Belmont aims to shorten the ’10-year town' timeline

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Within the music industry, Nashville is known as a “10-year town.” The expression denotes the length of time it takes a person to get their lucky break in the music industry.

For anyone trying to be one of the 41,000+ people making a living within Nashville’s music scene, the dream is to have a long, fulfilling career.

Belmont University is attempting to shorten the amount of time it takes songwriters, in particular, to “make it” in music with a program of study focused on Songwriting. The major is offered within the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business, a 50-year-old program well-known for funneling people into the industry. The Songwriting major launched in 2007, focused specifically on the craft of writing songs.

“They’re learning how to put the song first - above everyone’s feelings,” says Drew Ramsey, a two-time Grammy winning songwriter who serves on the program’s faculty.

The success of the Songwriting program was recently on full display at the 2nd Annual People’s Choice Country Awards when the song “Austin” won for Female Song of 2024.

The song’s singer, Dasha, was a former Belmont student. She wrote the award-winning song with Cheyenna (Cheyenne Rose Arnspiger) a 2021 Belmont graduate.

“Dasha and I started writing together six years ago at Belmont in Songwriting class,” says Cheyenna who celebrated this major win only three years after graduation.

“They’ll tell you this is a 10-year town, and it definitely took me that long because I did not have this [program]," says Ramsey. “But I think [students] feel like it’s helping them cut that 10 years down.”

Belmont University boasts other major stars like Brad Paisley, Tyler Hubbard and Trisha Yearwood. Ashley Gorley, one of the most prolific current songwriters in country music with more than 70 #1 hits, is both a Belmont graduate and former Songwriting teacher at the school.

“Everyone who teaches here, we’re all actively doing the thing,“ says Jodi Marr, a Latin-Grammy winning songwriter and producer who also serves on faculty. ”We’re all out there making records, working with artists, developing artists and writing songs.”

Marr teaches a lyric writing class with Hall of Fame Songwriter Pat Alger who penned many number one hits recorded by Garth Brooks.

The school’s goal was to create a program that would launch future careers from the same studios that launched genres.

“You know the famous records that were made here, from Patsy Cline to Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkle - you know Leonard Cohen spent time in this building,” says James Elliot, award-winning songwriter and Belmont Songwriting Department Chair.

There are currently 370 students enrolled in the Songwriting major. To be accepted, students enter a portfolio process and can apply up to four times.

“So we’re trying to build them up to be able to take some of those hits, some of that rejection, not to give up, but to meet that with more and better songs,” says Ramsey.

For current students, the success of their faculty is a big selling point, and the life advice given is not forgotten.

“50 percent of the battle is just learning to be a good hang and if this program has taught me anything, it’s just how to be a good hang with different types of people," says Silas Brown, a 21-year Songwriting senior from Missouri.

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