Songwriting Seniors Perform on Nashville’s Most Sacred Stage

A look inside “Bluebird Nights” and what it means for graduating seniors 

Tucked away unassumingly at the end of a strip mall in Green Hills sits perhaps Music City’s most infamous listening room, The Bluebird Café. For many artists in Nashville, performing at The Bluebird is a dream — one Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business is helping materialize for seniors in its songwriting program. 

In conjunction with the Belmont University Songwriters Association (BUSA), BMI and ASCAP, the songwriting department has worked with The Bluebird to host four songwriters rounds, coined “Bluebird Nights,” featuring graduating seniors, dating back to September 2023. 

“It’s like a holy place — it seems unlikely with its eight-foot ceilings in a strip mall, but it’s this imperfect temple of sound that is a rite of passage or bucket list moment for so many artists,” said Songwriting Chair and Instructor Drew Ramsey. “We’re always trying to get our writers to be proactive to highlight their talent and build confidence, and this is such a great opportunity for them.” 

The evenings featuring Belmont songwriting majors first began when Ramsey reached out to his former songwriting partner of 30 years and current executive director of creative at BMI, Shannon Sanders. Ramsey was searching for ways to highlight graduating talent, and Bluebird Nights has been an unquestionable success ever since. 

Aiding Ramsey and the songwriting faculty in the participation selection process is BUSA, currently led by co-presidents Evie Grace Fowler and Julia Hutchinson. 

“Playing The Bluebird is a very big milestone for songwriters, and we are thankful that we, along with Belmont faculty, are all to play a small role in fulfilling students’ dream of playing there,” they said. “All of the members of BUSA and the Belmont songwriting department are so talented, so to see any of them play the iconic venue makes everyone on the BUSA team so proud.” 

Two performers at the most recent Bluebird Nights in January were Macy Dot and Ryann Elise, two freshman-year roommates who unknowingly reunited on the Bluebird stage. 

Dot, who has played countless other venues spanning claustrophobic listening rooms to the massive Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, recalled the experience feeling different than any other performance under her belt. 

“There’s such a special feeling about people in that audience wanting to really hear your story and why you wrote that song,” said Dot. “People came up to me and asked about the inspiration behind my songs, and while that sometimes happens at other shows, it’s never that intimate. It’s never that quiet. The audience isn’t just loving that space and appreciating such an iconic venue — they were really soaking it all in like I was.” 

A critical component of Bluebird Nights is genre variety, something Ramsey was intentional about when drafting its blueprint. 

“I loved that the four of us had such different sounds on stage,” emphasized Elise. “Macy and I were the country artists, but even we sound different. Then we had Esi who is very R&B and Aidan Hearn who had this great Beatles sound. It was fun to look around the room and see who the different songs were hitting with.” 

Ramsey described The Bluebird as “pure.” Performers are unable to hide behind production, lights or additional instruments, and the audience rarely knows much about the artists performing. Those in attendance are there to experience music in its unadulterated form. 

He recalled a performance in December 2023 by Andrew Grooms in which the student wrote and played a song detailing his upbringing on a tobacco farm in Columbia, Tennessee. His foray into music was unexpected, as was him leaving the family farm, and it was difficult for his parents to accept that at first. However, they supported, encouraged and loved him anyways. 

“Everybody in that place was crying,” recalled Ramsey. “Of course his parents were, but strangers were crying and completely taken aback by his song. That’s what songwriting and The Bluebird are about — getting to see my students get that reaction out of an audience and watch that room understand the power of a song.” 

While instructors like Ramsey can never predict the career trajectories of their students in music, presenting them opportunities such as Bluebird Nights helps prepare them for their futures. 

“We pour everything into them that we can while they’re here,” he said. “It’s a bittersweet moment for me because when they’re up there playing, it means they’re about to graduate. I’m glad we get to share that last moment together, but then we’re sending them out to start what can be a tough journey — we’ve gassed up the boat. There’s no holes in it. They just need to drive it where it needs to go.”