IMPACT & GIVE BACK
THE
MUSIC
MAKERS Regardless of how old you are or where you grew up, chances are that music has played a big role in your life. It transcends time and connects people across the world, speaking words that—while deeply personal for the one who wrote them—seem to reach into your soul and touch something in you in a way that nothing else can.
I
BY LIESEL SCHMIDT
t was for the songwriters yet to be discovered that Greg Barnhill, Buzz Jackson, and Michael Blache first created the annual Songwriter Festival on the Northshore. Back in 2017, the three songwriters had aspiring dreams to highlight songwriting—and they knew that there were others who needed to be given the chance to shine. Starting with in-depth planning for staging, parking, and the recruiting of songwriters, the festival’s founders were soon joined by Christine Barnhill and Mary Grace Knapp as the group named and created the foundation for the festival. By November 2017, the Ozone Music Education Foundation received its 501c3 status as a nonprofit. The first Ozone Songwriters Festival took place in October of the following year; and by the second festival in 2019, more than 130 songwriters from 14 different states were
48 I SOCIAL SLIDELL
featured. Over 1,200 attendees supported the event, proving that the Northshore is giving Nashville a run for its money. While the festival is of great import, it is the foundation that is really making a difference. Created with the purpose of providing music education, support, and mentorship to those wanting to learn the music industry and develop skills and knowledge as songwriters and musicians, the Ozone Music Education Foundation has worked with hundreds of performers. Buzz Jackson, who received an award from the Louisiana Folklife Museum in 2019; Joe Sims, who was the 2020 Ozone Songwriter Contest Winner and labeled as "One to Watch" by the Nashville Songwriters Association International; and Hannah Belle, whose song, “Raised,” was 26th of the top 100
