Guitar
Welcome to NSA's Guitar Conservatory
The Guitar Conservatory is a community of guitarists, singer-songwriters, studio musicians, engineers, and producers engaged in a four-year traditional and commercial music program.
The course design provides aspiring, dedicated young musicians in Nashville the curricular foundations; space, support, and guidance; and academic scholarship to learn the skills of collegiate musical preparatory guitar classes as well as opportunities to engage in commercial music experiences like studio guitar, engineering, and artist pathways through Stage Band and Songwriting. Conservatory students study the classical, jazz, blues, rock, and country guitar greats along with traditional music theory and the Nashville numbers system.
Through an NEA grant with The Country Music Hall of Fame, students are privileged to interact with professional songwriters, producers, artists, and studio musicians. Students have also performed or participated in workshops with Country Music legends Michael Martin Murphey, John McEuen, Pat Flynn and opened for current music phenoms like Lauren Daigle and Hunter Hayes.
Throughout the four years, students develop their craft in a real-world setting, producing original recordings through the Stage Band and Songwriting class via our SoundCloud account and this year through The Country Music Hall of Fame Journey of a Song album project. Original music will also be featured at Country Radio Seminar, “The Journey of a Song at Home” film project, and the international “Acoustic Guitar Project.”
Opportunities abound for students to perform and share their musicianship and songwriting talents in professional music events and community engagements that often feature the NSA Jazz Combo or the NSA Country and Bluegrass band. Students of the conservatory have been featured on NPR’s “This is Nashville,” The Ryman Auditorium Stage, The Franklin Theater, The CMA Theater, and “A CMA Christmas” television performance. Alumni have been featured in Rolling Stone magazine, signed to Warner Chappell publishing, and featured on The Voice.
Guitar Audition Requirements
After you have applied to NSA through the school options process, you will receive a link within 24 to 48 hours to schedule your in-person audition. Check your spam folder if you don't see the link.
Your scheduled in-person audition on Saturday, February 7 will require the following:
- Play the Popular Song Chord Chart provided in the link below
- Play the Classical Audition Piece provided in the link below
- Play a prepared piece of your choice.
Day of Audition
Arrive early, dress appropriately, and be prepared to discuss why you would like to come to NSA, your musical and academic goals, and what positive qualities you have to offer NSA.
Ryan Murphey, Conservatory Director