Adventures in Nashville

Singer Clay Pinkham expands his horizons with an internship in Music City, USA.

Clay Pinkham ’20 has been singing since he could walk. An award-winning show choir singer in high school, he performs at Elmhurst with the Concert Choir and QB, a student-run a capella group.

But Pinkham also has an interest in what’s behind the music. So this summer, the music business major is getting an inside look at the industry with an internship at Full Circle Music, a record label just outside Nashville, Tenn.

“As a digital marketing intern, I’m focused on the company’s social media accounts, podcasts and songwriting course,” Pinkham says. “I’m excited to see how the music industry works and make connections for my future career.”

At Full Circle, Pinkham’s responsibilities include editing videos, creating Instagram stories and editing course materials for the company’s songwriting course. “I’ve worked a lot on making the course materials fun and easy to understand,” he says. “I’m really enjoying the behind-the-scenes work.”

While he’s in Nashville, Pinkham plans to immerse himself in the city’s legendary music industry. He’s honing his skills through weekly songwriting lessons at Full Circle, for instance, and he met with a marketing manager at a Nashville-based artist management company.

“My advertising teacher at Elmhurst connected me with a marketing manager at Triple 8 Management,” Pinkham says. “I grabbed coffee with him, and he connected me with some more people. Everyone knows each other down here, so it’s important for me to meet with as many people as I can.”

And above all, he’ll keep singing. “I’m going to try to get gigs at local bars while I’m here to gain more experience,” he says. “And as an intern, I might even get to sing background vocals for the label’s artists.”

I’m excited to see how the music industry works and make connections for my future career.

—Clay Pinkham ’20

June 14, 2019