Statements
Mission
The mission of Nashville Singers is to enrich lives through singing and the support of music education.
Background
Funding for and focus on the performing arts continues to decline. Wanting to make a difference, the Nashville Singers organization was founded in November of 2008 with a mission to enrich lives through singing and the support of music education. This male chorus of a dozen volunteer singers raises funds to support music education and fulfills this mission by presenting master classes on the art of a cappella singing to middle and high school students and vocal performance clinics to adults. In addition, the Nashville Singers have awarded $20,000 in music education grants and scholarships since 2011, impacting hundreds of students in Middle Tennessee and beyond. Each year, the Nashville Singers also recognize an outstanding music educator by presenting the annual Carol Crittenden Arts Advocate of the Year Award. Our members travel from a handful of counties across Middle Tennessee. Membership in Nashville Singers is open to all men who demonstrate the ability, desire, and commitment to excellence in vocal and choral performance. We meet on the first three Tuesday evenings from 7:00pm to 9:30pm. Our current rehearsal venue is Christ Lutheran Church located at 299 Haywood Lane in Nashville..
Impact
Accomplishments
• For four consecutive years, the Nashville Business Journal's annual "Book of Lists" ranked the Nashville Singers as one of the "Top 10" performing arts organizations in Middle Tennessee
• The Nashville Singers organization has awarded $20,000 in music education grants and scholarships impacting hundreds of students across Middle Tennessee.
• $7,000 in program, operations and leadership development grant funding has been secured
• Advisory board (Leadership Action Council) consisting of a dozen community leaders has been recruited
• Two compact disc recordings have been released, along with a single available for digital distribution.
• 120+ performances for 75 organizations in 12 counties across Tennessee have been completed, impacting over 50,000 people along the way
• Concert series has attracted a combined 3,400+ attendees from 43 cities in 10 states across the USA
• 2020-2023 Areas of Strategic Importance: 1) Audience Development, 2) Fund Development, 3) Membership Development
Needs
Funding needs include:
• Funding for (part-time,) contract, fund development staff $12,000
• Adult and Youth Music Education Program Funding for 2024: $6,000.00 (Year-round program, plus two Acappella Academy vocal performance clinics, one targeting middle and high school students and one focused on adults.
• Webcast for 2024: Budget of $3,000.00 for remote webcast (subscription-based) production offering of the Nashville Singers concert event, live and delayed viewing;
• Professional Development for 2024: $1,700.00 budget for eight (8) hour workshop for board and staff by a consultant from the Center for Non-Profit Management
• Membership for Nashville Convention & Visitor's Bureau: $1,700.00
• New or used iPad or Android tablet for use with POS (point of sale) transactions with a Square card reader at concerts and performances: $500
• New or used video camcorder with tripod for use at rehearsals or for capturing video at our concerts and other performances: $500
CEO Statement
Many great men have contributed their time and talents to our organizations over the last 15 years. I am personally thankful to each and every one of them. I consider this fascinating mix of kindred spirits my brothers in harmony. Together, we have had the opportunity to explore some of the greatest vocal arrangements on the planet, spanning a variety of musical genres. The fellowship, humor and laughter is the "icing on the cake." While the overall sound and makeup of the Nashville Singers may vary from year to year, we continue to focus on creating artistic performances and fulfilling our mission to enrich lives through singing and the support of music education. Through well over 100 performances across Tennessee and recording projects, we know we are engaged in something unique and special. While presenting clinics to middle and high school kids and adults, raising money to fund music education grants and scholarships, collaborating with other artists, or recognizing outstanding arts advocates, every member of our group realizes the importance of instilling the power of music in the hearts and minds of people of all ages. As we approach our 14th anniversary, I derive tremendous fulfillment in knowing that our music, events and programs have already enriched the lives of over 50,000 people. I am deeply grateful to these men for their tremendous dedication and ongoing effort to fulfill our mission. If you do not sing but are someone who shares an appreciation of our mission, I hope you will consider supporting the Nashville Singers as a donor, sponsor, advertiser, or volunteer. I continue to work with our board, members, and external stakeholders to create a foundation that can sustain our organization for future generations to enjoy through focus on audience development, fund development and membership development.
As group singing during the global Covid-19 pandemic is considered a "high risk" activity, our ensemble has been on hiatus for all but four months since March of 2020. It is not yet clear when it will be considered safe to resume rehearsing and performing.
Board Chair Statement
I have enjoyed working with our board, Leadership Action Council (advisory board) and membership to build on the foundation created by our early leadership in a continued effort to sustain our organization for future generations to enjoy. Our Executive Director continues to encourage the board to follow the best practices of other successful nonprofit arts organizations. To that end, we remain focused on fulfilling our mission by expanding our income sources, remaining good stewards of those resources, increasing partnerships and alliances, developing fundable programs, seeking greater diversity in our membership and leadership, budgeting for professional development training for our leaders, and maintaining high expectations of those leaders. As a board, we do everything we can to foster a leadership culture focused less on measuring activities and more on accountability and achieving outcomes. Like other nonprofits, we depend on volunteers to execute our plans and events. We remain focused on supporting our musical leadership to continue presenting a music program that will attract good singers from across Tennessee, and eventually Alabama and Kentucky as well. Whether you assist the Nashville Singers as a member, donor, volunteer, concert patron, advertiser, event sponsor, or simply by purchasing our CDs or merchandise, we hope you will continue to engage with us in one way or another. I am very grateful for the many people that devote countless hours to supporting our mission to enrich lives through singing and the support of music education.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Arts, Culture & Humanities - Singing & Choral Groups |
| Secondary Category: | Youth Development - Youth Development Programs |
| Tertiary Category: | - |
Areas Served
The primary area served by Nashville Singers includes Davidson, Williamson, Wilson, Rutherford, Sumner, Robertson, and Cheatham Counties.
| TN - Davidson |
| TN - Rutherford |
| TN - Sumner |
| TN - Williamson |
| TN - Wilson |
