'Unforgettable experience': CMAA Senior Academy kicks off masterclasses

The Country Music Association of Australia's (CMAA) 2024 Senior Academy hosts 27 aspiring musicians, songwriters, and singers to learn the ins and-out's of the country music industry.

Talent has travelled from far and wide across Australia, including two students from Nashville (USA) and New Zealand

Wil Linder travelled up the Great Dividing Range from Blaxlands Ridge to Tamworth for "the huge privilege," which he says is taking in the senior country music academy.

His family is not musical, but from a young age, he's had a song in his heart.

"I started playing guitar when I was 10, and it grew," he said.

"I was into the folky side of music, The Lumineers and Mumford and Sons; those were the two artists I was strictly into, and I wanted to be just like them."

From there, he began his journey towards the bright lights of the stage.

But over time, he transitioned more to the country genre.

"I fell into the country music scene just because folk and country music are quite similar," he said.

But, no matter the genre, he wants to create music that people resonate with and use his music as a creative outlet to get his voice across.

When Tania Nichamin arrived for the first day of the academy and saw everyone walking from the parking lot with their guitars in hand, she was overcome with a range of emotions.

"I thought, 'We're about to start something epic'," she said.

"It's 12-days, quite intense, and we've been told to 'brace ourselves' because it is quite full on."

She feels honoured to become part of a legacy, which is the senior academy, as so many talented musicians have come before.

Ms Nichamin comes from a country music lineage, as her dad, Shane Nichamin, of the band Shot to Pieces, was nominated for a Golden Guitar Best New Act award in the '90s.

"I have grown up watching my dad, aunties, myself, and now my son become musicians," she said.

"It's my first time here in Tamworth, and it's the first time seeing the Longyard and Moonshiner Bar, where my dad played. So, it feels like I am home, even though I have never been here."

Throughout the next 12 days, Ms Nichamin is excited to learn from her fellow musicians and become a stronger songwriter.

"I just want to focus on songwriting. You hear these songs that big artists are singing, and I would love to be writing those songs and singing them myself. This is the perfect melting pot for me," she said.

Gemma Tiller is a country girl through and through. Growing up in Clear Valley, South Australia, she spent a lot of time around shearing sheds and going to the local rodeos.

"I always begged my mum and dad to let me stay for the bands after the rodeos," she said.

"My mum's side is also very musical and very involved in the country music scene."

No stranger to the academy, Ms Tiller graduated from the CMMA junior academy six months prior.

She says she is so excited to return once again as she finds more of her "music tribe."

"It's a very team-oriented course. We do a lot of songwriting and co-writing sessions," she said.

"You build a lot of connections, and we will do exercises to deepen those connections with one another. I think the course really teaches us to open up and have such an open mind."

Ms Tiller was also the recipient of the esteemed 2024 Keith Urban Scholarship, which covers all her academy fees.

She said being chosen for the scholarship was such a "pinch-me moment."

"I was pretty stoked about winning the scholarship."

"The academy is such a strong bonding experience, and I'm excited to see where this all goes," she said.

The 2024 senior country music academy runs until January 19, with the graduation concert set to be held at Moonshiners Bar on January 18 at 8pm.