650 AM WSM hosted its second annual “Music for Kids” event on Saturday, Nov. 2, at Studio A in the Grand Ole Opry House.
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WSM’s Music for Kids event provided a day-long family event packed with activities designed to make music accessible and fun for youth from all over Middle Tennessee. The event centered around providing children ages 5-16 with free, age-appropriate music lessons from local professionals and opportunities to engage, learn, and get inspired in fun new ways. Over the course of the day, the historic station donated over 1000 lessons to young musicians with an overall value of $25,000.
The event kicked off with a live performance from Rockland Road, a powerhouse family band of six who play 23 instruments between them. During the midday lunch break, attendees were treated to an acoustic performance from budding young artist Taylor Hope, and a hands-on square dance lesson from Marcia Campbell and Bubba Richardson, two long-time members of iconic the Grand Ole Opry Square Dancers. As part of the event registration, each child was gifted with a copy of “Little Joe Chickapig,” a sweet story about following your dreams, written by Brian Calhoun with illustrations by Calhoun and Pat Bradley.
650 AM WSM welcomed over 300 children and teens for the free event presented by Springer Mountain Farms and sponsored by Zaxby’s, Nashville Parent, Les Paul Foundation, Chickapig, International Bluegrass Music Association, Nashville Violin, Hohner Music, KHS America, The Richlynn Group, Martin Guitars, Jive! Printing and Tiff’s Treats.
“Our goal with Music for Kids has always been to spark the musical creativity in the children of Nashville,” said Chris Kulick, 650 AM WSM general manager. “We put instruments in the hands of kids and watch them get inspired. Music is such a vital part of our whole community, our local economy, and our culture as a city. Inspiring people to make and appreciate music is part of our mission and our rich history as a station.”
