ACM Lifting Lives Series at Vanderbilt is an innovative vocational experience for young adults with developmental disabilities. The goal is to help participants learn vocational and social skills aimed at improving the potential for gaining employment in the entertainment industry. The program is a partnership with ACM Lifting Lives.
The Series began in April 2013. Over the 8-month series, participants will experience aspects of the music business, from song writing to mixing instrumentals and vocals, from recording to public relations to performance. Workshops will include resumé writing, networking, and interviewing. The aim is to help prepare these young adults for internships or jobs in a music-related field.
Ten participants, ages 20 to 35, were selected for this pilot project.
Tammy Vice is the music consultant for the ACM Lifting Lives Series, and Sheryl Rogers is project manager. For information, contact Sheryl Rogers.
ACM Lifting Lives® is the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Country Music dedicated to improving lives through the power of music. Each year, ACM Lifting Lives provides funding to music-related therapy and education programs, including the organization’s flagship ACM Lifting Lives Music Camp, a partnership since 2010 with Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities in Nashville, TN. ACM Lifting Lives Music Camp is a week-long residential program open to individuals with Williams syndrome, talented in music from around the nation, and has a dual purpose of studying Williams syndrome while providing music enrichment through performance and education. Other Lifting Lives giving includes serving members of the country music community who face unexpected financial hardship through the Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund, and partnering with music artists to improve lives. For more information, please visit www.ACMLiftingLives.org.