Sarah Buxton hosts annual K-12 songwriters' Words & Music Nite showcase May 5

May 4, 9:29 PMNashville Country Music ExaminerLisa L. Rollins

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Hit-songwriter/artist Sarah Buxton will host Words & Music Nite.

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On Tuesday, May 5, music by young songwriters will fill the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum with songs about dreams, snow, slumber parties, space missions and more during the annual Words & Music Night.

Beginning at 6:30 p.m., the downtown museum's Ford Theater will resonate with original songs penned by Tennessee students throughout the 2008-09 school year in a showcase that's open to the young tunesmiths and their families.

"When the students perform their songs on the Ford Theater stage with professional songwriters, it is not only a proud moment for the audience of parents, teachers and museum staff, but also an evening of first-rate entertainment." observed Justine Gregory, director of education and public programming for the museum. "We look forward to it every year." 

Some of Nashville's top songwriters volunteered their time and talent to the student participants in the this year's Words & Music program, which recently received a $1 million endowment from the Country Music Association to ensure its existence in perpetuity.

Now celebrating its third decade, this year's Words & Music event had participation from some 4,300 second-  through 12th-graders at 45 Tennessee, Alabama, Florida and Kentucky schools, all of whom wrote songs that were put to music by 46 professional songwriters throughout the 2008-09 school year.

Subsequently, Tuesday's Words & Music Night is the culmination of the yearlong Words & Music program. In the program, classes participating in the event complete an extensive, museum-developed lesson plan that highlights the lyric-writing process.

Then, using the newly revised Words & Music teacher’s guide, which was funded by the ASCAP Foundation Irving Caesar Fund and Ford Motor Company Fund, teachers assist students in writing or co-writing lyrics in the classroom; the lyrics are then given to professional songwriters, who refine their lyrics and add melodies. Finally, students visit the museum for a tour and a performance of their songs by their participating songwriter.

“The Words & Music program allows students to express themselves creatively and to learn the craft of lyric writing,”  Gregory said. “The Words & Music Night recital showcases the breadth, depth and quality of those student compositions. ..."

The May 5 showcase is set to nclude performances by students, from third-graders to middle school students, from Battle Ground Academy, Belvoir Christian Academy, Ensworth School, Gower Elementary School, Granbery Elementary School Hillsboro Elementary School, Lockeland Elementary Design Center, Meigs Magnet Middle School, Oak Hill School, Paragon Mills Elementary School, Saint Bernard Academy, Saint Edward School, Walnut Grove Elementary School, Westwood Elementary School and Woodland Middle School.

The invitation-only evening will get under way with an intro by Nashville Mayor Karl Dean. Hit songwriter and recording artist Sarah Buxton will serve as the event's host. Buxton's 2007 debut CD for Lyric Street, Almost My Record, included many of her self-penned songs, including "Stupid Boy," which became a top-10 song for Keith Urban in 2007.

Nominated this year for Top New Female Vocalist of the Year by the Academy of Country Music, Buxton was drawn to music at an early age, playing piano and singing in a local children’s choir. By high school, the Kansas native was performing on stage. Inspired by kind words from her idol Stevie Nicks, Buxton began writing her own poetry and, while attending Music City's Belmont University, formed the southern-rock band Stoick Oak. Although the band eventually parted ways,  Buxton has continued to hone her unique singing style and songwriting craft.

As for those professional tunesmiths who donated their  time and talent to the program during the 2008-09 school, they include the following: Deborah Adams, Shane Adams, Tim Buppert, Jason Carson, Carl Cartee, Jeff Chase, Larry Wayne Clark, Barbara Cloyd, Kim Copeland, Candace Corrigan, Gary Culley, Moriah Domby, Jason Duke, Erin Enderlin, Steven Farmer, John Feld, Micki Fuhrman-Milom, Doug Gill, Joel Goldstein, Janne Henshaw, Bob Howard, Kathy Hussey, Casey Kelly, Les Kerr, Lynn Langham, Bill Maier, Simon McCain, Steve Nelson, James Nihan, Jack Norton, Alan Powell, Misty Rae, Sandy Ramos, Bill Renfrew, Karen Reynolds, Nelda Sisk, Belinda Smith, Gary Michael Smith, Bob Spanburgh, Keith Thompson, Richard Trest, Jerry Vandiver, Tammy Vice, CJ Watson, Rob Wolf and Lee Young.