, and cataloging artifacts in the Museum’s collection, including, but not limited to, awards, clothing and accessories, document collections, and memorabilia. The intern will also learn and use collections and digital content management software, providing qualitative improvements to collections information and improving its accessibility for prospective researchers. Additionally, this work may also include research projects aimed at improving information found in these systems.  

• Library and Archives Internship Overview: The Library and Archives intern will work closely with the staff to assist with the processing and/or digitizing of materials to ensure preservation and greater access to the Museum’s collections. The collections include manuscript and print materials, sound recordings, video, film, photographs, and oral history interviews. The goal of the internship is to understand the different roles and duties within an archive, learn the necessary skills to prepare archival collections for research purposes, and to gain experience working with varied archival materials.

• Public Programs Internship Overview: Public Programs is responsible for educating varied audiences about country music through events that target adult audiences. The goal of the internship is to gain experience in planning and executing a range of programs. These programs may include live interviews and performances, concerts, film screenings, book talks, and other educational offerings. Under the guidance of the Public Programs team, the intern will learn to help prepare for and facilitate programs, communicate with Museum visitors, and program performers, and write various program support materials. The intern will also undertake administrative duties, attend team meetings, research, and brainstorm ways to support future programming, assist with select online content, and help facilitate other Education or non-public events as needed. 

Public Relations: The Public Relations Department is a trusted partner, collaborator, and advisor that provides strategic communications counsel on a range of projects including, but not limited to, messaging, corporate positioning, reputation management, crisis communication, news story development, media relations, grassroots projects, and integrated marketing approaches. 

• Public Relations Internship Overview: This internship’s goal is to engage the intern in public and media relations experiences in a museum environment. The Public Relations intern will work with the team handling all facets of public and media relations for the Museum, Historic RCA Studio B, and Hatch Show Print. The intern will receive hands-on training from the Public Relations team on a wide range of projects to help expand their communication and relationship building skills and prepare them to manage high-profile tasks and professional challenges. The intern will also assist in the building of and outreach to media contacts regarding various museum-related programs and exhibitions and compile those clips for internal reporting and sharing.  

Operations and Sustainability: The Operations and Sustainability Department is responsible for security, housekeeping, courier services, parking, dock management, and sustainability. Our goal is to support the building in its mission of preservation, to provide flawless service to our staff and others & serve as a brand ambassador to external clients. We strive to provide excellent customer service to everyone we interact with on a daily basis so that we may exceed their expectations.

Operations and Sustainability Internship Overview: The Operations and Sustainability intern will work alongside the Director of Operations & Sustainability to promote sustainability and green initiatives across the Museum. The goal of this internship is for the intern to learn about and understand the execution of Museum operations, including waste diversion and disposal, an employee wellness garden project, and event set-up.  

Hatch Show Print Education and Programs: Founded in 1879, Hatch Show Print is a Nashville icon and one of the oldest continually operating letterpress printing companies in existence.  Our Education and Programs department is responsible for engaging the public in a variety of forums, including public tours, school tours, private group experiences, events hosted by local organizations, and self-determined community events, all focused on educating participants about the shop’s history and the process of letterpress design and print. Hatch Show Print has been part of the Country Music Foundation since 1992. 

• Hatch Show Print Education and Programs Internship Overview: Housed within our traditional museum internship program, the Hatch Show Print Education and Programs intern will provide in-depth programs and tours for the public, groups, and students and assist with hands-on printing activities.

• Hatch Show Print (Printing): Visit HatchShowPrint.com/Internships for more information, including internship dates and the application process for this internship. The Hatch Show Print (Printing) intern learns the basics of typesetting, letterpress poster design, and the printing process by working alongside Hatch Show Print printer-designers and creating custom posters for various clients throughout their internship.