Nashville Music Camps for Kids and Teens in 2026

Nashville kids have access to music camps that genuinely can't exist anywhere else. The Country Music Hall of Fame runs a songwriting program on Music Row. Belmont University — which has launched more careers in commercial music than almost any school in the country — opens its campus to high schoolers every June. If your kid has been asking about an instrument, or if they already play and want more than a weekly lesson, this is the summer to lean into it.

Songwriting Camps in Nashville (Ages 11-18)

Country Music Hall of Fame Songwriting Camp — Ages 12-18, $595

The CMHOF Songwriting Camp is a week-long program that takes place inside the museum itself, on 5th Avenue downtown. Campers write original songs, work one-on-one and in small groups with working Nashville industry professionals, visit Hatch Show Print, and tour Historic RCA Studio B on Music Row. The week ends with a showcase in Ford Theater that is free and open to the public. Non-member price is $595; current museum members pay $505. This is not a generic music-themed camp — it is a direct look at how professional songwriting actually works in this city.

Important: both the June 8-13 beginner session and the July 6-11 advanced session are currently at capacity for 2026. The waitlist is open. It is genuinely worth being on — Nashville camp waitlists move as families sort out competing summer plans in April and May.

Ensworth Songwriting Intensive — Ages 11-17, $450

If the CMHOF camp is full or the age range doesn't fit, the Ensworth Songwriting Intensive (Week 7, July 13-17) is a solid alternative. Held on Ensworth's Frist Campus in Hillsboro Village, this program requires at least two years of instrumental experience and focuses on original material — not covers. The group sizes are smaller, the feedback is personal, and $450 is an honest price for a week of working with faculty who actually care about craft. Good fit for a middle or high schooler who already plays and has something to say.

Rock Band Camps for Kids and Teens

Bach to Rock Franklin — Ages 7-17, from $349/week

Bach to Rock's Rock Band Camp is the most accessible option in the area for kids who want to play with others. Kids form real bands at their Murfreesboro Road location in Franklin, choose their instruments (guitar, bass, drums, keys, or vocals), rehearse together, and perform a live concert at the end of the week. The ensemble dynamic is the whole point — playing with other musicians teaches timing, listening, and adjustment in a way that solo practice at home simply cannot. Pricing runs $349-449 depending on when you register. For younger kids not quite ready for a full band format, Bach to Rock also runs a Rock City Camp for ages 4-6 at the same location.

Ensworth Rock Band Jr — Ages 8-11, $225

Ensworth's Rock Band Jr is the right size for a kid who is curious about playing with others but not ready to commit to a full-band format alongside teenagers. At $225, it is also one of the more affordable week-long options in Nashville. Held on Ensworth's campus in Hillsboro Village, it is a short, focused week for grades 3-5 that ends with a performance. If your 8-to-11-year-old has been taking lessons and wants to know what it feels like to be in a band, this is a low-stakes place to find out.

School of Rock Franklin — Ages 6-18, from ~$499/week

School of Rock Franklin runs week-long summer music camps across the full age spectrum, from beginners to advanced players. Programs include guitar, bass, drums, keys, and vocals. The School of Rock model is built around performing real rock songs in an ensemble — the same format as their year-round programs — so kids who have done School of Rock lessons before will find the camp format familiar. The broader age range (6-18) and multiple session options give families more scheduling flexibility than most music camps in the area.

Belmont University Music Camps for High Schoolers

Belmont Guitar Camp — Grades 9-12, $495

Belmont's Guitar Camp is a five-day intensive on Belmont's campus in Hillsboro Village for students in grades 9-12, running June 1-5. The focus is commercial styles — fingerpicking, effects, and genre work across rock, funk, metal, and indie — the kind of playing that actually gets session work done in Nashville. Instruction comes from Belmont faculty who teach the same material in the university's degree programs. If your teenager already plays and wants to be challenged by people who are serious about it, a week here is worth more than several months of solo practice. Belmont also offers a Vocal Arts Intensive, Winds Band Camp, and String Crossings for students who play other instruments — all on the same campus, same June timeframe.

Camp Electric: Overnight Music Camp for Teens (Ages 13-19)

Camp Electric at MTSU — Ages 13-19, $1,599

Camp Electric is a week-long overnight music camp held at MTSU in Murfreesboro, close enough to Nashville to feel local. The 2026 session runs June 28 through July 2. The $1,599 price covers lodging, meals, classes, and evening concerts — everything for the week. Programs include guitar, bass, drums, piano, vocals, songwriting, music production, and audio/visual/lighting tracks. The nightly concerts and jam sessions with working musicians are what most students talk about afterward. This is the right option for a teenager who is already seriously into music and would benefit from a full week immersed in it alongside other kids who feel the same way.

Nashville has more options for music camps than most cities ever will, and that is not a coincidence. It is the infrastructure that exists because music is taken seriously here as a real career path. Whether your kid is 6 or 16, curious or already committed, there is a program in this city designed for exactly where they are right now.