Three award-winning songwriters, along with CMA staff and film crew, arrived at Wichita East High School on February 20th to start a three-day tour visiting the music students and teachers in Kansas. Two of the songwriters were Emily Weisband, who recently received a GRAMMY for her hit song “Thy Will” and Danielle Bradbery, season 4 winner of NBC’s “The Voice” and performer/co-writer on her new album “Don’t Believe We’ve Met.” The third songwriter was a Kansas-born singer/songwriter and graduate of Sterling High School, Nicolle Galyon.
Nicolle appeared as a contestant on “The Voice” where she was introduced to Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert. Miranda helped launch Nicolle’s songwriting career by co-writing the hit song Automatic, which was nominated for multiple CMA Awards and GRAMMYs and went on to win an ACM Award for Song of the Year. Nicolle has two other No. 1 songs; We Were Us, recorded by Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert and All the Pretty Girls, recorded by Kenny Chesney.
The partnership between KMEA and the CMA Foundation began this past summer in Washington D.C. when Tiffany Kerns, CMA Director of Community Outreach, joined a delegation of KMEA leaders visiting Kansas Senator Jerry Moran and Congressman Kevin Yoder. Following the day’s meetings, Tiffany said that she wanted to bring CMA to Kansas to highlight the State’s music programs and support our advocacy efforts. Six months later, Tiffany and the CMA entourage arrived in Wichita, KS.
The first day of the tour began with the three songwriters presenting an informal songwriting clinic with more than 120 Wichita music teachers. As teachers were shouting out ideas for songs, the songwriters were brainstorming possible lyrics and accompaniments. Finally, the group agreed to collectively write a song around the title “Skippin’ Stones”. At the end of the session, Emily invited music teacher Molly Neeley onstage to perform their newly written song. Long after the dismissal bell rang, teachers continued visiting with Emily, Danielle, and Nicolle sharing stories and ideas on how to inspire future songwriters in their classes. Shawn Chastain, the Fine Arts Coordinator for Wichita USD 259, played a critical part in organizing this successful event, which included adjusting the day’s schedule around a four-hour delay for snow.
Later that evening, the songwriters performed at Wichita’s Crown Uptown Theatre as part of the CMA Songwriters Series, presented by U.S. Bank. Despite the inclement weather, the three songwriters performed before a packed crowd of fans, many traveling from Nicolle’s hometown of Sterling, KS.
The songwriters took turns telling the stories behind their hit songs and performing them as they were originally written. Nicolle said they were with CMA “to spread the love for Kansas music educators” and that “Kansas was near and dear to (her) heart since day one.” Songs performed included We Were Us, Sway, God Made Girls, and Gettin’ In the Way. Nicolle performed two of her recent releases; Boy, a song about watching a child growing up, and Tequila, a song about heartbreak and memories of a lost love brought back by the taste of tequila. Before singing the song Tequila, Nicolle offered a lighthearted apology to her hometown pastor who was in the audience.
The second day of the CMA tour was truly remarkable as Danielle joined Nicolle on a return visit to Nicolle’s alma mater, Sterling High School. The students and teachers were unaware of the event or the presenters as they filed into the auditorium. They were pleasantly surprised when they discovered it was SHS alumni Nicolle Galyon and that she brought her friend Danielle Bradbery to perform for them. But the surprises didn’t stop there. Nicolle announced several donations to the school’s music program including nine guitars, along with a drum kit and baby grand piano provided by the CMA Foundation. Nicolle also expressed her desire to stay connected to Sterling and the schools by sponsoring the new “Autobiography Biography Scholarship” for high school seniors.
Danielle and Nicolle spent the afternoon visiting music classes and hanging out with Nicolle’s former music teachers. During the SHS band rehearsal, Nicolle grabbed an alto saxophone from the storage shelf and joined in the rehearsal, astonishing Danielle and the CMA staff as she sight-read her way through the alto sax solo section of one song. Danielle received a special treat from the high school men’s ensemble as they serenaded her with a selection from their Singing Valentine’s repertoire.
The third and final day of the tour was supposed to begin with a visit to Wichita West High School, but unfortunately the Wichita schools were closed due to ice and snow. The songwriters began the morning with a meet-and-greet visit with the KMEA Board meeting followed by a visit with members of the KMEA Children’s Choir. During their visit, Danielle and Nicolle asked if any children were willing to share the title of songs that they had written which resulted in a sea of raised hands. Both songwriters were touched by the response from one young girl saying she had written a song called “A Scoop of Sunshine.”
Nicolle attended the KMEA ISW opening session where she performed and spoke about the impact that music and music educators had in her life. Following her performance, Danielle and Nicolle dropped in for a surprise visit during the KMEA All-State Choir and Jazz Band rehearsals. Nicolle finished her day presenting a songwriter clinic session where she performed a few of her hit songs and answered questions from the audience.
After returning to Nashville, Tiffany Kerns posted an article on the CMA Foundation website highlighting the events of the past three days. Tiffany said, “We’ve met dozens of incredible and passionate music teachers this week throughout Kansas, all of whom are preparing our future generation with the skills needed to be successful in life.” The CMA Director of Creative Services, Amanda Eckard, and the production staff at CMA continue working through nearly forty hours of film footage to create a video capturing the tour’s most memorable moments. The video includes clips from the dozens of Kansas music students and teachers they interviewed. Once completed, the video will be posted on the KMEA and CMA websites and shared with education leaders and policy makers to support the incredible work being done by Kansas music educators.
The leaders of KMEA are looking to expand on the recent CMA Foundation events to highlight the importance of music programs in our rural schools. In recent weeks, select members of the KMEA Board visited with educational leaders in Topeka including members of the Kansas State Board of Education, leaders in the Kansas Senate and House, and the Office of the Governor. KMEA is looking to launch a new advocacy campaign entitled “Keepin” the Golden Rural” where we’ll share data with legislators and decision-makers about the dwindling opportunities for music students in our schools.
KMEA is very grateful to Nicolle Galyon, Danielle Bradbery, Emily Weisband, Tiffany Kerns and all the CMA Foundation staff for sharing their time and talents with the students and teachers in Kansas. We look forward to a growing partnership in the future as we continue to support…Music for All!
