Students from Tamworth's sister city, Nashville, are relishing the chance to get involved in the renowned country music festival.
Jami Hamman, Sinclair Walker, MacKenzie Higgins and Isabel Sachtleben are being hosted by local families, and arrived in Tamworth on January 6 and will undertake their internships until January 25.
They are in the equivalent of Year 12 at The Harpeth Hall School, an independent girls school, which offers senior students the opportunity to undertake experiential learning either within the United States or internationally.
MacKenzie said Nashville is also home to an iconic country music festival, adding she was glad to be able to experience the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
"This one is put on by the council, and at home, it is put on by the sponsors ... and we have a lot less free events where here there are a lot more free events and it gets the whole community involved," she said.
"We will be working with the media team to do videos of the festival, and see more of the behind the scenes set up."
MacKenzie said she is looking forward to discovering Australian talent in the country music scene.
She added that staying with families in Tamworth has allowed them to experience the Australian way - including her very first sausage sizzle and a taste of vegemite.
The program started in 1973 and Tamworth became part of it five years ago thanks to its sister city relationship with Nashville.
Council and the school have developed strong ties since and together coordinate the students’ visits.
The Sister Cities of Nashville coordinates a visit to Tamworth by senior students from high schools across Nashville in July each year.
In 2019 a group of Tamworth students visited Nashville.