Director of School and Music Programs

Aaron oversees the Museum’s flagship education program, Words & Music®, which serves thousands of students and audiences each year. Prior to joining the Museum’s education team in 2019, Aaron taught at Nashville’s Isaiah T. Creswell Middle School of the Arts. He has served as a guest instructor, clinician and judge for various music festivals, camps and organizations in Tennessee and his native Arizona, as well as an education curriculum consultant for Quaver Music. Aaron performs regularly in Nashville with his acoustic duo, Emberland. As a trombone player, he has performed with artists including Danny Gokey, the Jacksons, and the Temptations. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music education and a master’s degree in music from Northern Arizona University.

Senior Manager of Music Programs

Adam is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who co-wrote “Moonlight, Mistletoe, and You,” the title cut on Keb’ Mo’s 2019 holiday album, which spent four weeks at #1 on the Billboard blues album chart. He has also written songs with Natalie Hemby, Jim Lauderdale, and Maren Morris. Adam has toured and recorded with Will Hoge, Kacey Musgraves, and John Oates—playing pedal steel, Dobro, and guitar—and has appeared on recordings by J.D. McPherson and Carrie Underwood. He has performed on the Country Music Association Awards, the Grammys, the Late Show with David Letterman, and The Tonight Show, and alongside Loretta Lynn, NEEDTOBREATHE, Willie Nelson, Katy Perry, and Lee Ann Womack. Adam holds degrees from Princeton University and Berklee College of Music.

Director of Family and Youth Programs

Katie Bramell serves as the Director of Family and Youth Programs at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. She is a museum professional and public historian with 10 years of experience in the field. Bramell previously served as the Director of Museum Experiences at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has a Master of Arts in Public History from Northern Kentucky University and a Bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Central Missouri.

Words & Music Manager

Raised in a musical family in Chicago, Layla began performing on stage at age four.  She has released two EPs, Tame the Fox in 2017 and Postcard from the Moon in 2021, and has performed her songs for audiences of all ages at venues throughout the U.S. Layla has served as a teaching artist and educator at the Old Town School of Folk Music, The Chicago Children’s Choir, and the Music Institute of Chicago. Her single “You Can’t Love Me Like I Loved You” was a finalist in both the 2020 John Lennon Songwriting Contest and The Great American Song Contest. Her song “Josephine” was a semi-finalist in the Music City Song Star songwriting contest. Her holiday pop song “Hanukkah Honey” was featured in Hallmark’s movie Hanukkah on the Rocks.​  Layla holds a BA in Creative Writing with a minor in music from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Words & Music Coordinator

A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Claire moved to Nashville in 2016 to pursue songwriting full time. Her songs have been placed on ABC Networks’ Station 19, HBO Max’s 12 Dates of Christmas, and her song “The Art of Letting Go” was recently featured on the hit Netflix series Love is Blind. In 2020, Claire was named a finalist for both the Kerrville Folk Festival’s Grassy Hill New Folk Songwriting Competition and the Songwriter Serenade” songwriting contest in La Grange, Texas. Her latest album, Can’t Start Loving You Again, came out in 2024.

Youth and Family Programs Manager

Nicole Laws is the Youth and Family Programs Manager at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. She develops programs and resources that illuminate the stories, themes and music explored in the Museum’s galleries. She achieved her master’s degree in education and taught multiple grade levels from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade. She is also an experienced artist; her main medium is fiber. She has shown at galleries in Chicago and Nashville. She has an illustration and design company that she makes custom clothes and Nashville souvenirs.

School Programs Coordinator

As an upright bassist, “Smilin’” Jay McDowell toured the world with CMA Award-winners and GRAMMY-nominees BR5-49, supporting the Black Crowes, Bob Dylan, John Fogerty, George Jones, Tim McGraw & Faith Hill, and Brian Setzer. When he pivoted to video editor at Sony Music, Jay contributed to music videos, documentaries, and commercials for artists including Jones, Tracy Lawrence, and Ashley Monroe. He created the video content for the Vanderbilt University class, Popular Music’s Effect on the Integration of America. His collaboration with the music education character, Farmer Jason, led to an EMMY nomination. At the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Jay led the video department and collaborated on Backstage, a broadcast whose guests included Steve Cropper, Emmylou Harris, and Don McLean. He has published more than 350 music-related magazine articles and currently contributes to American Songwriter and Now Dig This.

Community Outreach Manager 

Nicki Mortland is the Youth and Family Programs Coordinator. She studied History and Creative writing during her undergrad in Indiana and, before starting at the museum, worked in employment law. She is particularly interested in the ways that modern country music and culture connects with traditional roots. Some of her favorite musicians include The Chicks, The Highwomen, and Joan Shelley. When she is not planning fun programs and hanging out in the Taylor Swift Education Center, she is making rugs and spending time with her sweet cat Appa.

Songwriting Mentor, June

Shane Adams is a twice GRAMMY nominated music educator, award-winning producer, composer, songwriter, and author. Shane is president of Artist Accelerator and is a founding lyric/songwriting instructor for Berklee Online, where he has taught lyric writing and songwriting since 2003. In 2013, Shane was named the Music Industry Professional of the Year by Chowan University, and in 2005 Shane earned the Tennessee Songwriter Association International’s highest honor, the Hallman Award, for outstanding contributions to the songwriting community. Shane’s book, The Singer-Songwriter’s Guide to Recording in the Home Studio, is available online and most bookstores.

Songwriting Mentor, July

Anne Buckle is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and music producer. A descendent of the Carter Family and a cousin of June Carter Cash, Anne has country music in her blood, but she took a non-traditional path to Nashville. After earning her master’s degree from Harvard University, she spent her first few years out of college working for the U.S. Department of State and the governor of Tennessee before settling into her music career. As an artist, she has shared the stage with the late Charlie Daniels, toured with Augustana, opened for the Chicks on their DCX MMXVI World Tour, and has become a regular performer at the world-famous Bluebird Cafe. As a songwriter, she has written songs for other artists including David Archuleta, Marisa McKaye, and Jacob Westfall.

Songwriting Mentor, June

Jason Carson began his entertainment career as a child cast member on Disney Channel’s The New Mickey Mouse Club. In the early 2000s, he was a lead member of the country band Shiloh. Jason owns and operates Carson Creative, a Nashville-based artist mentoring and talent development service. He currently tours with independent artists and works as a music producer.

Songwriting Mentor, July

Originally from Detroit, Michigan, singer-songwriter Paulina Jayne won the 2023 ASCAP Peggy Lee Songwriting Award for her song “Half.” She has opened for Sheryl Crow, Country Music Hall of Fame member Vince Gill, Sam Hunt, Old Dominion, Rascal Flatts, and Keith Urban. Paulina’s music has been featured on CMT, in a national Folgers Coffee commercial, and on the Netflix show Top Grier. She is sponsored by Ford Motor Company and serves as an ambassador for the national non-profit organization Miss Amazing, Inc., which empowers girls and women with disabilities.

Songwriting Mentor, June

AJAYE (“A.J.”) is an award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter based in Nashville who blends Americana, folk, and country. Named British Columbia Country Music Female Artist of the Year, AJAYE has been featured in Rolling Stone Australia, American Songwriter, and Americana UK. She has performed at The Bluebird Cafe, on Today in Nashville and CTV Morning Live, and tours across Europe and North America.

Songwriting Mentor, July

Jillette Johnson is a Nashville-based singer-songwriter and pianist who first gained recognition for her debut album, Water in a Whale, released in 2013. Her follow-up albums, All I Ever See in You Is Me (2017) and It’s Beautiful Day and I Love You (2021) blend indie-pop, folk, and Americana influences while conveying deeply personal lyrics. She has led multiple songwriting retreats and serves as a mentor to emerging and established songwriters, alike.

Songwriting Mentor, July

Originally from Sandy, Utah, Savannah Keyes signed her first record deal at age thirteen, after performing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. In 2017, Savannah wrote, produced, and hosted her own Radio Disney Country show, Let the Girls Play, with a focus on interviewing female artists like Gabby Barrett and Tenille Townes. Savannah has served as a spokesmodel for American Girl and Taylor Guitars’ collaboration on the singer-songwriter doll, Tenney. She also appeared on the CNBC docuseries Streets of Dreams, which featured her song “Superman,” and she represented her home state of Utah on NBC’s songwriting show, American Song Contest. Her debut EP, I’m Not California, is available everywhere.

Songwriting Mentor, June

Kayley Nell is a singer-songwriter and music educator from Dallas, Texas. Since
moving to Nashville in 2018, she has performed her original music on NBC’s Today Show, The Bluebird Cafe, and Tootsie’s Birthday Bash Stage. Her music has been recognized by Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) Top 40, and her EP, Wanderlust, was nominated for an Independent Music Award and. Kayley earned a bachelor’s degree in radio, television, and film from the University of North Texas.

Songwriting Mentor, June & July

Claire Wyndham is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose music has taken her all around the globe. After achieving success in her native Australia, she moved to Nashville in 2010. She signed a publishing deal in 2013 and found her niche placing songs in film and television. Claire’s songs have been featured on networks like HBO, CBS, NBC, The CW Freeform, and MTV. In 2022, she released an EP Waves with her duo, the Lonely Fighters.