Martina and John McBride Open New Recording Academy

When Martina McBride isn't crossing the country performing her chart-topping hits, the singer and her husband, sound engineer John McBride, can often be found running their world-renowned Blackbird Studio in Nashville. Now they are sharing their knowledge with others hoping to become involved in the recording industry.

The state-of-the-art recording space has helped artists such as Kenny Chesney, the Black Eyed Peas, Bruce Springsteen, Lionel Richie and Taylor Swift record their multi-platinum albums, but there has still been one ambition left unfulfilled.

“Opening a school has been a dream of mine for a long time,” John says (quote via GAC). “After talking with hundreds of Blackbird Studio interns and hearing about their experiences, I believe we can provide a better and more affordable educational solution than what is currently available, and that offers our students real-world knowledge that they will use moving toward a career of audio recording or live sound engineering. We want to change the world and make it better for the next generation. The Blackbird Academy is just the place to make that happen.”

McBride admits he has been pondering this idea for a long time. “For three to four years I’ve been thinking about creating a school,” he tells Music Row. “I’m 55 years old -- the point in my life where I feel mentoring is a necessity. Without mentors, it would have taken me forever to learn what I have. I love working with kids who want to learn. I thought, ‘There has to be a way to take all the factors in my life from the last 30 years and combine them to make the world a better place.’"

The couple called on HGTV's Robert and Cortney Novogratz to redesign the studio space, which was revealed on Katie Couric's talk show last week. Classes will begin this fall. More information is available here.