When Jimmie Allen takes the CMA Close Up Stage Thursday, he won’t be alone: a group of music students from Nashville’s Mountain View Elementary will perform alongside him.

According to a news story from ABC affiliate WKRN News 2, the children have been practicing for weeks ahead of taking the big stage. They can be seen in a clip practicing “Best Shot,” Jimmie’s hit song from 2018.

Jimmie’s commitment to furthering music education is longstanding. Back in 2020, he was an artist ambassador for the CMA Foundation’s Unified Voices for Music Education, an initiative that deputized a cast of country stars — also including Lindsay Ell and Ashley McBryde — to get involved with music education programs.

Jimmie, who’s a father of three, also recently released his first children’s book, My Voice is a Trumpet, which celebrates diversity and the importance of everyone using their voice.

The singer is also booked to perform on the Chevy Riverfront Stage during this year’s CMA Fest. His next album, Tulip Drive, arrives later this month.

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