By Callaghan Barrett
RED BANK – Red Bank Catholic music students left the classroom and their typical choral repertoire to explore country music in Nashville, Tennessee, during a three-day musical adventure in April.
The trip, planned and organized in partnership with Tour Resource Consultants and paid for by fundraisers, included visits to some of Nashville’s most iconic landmarks: a tour of Ryman Auditorium, performing at the Country Music Hall of Fame, a visit to the Parthenon, a line dancing lesson, and even a show and backstage tour of the Grand Ole Opry. “It was an amazing show with all these different musicians coming out with their own style of music. It was really awesome,” said student Nikolas Sakelaris.
While on their backstage tour, students even met country artist Blanco Brown, who performed that night at the Opry.
Perhaps the most memorable experience of the trip was a recording session and tour of RCA Studio B at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, widely known as the birthplace of the “Nashville Sound.” Students stepped through the historic doors and were instantly immersed in the studio’s iconic atmosphere. As they explored the studio, they saw original equipment and studio rooms and even had the chance to touch the same piano keys and door knobs as Dolly Parton and Elvis Presley.
The young musicians then went in for a one-hour recording session, during which they learned about the professional recording process. At the end of the session, the group left the studio with two special souvenirs: a recording of the choir’s signature song, “The Lord Bless You and Keep You,” and one of the band playing ZZ Top’s “Sharp Dressed Man.”
What mattered most to music director Melody Blasenheim-Stevens wasn’t the exciting activities but the chance to expose young creative minds to the world of music and what it has to offer. “Going to a place like Nashville where there’s music everywhere not only broadens everyone’s horizons as far as the country music genre, but it also opens students’ eyes to what’s out there in music, as a possible vocation or avocation,” Blasenheim-
Stevens said.
Over the three days down south, students were awed and inspired to pursue their talents and passions in the real world.
“I think it’s so important just in general to support live musicians, but this was like, wow – you walk down the street and there is a new song coming out of every restaurant. It was so awesome,” said student Michael Makar about the impact Nashville had on his love for music. “I even started liking country music more.”
Although action-packed, the short trip was much more than bus rides and sightseeing. Students and their adult chaperones left Nashville feeling deeply inspired by the heart and power of the music they experienced. As the RBC music department thrives, these aspiring artists will use that experience to keep the arts alive.
“It really was the trip of a lifetime,” said Blasenheim-Stevens.
The article originally appeared in the May 2 – 8, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
