MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — It was a study abroad trip that was two years in the making for 17 students from Middle Tennessee State University’s College of Media and Entertainment as they traveled to London, England, where they got real-world, hands-on experiences like no other.
Organized by commercial songwriting associate professor Odie Blackmon and co-led by audio production professor Bill Crabtree, the class — “London Calling: The Recording Industry” — took place over a week as students from the commercial songwriting program within the Recording Industry Department wrote songs with students from the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance in London.
“I had the opportunity to co-write with students from London,” said senior commercial songwriting major Lauren Teel, of Murfreesboro. “These experiences will help me in my future endeavors of wanting to become a published country songwriter, because it opened up my world to the possibilities of different perspectives within my songwriting.
“Going to new places is always great inspiration for new music, and London was no …