Belmont University's Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business

We’re honored to be hosting the Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriting Camp for the third year, taking place next week at our campus on Music Row!
 
Our facilities will serve as a hub for an intensive week of creativity, collaboration, and mentorship. Throughout the program, emerging songwriters will learn from accomplished faculty and collaborate with their fellow songwriters. 
 
We can’t wait to share more about this exciting week!

This is ‘s why…. what’s yours? 🐻

Meet this week’s Curb College Student Spotlight, Clare Fox, who recently graduated from Belmont University with a degree in Music Business with a legal emphasis.
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Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, she grew up singing and performing in musical theatre, which sparked her passion for music and ultimately led her to pursue a career in the music industry. Clare currently serves as a Social Media and Strategic Partnerships Representative for Universal Music Group’s °1824, where she works across content and partnerships to connect artists with fans in the 18-24 demographic. A recent career highlight was working the GRAMMY Awards with UMG, where she interviewed artists at their afterparty and captured real-time social content.
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Clare has also been actively involved in GRAMMY U, previously serving as the Nashville Chapter Representative, where she gained hands-on experience in artist relations and live event production.
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At Belmont, Clare was involved in Service Corps, Music Row Promo, and the Belmont Showcase Series, while also managing a band and supporting local creatives with their social media presence. She is passionate about serving artists and helping bring their visions to life, and values building authentic, lasting connections between artists and their audiences. Clare is exploring full-time opportunities in the music industry, with long-term goals of working in A&R, marketing, and artist development to support and grow the next generation of artists.
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We love our Curb College Summer Orientation leaders! 🐻 ❤️

Belmont at Bonnaroo from the digicam 📸

Meet this week’s Curb College student spotlight, Kylee Ludwig, who recently graduated from Belmont University with a degree in Publishing and a minor in Creative Writing.
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Originally from Hillsborough, NJ, Kylee has a passion for both telling and helping others tell timely and thought-provoking stories. She carried her love for writing to Belmont in her roles as Vice President of the Belmont Creative Writing Club and later the head of BCW’s Novelist Small Group. Her work with Killer Nashville Writer’s Conference, StoryWorlds Ink., the Nashville Film Festival, and the Belmont Story Review have exposed her to the grit, patience, and entrepreneurialism it takes to make a story heard. Her work can be found in the 2025 Belmont Literary Journal.
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Kylee firmly believes that true writing, the kind that can challenge people’s perceptions, is born of a constant search for meaning in the contemporary landscape. Through social media, she seeks to join the battle for political and media literacy education among the youth. This initiative allowed her to collaborate with partners such as Simon & Schuster and i-D Magazine. Most recently, she attended Planned Parenthood South Texas’s freedom of the press luncheon, where she was an honored guest alongside legendary journalist Bob Woodward. Beyond Belmont, she hopes to continue promoting activism through education with Shout Out UK, a London-based social enterprise founded to protect and amplify democracy.
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Meet Ellie Stewart, a Sophomore in the Media & Entertainment Industries program at Belmont University and this year’s Music City Rodeo Queen 👑

Ellie has been riding horses her entire life and competed through the Illinois High School Rodeo Association, qualifying for the National High School Finals Rodeo all four years of high school. She also served as Miss Illinois High School Rodeo Queen for two consecutive years and earned a top 10 finish at the National High School Finals Rodeo Queen Contest in 2024.

Earlier this year, Ellie entered the rodeo queen contest with Music City Rodeo and earned the coveted title, allowing her to serve as the face of the organization throughout the competition at Bridgestone Arena and represent the sport of rodeo with grace and enthusiasm.

While Ellie has taken a break from competing in rodeo herself, she is pursuing her passion for country music by studying Media & Entertainment Industries in Belmont’s Curb College, which allows her the freedom to explore the broad and ever-evolving landscape of the entertainment industry. The opportunity to combine her love for rodeo and country music at the largest PRCA event east of the Mississippi has been a dream come true for Ellie, and we are so glad that she has found her home with us in Curb College!

Congratulations to Belmont alumni Jen Conger, Dave Bergfeld, and Kurt Ozan on their 2026 CMA Touring Awards wins! They were recognized for their outstanding work behind the scenes on some of the year’s top tours, and we could not be more proud of their impact across the touring industry.

Jen Conger was honored as Business Manager of the Year as a business manager and owner at Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy.

Dave Bergfeld received the award for Tour Video Director of the Year for his work on Lainey Wilson’s Whirlwind tour.

Kurt Ozan was recognized as Touring Musician of the Year for Luke Combs’ My Kinda Saturday Night tour.

Join us in congratulating these award-winning Bruins!

Belmont University’s Dr. Don Cusic, Professor of Music Industry History, and Dr. Mary Ellen Pethel, Associate Director and Professor of Global Honors, were honored with multiple awards from the Tennessee Historical Commission and International Country Music Conference for their book “Howdy!: The Minnie Pearl Story.” 🌟

For this project, the Tennessee Historical Commission recognized Dr. Cusic and Dr. Pethel with Certificate of Merit Awards in the Book or Public Programming category, and the International Country Music Conference awarded them the 2026 Belmont University Curb Music Industry Award for Country Music Book of the Year. Additionally, Dr. Cusic took home a second Certificate of Merit Award in the Book or Public Programming category for his book, “Chet Atkins: Mr. Guitar.”

“Howdy!: The Minnie Pearl Story,” written by Dr. Cusic and Dr. Pethel, is a novel that explores the life and career of Tennessee’s most infamous woman in entertainment, Sarah Ophelia Cannon.

“Chet Atkins: Mr. Guitar,” written by Dr. Cusic, is the first of its kind biography which highlights the works of the legendary guitarist.

Through their research and storytelling, Dr. Don Cusic and Dr. Mary Ellen Pethel continue to help preserve the stories that have shaped country music culture.

Curb College is excited to announce its continued partnership with CMA Fest, extending the Belmont Showcase experience beyond campus and into Nashville’s live music landscape.

Through this collaboration, CMA Fest provides an opportunity to bring student talent to a large-scale festival audience. Together, the partnership connects classroom learning with real-world application, offering students a direct pathway from showcase to stage.

As part of this continued initiative, the winner of the Country Showcase earns the opportunity to perform at CMA Fest. This year, that opportunity goes to Carlisle Wright! She will be performing at the Tractor Supply Spotlight Stage on June 6th at 11:45 AM - you won’t want to miss it!

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