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. Students also learn about the growth and development of Nashville as a music industry center.

• Program Length

  60 minutes

• Grade Levels

  K-12

• Group Size

  10+ Students

• Curricular Connections

  Language Arts, Music, Social Studies, Visual Art

Learn songwriting fundamentals, including the basics of song form, rhyme scheme, 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. See the Teacher Resources page for the program lesson guide. Additional fees apply.

• Program Length

  120 minutes, includes Museum Tour

• Grade Levels

  K-12

• Group Size

  10+ Students

• Curricular Connections

  English Language Arts, Music, Social Studies

Learn how the oldest surviving letterpress print shop in the U.S. thrives in the digital age. At Hatch Show Print, students learn the letterpress printing process, from initial sketches to the final pass through the press. Students explore the shop’s connection to Southern entertainment and the history of graphic design, and discover how this 19th century print shop thrives in the digital age. The program culminates in an original limited edition poster hand-inked and printed by students.

• Program Length

  75 minutes

• Group Size

  10-50 students

• Curricular Connections

  STEAM, TN Social Studies, Visual Art

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. Following an interactive museum tour, students have a chance to create their own designs.

• Program Length

  120 minutes, includes Museum Tour

• Grade Levels

  K-4

• Group Size

  10+ Students

• Curricular Connections

  English Language Arts, Music, Social Studies, Visual Art

Historic RCA Studio B, Nashville’s oldest operating recording studio, exists at the intersection of science, technology, history, and music. In this interactive program, students evaluate how reflection, refraction, and other properties of sound waves shaped the studio space. Students will also learn about the rise of Music Row and hear the songs recorded by artists like Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, and Waylon Jennings that defined this studio as the “Home of 1,000 Hits.”

• Program Length

  120 minutes, includes a Museum Tour

• Grade Levels

  5-12

• Group Size

  10-50

• Curricular Connections

  Music, Social Emotional Learning, Social Studies, STEAM

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.

• Program Length

  120 minutes, includes a Museum Tour

• Grade Levels

  3-8

• Group Size

  10-50 students

• Curricular Connections

  Music, Social Emotional Learning, Social Studies, STEAM

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.

• Program Length

  120 minutes

• Grade Levels

  K-6

• Group Size

  10-150 students

• Curricular Connections

  Fine Arts, Social Studies, Performing Arts

Using our 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 and professional development is encouraged before beginning the program.

• Program Length

  120 minutes (includes Guided Highlights tour)

• Grade Levels

  3-12

• Group Size

  10+ Students

• Curricular Connections

  English Language Arts, Music, Social Studies

Make your mark on Music City by showcasing your school's student band, orchestra, or chorus in the Mike Curb Conservatory. Entertain museum visitors in an unforgettable experience. Tour the museum before or after the performance.

• Program Length

  20 minute performance, 60-minute Museum Tour

• Grade Levels

  K-12

• Curricular Connections

  Music

Learn about country music, from its pre-commercial folk roots in the nineteenth century through its modern-day popularity. Limited-run exhibitions explore artists in-depth and reveal their lasting legacy and impact. Our vibrant experience includes priceless artifacts, rare photos, original recordings, archival videos and more. Register with the education department in advance to request a pack of gallery activities and games.

• Program Length

  At your own pace (recommend 2 hours)

• Grade Levels

  K-12

• Curricular Connections

  Language arts, music, social studies, visual arts

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 signing. 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 Length

  70 minutes

• Grade Levels

  K-5

• Curricular Connections

  Music, Social Studies, Performing Arts

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 Length

  75 minutes; museum tour encouraged

• Curricular Connections

  English Language Arts, Music, Social Studies

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 stringband 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, 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! Limited capacity. Tour the museum before or after the performance for a complete field trip experience. String City was created by Nashville Public Library's Wishing Chair Productions in collaboration with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and was made possible by a special gift from Judy and Steve Turner to the Nashville Public Library Foundation.

• Program Length

  70 minutes

• Grade Levels

  K-6

• Curricular Connections

  Social Studies, Language Arts, Performing Arts, Visual Arts, Music