English Professor Dr. Douglas Murray was invited by Vanderbilt University to introduce the Tennessee premiere of Jonathan Dove’s “Mansfield Park.” The opera, performed by students and faculty from the Blair School of Music, was held in Ingram Hall on October 19 and 21.
Murray was joined by Joy Haslam Calico, professor of music and European studies at Vanderbilt, to present to a standing-room-only crowd. Murray provided an overview of “Mansfield Park” and explained how the composer’s work constitutes a valid reading or interpretation of the novel.
He explained that Jane Austen has become one of the best-known and loved novelists. Spin-offs include sequels, films, dolls, stage plays, dresses–and now opera.
Belmont University’s annual “Shark Tank”-style business pitch competition took place on November 6, at which ten students presented business ideas to a panel of judges. Bailey Jackson, junior finance major, and Nathan Kim, junior music business major, took the first place prize with their idea for SimpleStorage, a business that connects customers with storage services competing to offer the lowest quotes.
The competition was fast-paced and inspiring, and this year had by far some of the toughest competitors. Mollie Montgomery received second place for her pitch of Mollie’s Bread Shop, and James Richard finished in third place with his pitch for Vitamin Honey. Other student entrepreneurs that pitched in the competition are Katie Coens, Elizabeth Kuehne, Ciel Smith, Grace O’Shea, Asher Segelken, Baxter Brown and Jaime Angel.
The competition was judged by Clint Smith, founder of Emma, Arnie Malham, founder of CJ Advertising and one of Belmont’s entrepreneurs-in-residence, Jacqueline Hayes, founder of Crayons and Marketers, and Troy Beeler, one of the top advisors at the Nashville Entrepreneur Center who works with large-scale brands and retailers, including P&G, Coca-Cola, Walmart and others on the future of commerce.
First place winners Bailey Jackson and Nathan Kim with their prize awarded for SimpleStorage
First place winner Bailey Jackson has grown a number of online businesses over the past few years and was trying to come up with his next big idea. He created ideas for three business models in parking, sharing and storage and took them to Dan Hogan, one of Belmont’s entrepreneurs in residence. Hogan loved the storage idea and had Jackson validate his model. Kim was later brought on for marketing and brand development purposes and has worked tirelessly to develop a successful and cohesive marketing strategy.
Mollie Montgomery, second place winner for pitch of Mollie’s Bread Shop
Senior entrepreneurship major and second place winner Mollie Montgomery was inspired by her late grandfather’s tradition of making sourdough in her pitch for Mollie’s Bread Shop. Montgomery shared, “My dream is to bake bread. That can mean making it for family, selling it to friends or even having a well-known location that people love to come get their loaf fresh every day.”
Third place winner James Richard presenting Vitamin Honey
“Vitamin Honey was the result of seeing my brother with Crohn’s disease change his life through diet. He had trouble eating foods because of what was in them, but one thing I noticed him put on everything was honey. He was still able to eat honey,” explained third place winner and senior entrepreneurship major James Richard.
“At the same time, I was working on a vitamin company for entrepreneurship financial management, and the idea hit to merge the two together to use honey and a delivery method for people to take their vitamins! This gives people endless opportunity to use it. They can apply the honey to food they are eating, take it with them on a run, or give to elderly or differently-abeled children who have trouble taking the pills they need.”
The competition winners commended Belmont for its incredible entrepreneurship program and faculty. Jackson shared, “Belmont has provided me with an immense amount of resources. The courses teach practical information that directly apply to the things I’m doing. Belmont faculty are also extremely helpful and knowledgeable within their field.”
Each of the winners in the competition were awarded a monetary prize for their successful pitch to be used in furthering their business. First place received a check for $500, second place received a check for $200 and third place received a check for $100.
The finalists all greed they were in shock and full of excitement when they heard all of their hardwork preparing their pitches paid off. Montgomery said, “I have always wanted to compete in the business pitch but did not feel like I was ready to present until now. But, I promised myself I would do it senior year and it went better than I ever imagined.”
Belmont alumna Jenee Fleenor became the first woman to win the
CMA for Musician of the Year at the 53rd Annual Country Music Association
Awards on November 13.
Hosted by county music legends Dolly Parton, Carrie
Underwood and Reba McEntire, the show was themed around celebrating female
artists in the genre, a fitting night for Fleenor to receive the honor.
Longtime fiddle player for Blake Shelton and “The Voice” house band, Fleenor was
the first female nominated for the category, competing with Mac McAnally, Paul
Franklin, Ilya Toshinsky and Derek Wells.
Earlier this year, Fleenor made similar waves at the Academy
of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas, when she became the first-ever female
nominee for Specialty Instrument(s) Player of the Year.
Though it’s taken Music Row 31 years to nominate a female
musician in this category, Fleenor says she’s long felt like an equal, and
counts her fellow nominees as “my buddies that I work in the studio with
on a daily basis. They’re my heroes and friends.”
Hit songwriter and alumnus Brett McLaughlin (professionally known as Leland) returned to Belmont this week to share insight on his journey from his alma mater to profound success as a hit songwriter in Los Angeles, California. He graduated from Belmont’s School of Music in 2009 with a major in commercial voice.
McLaughlin is the writer of songs such as “My, My, My!”, “YOUTH” and others recorded by Troye Sivan, “Fetish” the Platinum single recorded by Selena Gomez, and Kelsea Ballerini’s #1 country single “Miss Me More.” He was awarded an ASCAP Country Award for Ballerini’s “Miss Me More” on November 11. In 2018, he received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Song: “Revelation,” in the film “Boy Erased,” as well as an Emmy Award for his music in RuPaul’s Drag Race. For his achievement in the field of commercial music, McLaughlin was also presented with the 2018 Curtain Call Award.
McLaughlin spoke to Belmont’s music publishing students about the
realities, challenges and rewards of a songwriting career and his
spiritual quest towards artistic authenticity.
Brett McLaughlin and mentor Dan Keen
His mentor at Belmont, Professor Dan Keen, introduced McLaughlin saying, “This guy did a spectacular showcase in the first semester of his freshman year with a 13-piece horn band! You knew then that he had game.”
In just eight years, McLaughlin has compiled a long list of accomplishments and received numerous awards for his achievements in the music industry. He’s won the ASCAP Pop Songwriting Award, the National Music Publishers Association Award and was included in Billboard’s 100 Best Pop Songs of 2016.
Belmont student Abraham Mast was recently featured for his work in animation in this year’s International Davey Awards, a creative competition put on by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts. Through his internship with Centric Entertainment, Mast worked on animation for the Steven Lee Olsen “Hello Country” Lyric Video, which received a 2019 Gold Davey Award.
With nearly 3,000 entries from across the U.S. and from around the world, the Davey Awards honor the finest creative work from the best small shops, firms and companies worldwide. The competition is judged and overseen by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts (AIVA), a 700+ member organization of leading professionals from various disciplines of the visual arts.
Earlier in 2019, Mast was recognized by The American Advertising Federation for creative excellence in the art of advertising with three silver Addy Awards and a Judges Choice Award. He was awarded the Judges Choice Award and a Silver Addy Award for his book design, “7 Principles of Design,” and won two additional Silver Addy Awards for his “Happy Frogs” and “Exploring Bird” animations. Mast also had his work featured by Fonts In Use, an online typography journal.
Mast is a junior studying
design communications from Gainesville, Florida. He shared that he is thankful
to have had the opportunity to intern with Centric Entertainment and described
being recognized in the Davey Winners Gallery as “unreal.”
A piece of animation from the “Hello Country” Lyric Video by Abraham Mast
During his time with Centric Entertainment this past summer, Mast worked to create music videos, lyric videos, album covers, social media content and more. He shared, “I also had the opportunity to flex my animation skills and put them to the test. Without the helpful faculty and student at Belmont, I wouldn’t have had the internship opportunity.”
Professor of entrepreneurship Mark T. Schenkel was featured as an expert in a Wallethub article discussing the best Capital One credit cards of 2019. Schenkel discussed strategies employed by Capital One and the value of double miles versus 2% return.
“Capital One’s choice not to charge foreign transaction fees is simply a strategic one. All banks, including Capital One, incur a 1% charge by the credit card network (i.e., MasterCard, Visa, etc.) on all transactions,” said Schenkel. “While many banks opt to pass this charge along to cardholders, sometimes adding on a 2-3% charge on top, Capital One is opting instead to absorb this fee to make its case for offering greater value to cardholders over its competitors.”
Schenkel developed his entrepreneurial experience by serving in a variety of general management roles in small, closely held, family firms, including: The Habegger Corporation, David E. Estes Engineering, Inc., The Hennegan Company and Wright Brothers Inc. In those environments, he was charged with developing and implementing strategies for achieving business growth and profitability objectives. He has continued his efforts to foster entrepreneurship through direct consulting and advising and by serving on the boards of local ventures in the Nashville area.
Cheryl Carr, associate dean and associate professor of music
business, and Sarah Cates, director of development and industry relations for
Belmont’s Curb College, received the Nashville Business Journal Women in Music
City Award for 2019. The award recognizes women who are instrumental in shaping
Nashville’s music industry.
Award nominations are solicited, and nominees are asked
about their accomplishments and contributions to the music industry for the
preceding year. Honorees are women working in all facets of the music business,
from entertainment lawyers and entrepreneurs and a range of other professions,
who are deemed to impact their spheres of influence within the industry.
Carr explained the award shines a light on the efforts of women that might otherwise go unnoticed. “In an industry that celebrates artists, the Women in Music City Award celebrates those who work to support the business of that artistry. It also showcases just how many women are integral to that infrastructure,” she said. “It is an honor to be recognized for what you do, particularly for doing what is so meaningful to me, and has been for many years. I’ve worked in the entertainment industry as a lawyer, singer, author and now as professor and administrator, and I am grateful to be recognized as part of the entertainment community.”
Cates said, “I’m honored to be on a list with so many women
I admire. This recognition is a statement to the important work we all do at
Belmont—what we do to serve the entertainment industry and our students matters
immensely to the creative community. I’m grateful I get to be a part of it!”
Belmont’s Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) students helped kids to give thanks to their family and friends at the 2019 Nashville Buddy Walk, organized by the Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee (DSAMT). Students helped the children make thank-you cards to give to their loved ones, using handprints and stencils, all in time to celebrate Thanksgiving.
The annual Nashville
Buddy Walk celebrates and supports individuals with Down syndrome and their
families. The event aims to promote understanding and acceptance of those with
Down syndrome.
Occupational Therapy Department Professor Dr. Natalie Michaels and her students work at a table for Belmont University each year. During the event, they interact with the children and families to inform them about Belmont University and the benefits of both occupational therapy and physical therapy. Dozens of children colored thank-you cards, and many families expressed gratitude to Dr. Michaels and the Belmont students.
Students working with Dr. Michaels this year included Cassie Howe, Savannah MacIsaac, Emily Sonni, Ashley Rabuck, Jensen Anderson, Heather Ribolla, Marshall Dumas, Libby Robinson, Chloe Moore, Ashley Phillips, Sarah Parkinson, Pooja Patel, Katie Hartline, Chandni Vyas, Gabi Swiecki, MacKenzie Vanderbloomen, Payton Knupp, Amy Mack, Callie Emerson and Meredith Maines.
Dr. Ken Reed, associate professor in the College of Pharmacy, presented a poster titled “Comparison of Calcium Glycerol Phosphate Versus Calcium Gluconate Mediated in Situ Gelling of Alginates for Ocular Drug Delivery” on November 4 at the annual meeting of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) in San Antonio, Texas.
AAPS
is a professional scientific organization of individuals in academia, industry,
government and other pharmaceutical science related institutions. Its mission
is to advance the capacity of pharmaceutical scientists to develop products and
therapies that improve global health.
As a wrap-up to events around the Ken Burn’s documentary, “Country Music,” Belmont’s School of Music hosted a conversation with Dr. William Pursell and Dr. Terry Klefstad, author of “Crooked River City: The Musical Life of Nashville’s William Pursell” on November 7 in the Gallery of Iconic Guitars.
When he moved to Nashville in 1960, Bill Pursell was a classically trained pianist and composer who found his way into the studios on Music Row during the rise of the Nashville Sound. As he was working with some of country music’s biggest names, including Chet Atkins and Patsy Cline, Pursell was moonlighting as classical composer and a soloist with the Nashville Symphony.
Having retired from teaching at Belmont University (he began teaching in 1980), Pursell still keeps busy composing. View a gallery of photos from the event here.
