Make Music Kansas City MO

Beth Watts Nelson

Recently ending a twenty-year career as a choral director in public schools, Beth Watts Nelson can now be found pursuing her muse in various projects throughout the Kansas City area. Her rocking string band, Little Miss Dynamite, combines the acoustic forces of some of KC’s finest musicians (Betse Ellis, Brandon Day, and Caleb Gardner) just released its debut EP, “Grow Up” in May 2024. Beth also sings and plays the clawhammer banjo in the fiery old time string band, Catgut, and is a founding member of the Konza Swamp Band, a long-standing pillar of the local Bluegrass scene. Her newest duo project Beth and Brandon, performs original songs that sound as if they were already born with the patina of decades in the songbook of Americana. With a voice that cuts straight to your soul, and playing a vintage Martin guitar or clawhammer banjo, she will evoke smiles and tears – often at the same time. Beth holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Kansas State University and a Master of Musi