The Tennessean reports on a Music Row project involving schoolchildren writing songs with some of Nashville’s best songwriters. Belmont University music business students also will be involved in the project.

Davidson Country schoolchildren are teaming with some of Nashville’s best songwriters for “Kid Pan Alley,” a project that draws in all elements of the local music community. An “A-team” of songwriter talent including Beth Nielsen Chapman (This Kiss), Angela Kaset (Something In Red), Jim Photoglo (Fishin’ In the Dark) and Darrell Scott (Long Time Gone) is going into local schools to write songs with pupils. Nashville Chamber Orchestra members will help the kids arrange the songs, and this winter, local artists will record them at historic RCA Studio B, where Elvis recorded. Belmont University students will help engineer and market the album and proceeds from the spring CD release will fund music programs for Nashville students.

RCA Studio B sometimes serves as a Belmont University classroom.

The Tennessean reports that the national TV spotlight will focus on Belmont University this coming holiday season.

First there was the Nashville Symphony’s Fourth of July concert carried live from Riverfront Park by the A&E cable TV network. Now it’s Belmont University’s turn to get a piece of national holiday exposure.

PBS will broadcast Belmont’s annual Christmas at Belmont concert at 8 p.m. on Dec. 25.

The Herald-Dispatch of Huntingdon, W. Va., profiles recent Belmont University graduate Jason Johnson:

Since his graduation, he has been actively touring the eastern United States leading praise and worship and playing his original compositions. He found time in this schedule to compile his first album, called ‘Never-ever Land,’ which features 10 of those compositions. Johnson draws musical inspiration from varied artists such as Stevie Wonder, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Donny Hathaway. Influences that diverse make the genre of his album difficult to classify.

Dr. E. Michael Harrington, a music business professor at the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business at Belmont University, is quoted in a Nashville City Paper article about the revival of Napster as a legitimate online music downloading service.

BPSports.net takes note of the selection of Belmont University head men’s basketball coach Rick Byrd to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame..

BPSports.net notes that “this is the second straight season that Belmont University has been recognized by the NAIA in such a manner.” Last year the NAIA Hall of Fame inducted Belmont’s three-time NAIA All-American Joe Behling.

Nashville City Paper also notes Byrd’s Hall of Fame induction, and reports on a media tour of the new Curb Event Center, which has already hosted three Belmont volleyball matches and will host its first men’s basketball home game on Nov. 21 when the Bruins play Vanderbilt.

Says the City Paper:

The CEC is the fruition of sorts for Belmont’s transition from the NAIA to NCAA Division I, a process that began seven years ago. After having played for so many years in the old and cramped Striplin Gymnasium – and for the past two seasons in a variety of locations while the CEC was being built – the Belmont basketball teams and other athletic squads now have some 90,000 square feet of state-of-the-art elbow room.
“Our players like it a lot,” said Byrd, who has some significant historical perspective himself, what with this being his 18th season with the Bruins. “I’m particularly happy for our two seniors, Adam Mark and Steve Drabyn. Those two guys have played at Striplin, Municipal Auditorium, Gaylord (Entertainment Center), Aquinas. And now they can end their careers in a facility like this. They really deserve it.”

The City Paper also provides a Curb Event Center slideshow.