In light of NSAI Membership Month, we asked a few of our members to share how they've utilized NSAI's community to become better at their craft and connect with other songwriters in their area!
I’ve been a member of NSAI for the past two years. I was encouraged to join by a mentor who told me it would be a great place to meet co-writers and learn more about the music industry.
The first year of my membership I went to every workshop I could, and wrote in the writing rooms multiple days a week. The first thing I learned at NSAI was how high the bar is for success in Nashville. I attended song feedback nights, where pro writers tore my songs apart (in a good way). They pointed out holes in the storyline of my songs, where my melodies could be better, and various other areas I could improve on. Through that feedback, I could see that my songwriting was getting objectively better and more commercial.
The longer I’m in Nashville, the more I value the community that NSAI creates in the aspiring songwriter community. I have met many friends and co-writers while at workshops, writing, and just hanging out in the lobby of the Mill. As I’m sure many of you know, Nashville can be an tough and lonely town; but every time I go to NSAI, I experience the opposite. The staff genuinely cares about you as a person and a writer. The other writers are friendly, and always looking to expand their co-writing circle. At risk of sounding cheesy, NSAI makes me feel like I’m more than just a tiny fish in the ocean of Nashville! - Emily Kroll
ABOUT EMILY:
Emily Kroll is a Nashville native singer-songwriter. She writes predominately country pop music. Check out of her work at www.soundcloud.com/emilykrollmusic.
One of the most valuable things NSAI has helped me come to realize and appreciate is that co-writing can be one of the best ways to network. The main goal in co-writing is to churn out a great song of course, but the value of meeting and connecting with new writers shouldn’t be overlooked either. NSAI helped get me from mostly just writing with friends and people I already knew, to writing with and meeting upwards of 10 new people in a week! Nashville sure starts to feel a lot smaller when you continue to expand your co-writing horizons, and I am grateful to NSAI, the Member Rep. team, and the members themselves for helping me see that. - Chris Housman
ABOUT CHRIS:
Chris Housman is a Nashville-based singer, songwriter, and musician originally from Kansas. He is currently touring colleges around the country in the Country/Pop duo ‘Scott & Chris’, in which he sings and plays upright bass and fiddle.