Southern Gospel Music School of America
C. Nelson Bailey

Krista Smith said she loves to sing but admitted her knowledge of music before the last two weeks would fit on a quarter note.

“I didn’t know what a staff was,” she said.

Today, thanks to the first Southern Gospel Music School of America in Chattanooga, the 15-year-old Rainsville, Ala., resident has a working knowledge of her craft.

The singing school, held at Tennessee Temple University through Friday, drew participants from age 4 to their 70s, according to director C. Nelson Bailey.

“It (was) an opportunity for music students or enthusiasts to basically advance whatever skills they already have or to get some skills if they don’t have them,” he said. “Anybody who’s got a child who has an interest in music, a school like this will jump-start them.

“Music is a long-term thing. You never hear anybody say, ‘I really wish I hadn’t taken piano lessons for all those years.’ Most people wish they had continued.”

Mr. Bailey said participants in the residential shape-note school took classes throughout the day based on eight skill levels. They came together daily for several hours of group singing and offered a public program of their skills Friday.

“It’s intense,” Mr. Bailey said. “It’s school.”

Nick Monroe, 16, of Athens, Tenn., who was attending his third such singing school and hopes to become a high school music instructor, said he was already familiar with shape-note instruction.

“Still,” he said, “I learned a lot. I look it as a school, not as a camp.”

The residential aspect of the school and the experience of the SGMSA instructors separate it from similar church-based local schools, Mr. Bailey said.

“In this stuff,” he said, (a residential school) makes a big difference,” he said. “It’s unbelievable what you can get in two weeks.”

Most of the instructors are full-time teachers or have taught (before), Mr. Bailey said. Two of the instructors wrote songs in the two books the school used. He himself had one in each book.

During the school, participants learned from eight instructors sight reading, ear training, music theory, conducting/directing, syllables, songwriting, teacher training, vocal training and harmony. Private lessons also were available from three teachers in piano, voice and songwriting.

Mr. Bailey said the experience of the participants and their reasons for attending varied.

“There are some students who have been to these types of schools before,” he said, “and so they’re familiar with the shape notes. They have a good foundation in musical theory. There are some that come that know musical theory but don’t know the shape notes. And then there are some come that are just musical enthusiasts, and they just want to learn. Maybe they play an instrument by ear, but they want to learn the theory behind it.”

Tess Milby, 15, of Hodgenville, Ky., already arranges songs for her family’s singing group, but she said singing schools have allowed her to pick up new songs her family can sing and taught her more about music in general.

“Shape notes have helped me learn all kinds of music,” she said.

That’s the idea for advanced students, Mr. Bailey said.

“In addition to the music theory, students who have advanced far enough actually learn how to write songs,” he said. “They learn how to do part writing. They could potentially arrange a song for a choir to sing. And, obviously, that could carry over to any style of music.”

Mr. Bailey said the knowledge can have an additional benefit.

“If students come in and really, really better their ability to read music and play instruments,” he said, “all it can do is improve the music in our churches.”

Although Mr. Bailey is accountant by training, he said he can’t help his yearly foray into directing singing schools.

“This was such a part of my background and something that helped me appreciate and love music the way I do,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to pass it down to the next generation.”

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