Apple’s newest US store in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, has teamed up with the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) to hold virtual Today at Apple sessions with country artists Willie Jones and Valerie June as part of Black Music Month celebrations. As they explore the rich history of music, story, and culture, attendees will learn music-making skills from these outstanding songwriters.

Jones and June lead participants through songwriting skills in the Today at Apple sessions, which are hosted by Apple Music’s Rissi Palmer. Jones discussed his songwriting approach in his session on June 8, which begins with him pulling out his iPhone to capture the spark of a melody in the Voice Memos app.

Once he has the basis of his melody, he takes it to the studio and gets lyrics inspiration from the Notes app, which is his favored manner of expressing himself. Before working out the track in Logic Pro, he frequently collaborates with co-writers in Pages, utilizing different fonts and colors merely to “make it entertaining.”

Valerie June, a singer-songwriter, will explore mindfulness and creativity on June 15 and teach participants how to take inspiration from African American culture’s rich history. June will then lead a creative exercise using the Notes app on iPhone to explore thankfulness, courage, and joy with Palmer and NMAAM Vice President of Brand and Partnerships Tuwisha D. Rogers-Simpson.

“Apple Music is celebrating Black Music Month worldwide with an exploration of the legacy, artistry, impact, and influence of Black musicians. For the first time ever, Apple Music is taking the significance of Black Music Month worldwide with bespoke global playlists in over 30 different countries that explore the undeniable impact of Black music on local popular music. Apple Music also commissioned 15 new DJ Mixes from standout Black artists including Honey Dijon, Amorphous, DBN Gogo, DJ Clue, DāM FunK, and more. Across the platform, Apple Music’s celebration of Black Music Month will feature special programming on Apple Music TV and in radio programming across Apple Music 1, Apple Music Country, and Apple Music Hits.”