Republished from June 13, 2021
Residents are still perplexed by an explosion that rocked downtown Nashville during the Christmas season of 2020. However, Nashville is still creating explosions of its own.
Because new developments, more tourists, and a bustling nightlife affords Nashville opportunities to move on and forward. For Black Music Month, we take you inside the exciting world of The Nashville National Museum of African American Music.
The museum brings together the musical genres inspired, created, or influenced by African-Americans. It also hosts tours at 9 a.m., and they occur every half hour.
Location: Downtown Nashville, Tennessee, at 510 Broadway.
Open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., expanded to 7 p.m. on Thursday. This is an updated story so check site for new hours and Covid protocol.
It is a cultural institution that tells a 400 year story of early slave spirituals. With evolving blues traditions to the presence of Motown and much more.
Moreover, it is a 56,000 square foot masterpiece, and the staff states it is a celebration of the vast influence of Black artists on the American soundtrack.
You start off in the Root Theater and wind up enjoying five galleries, including Rivers of Rhythm Pathway and Wade in the Waters.
The National African American Music museum offers a variety of musical programs that illuminate the rich legacy African Americans have in creating the American soundtrack.
There is From Nothing to Something, a series of one-hour workshops that educates students in grades K-8. Seniors classes also teaches students about the music innovations that early African Americans used to create by memory and with limited resources.
Also through the Emerging Artists series, local aspiring talents have the opportunity to perform and gain music business skills and knowledge. There are so many things the museum does for and with the community.
For Black Music Month, make sure you put Nashville on your radar. For more information, email info@nmaam.org.
The museum is still maintaining the Covid-19 process, so always call ahead to get the updates.
***Photos by Byron Shepherd, Dan Troupe Jr., Kyle Barron, and Shauna M.
