Lipscomb, MercyMe’s Bart Millard to launch innovative immersive learning initiative for students with Imagine House

Imagine House to include degree pathways, studio, house band, network and more to prepare students for careers in entertainment and music industries

Kim Chaudoin  |  04/28/2021

Lipscomb University announced an innovative partnership that will provide students seeking careers in entertainment and music a unique immersive learning experience at its IMAGINE 2021 “The Soul of America Today” event featuring former Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham Tuesday, April 27.
 
Lipscomb University President L. Randolph Lowry announced the launch of a significant new, innovative immersive-learning initiative for students with a partnership between Lipscomb’s George Shinn College of Entertainment & the Arts and Nashville’s Bart Millard, lead singer of the band MercyMe, called Imagine House. Millard is the frontman and principal songwriter for MercyMe. He wrote the band’s landmark song “I Can Only Imagine,” which was the first digital single in Christian music history to be certified 4x platinum, after the loss of his father to cancer. MercyMe has received numerous GRAMMY^®nominations, American Music Awards, a Billboard Music Award, and numerous GMA Dove Awards and KLOVE Fan Awards.
 
Imagine House is the only initiative of its kind in the country that offers students with varying artistic interests, an innovative education, real market entertainment experiences and a nation wide mentoring network. It will officially launch this fall.
 
“Imagine House will be a place that intentionally brings filmmakers, musicians, designers and animators into creative collaborations that sharpen their ability to tell compelling stories while also inspiring them to connect their art more deeply with their faith,” said Mike Fernandez, dean of Lipscomb’s George Shinn College of Entertainment & the Arts. “Imagine House is the place where you can dream about your future, ignite the wonder of your faith, apprentice under successful pioneers that have blazed a trail ahead of you and collaborate with other multifaceted artists to create what’s next.”
 
Millard approached Lipscomb with his vision for Imagine House. After considering several other universities with whom to partner, he selected Lipscomb to help him bring his idea to life because of Lipscomb’s established College of Entertainment & the Arts, the caliber of CEA faculty and the institution’s location in Nashville and satellite campus in Austin, Texas.

“I love the creative energy and innovation coming out of Lipscomb University and its College of Entertainment & the Arts,” said Millard. “While music is my first love, I am excited about training the next generation to impact the world with tremendous storytelling across many artistic mediums.”
 
Fernandez said plans for Imagine House include:

• ImagineEdu. A pathway for offering online degrees, which is convenient for those already working in the industry; undergraduate and graduate certificates; a two-year fast-track to the industry; additional graduate programs and on-demand video training among other programs.
• Imagine House Studios. This will be a functioning content production studio that will build and promote a legacy house band, called Longview, that will tour the country representing the university on the national stage, and also create content for the marketplace including a new animated series called the Dead Sea Squirrels and a sports documentary series called Set Apart: The Music City Mustangs.
• Imagine Nation Network. Imagine House will serve as a network of industry experts and educators who will provide fellowship, mentorship and internships to students from high school to college ages. 

In addition to Millard and Fernandez, the Imagine House leadership team also includes:

• Brown Bannister, music industry veteran and GRAMMY^® Award-winning producer, director of Lipscomb’s School of Music. Bannister will focus on building the house band and will lead the Imagine Nation Network.
• Steve Taylor, is co-founder of Lipscomb’s CEA Studios and is director of its School of Theatre and Cinematic Arts. A filmmaker, recording artist, producer and songwriter who has earned multiple Grammy, Billboard, Telly, Addy and Dove awards and nominations, Taylor will be the head of Imagine House Studios and provide expertise in all aspects of the Imagine House development. 

The announcement was made during IMAGINE 2021 on Tuesday, April 27, when Lipscomb University offered an evening of renewed hope, revitalized confidence and energized belief in the enduring principles that move our nation forward through an examination of “The Soul of America Today,” based on Meacham’s best-selling book The Soul of America. IMAGINE is designed to engage the Nashville community in conversations of significance by bringing renowned leaders to the city to participate in dialogue about topics of local and national importance.
 
In addition to the Imagine House announcement, the event featured a conversation about “The Soul of America Today” with Meacham, who released his latest book, His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope, in August, and Haslam, whose book Faithful Presence: The Promise and the Peril of Faith in the Public Square, releases in May. Entertainment included MercyMe performing its hit song, “I Can Only Imagine” and Odessa Settles, Americana/folk singer and multi-genre artist in the areas of vocal and instrumental music, acting, modeling, spoken word, recording projects, and short films.
 
Lipscomb’s George Shinn College of Entertainment & the Arts offers undergraduate degrees in film production, fashion merchandising, fashion design, entertainment design, music composition, contemporary music, vocal performance, piano performance, instrumental performance, teaching, music, acting, directing, musical theater, theater ministry, theater teaching, studio art, graphic design, art therapy, visual arts administration, visual arts teaching and animation among other areas of study. It is home of the CEA Studios, a one-of-its-kind creative production house and creative incubator for students and faculty comprised of studios in film, music recording, animation and graphic design. Graduate programs include Master of Arts degrees in film and creative media, Master of Fine Arts degrees in film and creative media with writer and director tracks and a Master of Fine Arts/Master of Business Administration blended degree. For more information visit www.lipscomb.edu/cea.