Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy Dr. Natalie Michaels ran another musical fundraiser at the Hotel Preston this past Monday evening for the Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee, performing her own music and songs from Celine Dion to BeBe Rexha, along with Belmont occupational therapy doctoral students Matthew Young, Lauren Schar, Roya Rezadoost and Madeleine Ruff. “Its amazing how much musical talent we have in the Belmont OT Department,” said Michaels, who coordinates this fundraiser twice a year. Other performing musicians included Rick Michaels, Jim Martin, Peter Gallinari and Carrie Leigh Willis.
Alger Honored with Georgia Music Foundation Flamekeeper Award
Pat Alger, an adjunct faculty member in songwriting and a Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame inductee, was recently honored with the Georgia Music Foundation Flamekeeper Award at the Fifth Annual “Georgia on My Mind” concert, hosted by The Peach Pickers at the Ryman. The award was introduced in 2014 and recognizes individuals whose work tirelessly preserves and promotes Georgia’s musical roots and traditions. Alger is pictured above with fellow Flamekeeper Award recipient and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Tony Arata.
Known for such hits as “Unanswered Prayers,” “Thunder Rolls” and “Small Town Saturday Night,” Alger was born in Long Island City, New York, and was raised in his mother’s hometown, LaGrange, Georgia. Alger’s songs have been recorded by a litany of music greats including Dolly Parton, Brenda Lee, The Everly Brothers, Peter, Paul & Mary, Trisha Yearwood. Garth Brooks and James Taylor. He was elected Songwriter of the Year for the Nashville Songwriters Association International in 1991 and ASCAP’s Songwriter of the Year in 1992. In 2010, he was inducted into The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in 2013, he became a member of the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.
Nashville Mayor David Briley Visits Belmont’s Opportunity Now Interns
Mayor David Briley spent Tuesday morning touring Belmont’s McWhorter & Inman Health Science Centers as he visited the Opportunity Now (ON) students who are participating in internships on Belmont’s campus. The 15 students, who represent only a portion of the ON interns across campus, have been assigned to work with Psychology & Health Sciences at Belmont.
Interns, 10 in total, working within Psychological Sciences at Belmont have spent their time on campus learning about the research process in psychology and improving critical thinking skills, under the direction of Department Chair and Associate Professor of Psychology Dr. Linda Jones. Upon first arriving to campus, the group began discussing exercise before moving on to nutrition. Students have completed a health assessment, wear fitness trackers, track their meals and continue to monitor their personal data throughout the summer.
The students have also worked within a fish research lab, seeking to understand the concepts of learning and conditioning which directly correspond to human learning strategies.
Those who have been assigned to the College of Health Sciences and Nursing, working under the director of Assistant to the Dean Sandy Dowling, have participated in many activities during their time on campus including completing administrative tasks, gaining exposure to all five of the College’s disciplines (nursing, social work, occupational & physical therapy and public health), and more.
While working along OT, students had the opportunity to organize, repair, clean and even create therapeutic toys through Belmont’s Go Baby Go, a program that provides modified toys for children with special needs. Before the end of the summer, the interns will participate in a live GBG experience, where they’ll see the toys they’ve been working with in action.
Interns have also spent time in the nursing simulation labs this summer where they have cleaned, organized and repaired equipment and even participated in simulation events. The group was actively involved in the College’s Health Academy Camp, an opportunity for local middle school students to gain exposure to the health sciences.
Dowling said, “The students are learning flexibility, teamwork, office etiquette, initiation and accountability skills, among other things. It is a pleasure to work with them as they are pleasant, responsive and eager to please. They have exhibited an adventurous spirit, diving into new and unfamiliar territory and experiences with willingness.”
For one intern, the opportunity to participate in an internship at Belmont this summer become very personal as she made the decision to attend the University in the fall. After visiting campus last year and “falling in love with the school,” incoming freshman Iman Haurami joined the Opportunity Now program and has been working with Jones for the last few weeks.
Since beginning her time as an intern this summer, Haurami and her fellow students have spent time deep in discussion surrounding human intelligence and personality, while learning how to operate machinery and conducting experiments on biofeedback and reaction time. Currently, the students are training beta fish to go through hoops and eat from a wand, information that will allow the group to understand behavioral habits and processes.
Haurami said she’s grateful for the opportunity to explore the world of psychological sciences through her time with Opportunity Now this summer. “I’ve learned alot about the field of psychology and why people behave & think they way they do,” she said. “I’m super excited to start at Belmont in the fall as a biology major.”
Hanlen Catches Media’s Eye During NBA Draft Season
Former Bruin men’s basketball point guard Drew Hanlen, who graduated from Belmont’s entrepreneurship program in 2012, is once again receiving widespread attention for his nationally recognized basketball training program, Pure Sweat Basketball. Hanlen and his company were recently featured in stories on Bleacher Report, Yahoo Finance and NBC Sports Philadelphia, among other outlets, on his behind-the-scenes work with last year’s No. 1 NBA draft pick, Markelle Fultz.
Fultz suffered a should injury last season, and his return to the court was rocky at best as he developed a “hitch” in his shot. In a podcast interview, Hanlen said, “With Markelle, obviously he has one of the most documented cases of kind of the yips of basketball in recent years, where he completely forgot how to shoot and had multiple hitches in his shot.” Hanlen went on to note how much progress the player has made in the off season and express his confidence that Fultz will return to the court better than ever.
Hanlen is the CEO of Pure Sweat and an NBA strategic skills coach and consultant who is known for his work with a number of sought-after NBA talents, including Bradley Beal, Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Clarkson and David Lee, among others. Called “The Basketball Whisperer” in a recent FanSided feature article, Hanlen works with clients long-term as well as on shorter consulting arrangements. He is currently franchising the Pure Sweat experience with a group of 70 trainers who will use the curriculum he’s developed to train other clients. “We have close to 1,000 applications a year to join the team,” Hanlen told FanSided, “and it’s a rigorous process to evaluate each potential trainer.”
In a recent podcast interview with 104.5 The Zone, Hanlen reflected on current NBA prospects and clients as well as recalled his years at Belmont and the deep friendships he made, particularly on the men’s basketball team. He noted that he remains in touch with teammates Ian Clark, Kerron Johnson, Adam Barnes and Mick Hedgepeth, all of whom are still involved in basketball at the professional or college level.
“It shows how great of a coach and how special the Belmont program is. Coach Byrd just does a great job of making sure we’re all prepared for after basketball. He knows it’s not only important that you’re good for the four years at Belmont but he wants to prepare you for the next 40 years after Belmont.”
Coach, Alumnus Compete Well at USA Championships
Belmont Athletics had a strong showing at the recent USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, held at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa June 21-24. Alumnus and Assistant Track and Field Coach Joe Frye placed 15th in the hammer throw while
Frye, who graduated in 2010 and now coaches the Bruins’ throwers, unleashed a throw of 67.27 meters (220 feet, 8 inches) on his first attempt at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. He also had throws of 65.87 and 66.29 meters while competing for the Music City Mavericks club team. Friday marked Frye’s fourth trip to the USA Championships, all coming after the conclusion of his collegiate career at Belmont. Frye won three Atlantic Sun Conference championships in the hammer as a member of the Bruins track and field team from 2007-11. The Roscommon, Michigan, native placed 13th at last year’s USA Championships but did so with a shorter throw of 63.95 meters.
Frye was joined by Belmont men’s track team member Caleb Corprew at the USA Championships. The senior hurdler finished 24th on Thursday in the 400-meter hurdles to cap a stellar collegiate career that included three school records, two conference championships and one All-America honorable mention.
The Belmont University athlete ran to 24th place during the first round of the 400-meter hurdles on Thursday, finishing in 52.45 seconds as just the second active Bruin to ever compete at the national championships. A Midwest City, Oklahoma native, Corprew has now concluded his decorated Belmont career. His final race as a Bruin, the first of four star-studded heats in the event, featured former Olympic medalist Bershawn Jackson and recent NCAA champion Eric Futch.
Corprew was 20th in the 400 hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in May to earn an All-America honorable mention, but it was his performance at the NCAA East Preliminary Championships two weeks prior that earned him a spot among the United States’ elites at the USA Championships. He ran 50.50, a Belmont record, to match the championships’ qualifying standard.
Corprew was also the Ohio Valley Conference gold medalist in both the 400- and 110-meter hurdles.
Student Lands “Dream Internship” at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute this Summer
“Each morning, I walk across a bridge made of nothing but windows on my way to the lab, and I’m greeted by Humpback and Grey Whale flukes splashing the water and fins waving good morning. It’s that perfect.”
Beginning her days with the sights and sounds of whales, Belmont senior and biology (marine biology emphasis) and publishing double major Samantha Rodriguez is spending the summer at the deep sea bioluminescence lab at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) in Moss Landing, California. After arriving there 3 weeks ago, Rodriguez said she’s been immersed in a unique environment, with an underwater canyon, that provides easy access to the deep sea. This is what allows her commuting buddies — the whales — to greet her each morning.
Thanks to the canyon’s existence, Rodriguez and her supervisor Dr. Steve Haddock have easy access to Chaetognaths, predatory marine worms that expel bioluminescent particles when threatened by prey, and are able to study their habits. Thanks to one of Haddock’s recent studies, we know that roughly 75 percent of deep sea organisms are bioluminescent, meaning they can produce light in places where there is none. Despite growing knowledge of these light-producing organisms, there is still so much to be learned. Rodriguez’s goal for the remainder of the summer is to grow that understanding by identifying the gene that allows the worms to produce light.
Because these organisms don’t perform well in experiments if they have been frozen, researchers must conduct their work while they are still fresh. To ensure her skills are up to par, Rodriguez has been practicing her studies on frozen Chaetognath samples, preparing for the real thing. In just 3 weeks, she’s learned how to test the light output of a bioluminescent jellyfish, siphonophore and ctenophore, experiments that must be conducted in a dark room to avoid disturbing the bioluminescent samples.
“While I’m sure spending hours in a dark room isn’t exactly what most people consider fun,” Rodriguez said, “I think it’s absolutely fascinating. MBARI has been a dream of mine for quite some time and not just because of the whales and amazing location. It’s a very competitive internship, and I wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for the three years I’ve spent at Belmont.” With two unique majors — marine biology and publishing — Rodriguez said her time on campus has taught her so much about so many things including the importance of a keen attention to detail, asking key questions and developing a curious mind.
As she reflects on her time at Belmont, it’s her professors and their involvement in her academic career that stick out the most. “They have been nothing short of supportive when it comes to me pursuing these dreams,” Rodriguez said. “They have always encouraged me to chase the next big thing, and I owe a lot of my success to them for their continuous dedication to my journey.”
Sullenberger Published on Lifeway’s “Facts & Trends”
Chair and Associate Professor of Social Work Dr. Sabrina Sullenberger was recently published on Lifeway’s Facts & Trends, a blog focused on providing Christian leaders with information and resources. Her piece, “I Can’t Keep My Children Safe,” details her desire to ensure her three daughters are protected from all that life will bring, but ultimately realizing her own limitations in providing that divine oversight.
“They are not mine in the eternal sense—they are God’s,” Sullenberger says. “I am a steward. I am entrusted to care for them and love them and do my best to keep them safe, but I ultimately am not in control of the world or the actions of others.”
To read the piece in its entirety, click here.
College of Theology and Christian Ministry Hosts Incoming Student Retreat, Compass Points
Belmont’s College of Theology and Christian Ministry (CTCM) held Compass Points, the College’s vocation and faith retreat for incoming students, June 14-17. Focusing on the theme of making a home at Belmont and in Nashville, as well as storytelling as a vocational discernment practice, new CTCM students visited three non-profit sites where they learned about their work in Nashville for justice and heard the call stories of their founders including Brett Swayn of the Cookery, former CTCM alum Nicole Brandt of Poverty and the Arts and Tallu Schuyler Quinn of Nashville Food Project (NFP).
Students served in the NFP kitchen where they made over 200 meals and engaged with three formerly homeless artists at Poverty and the Arts.
Burks Named Second Place Finalist for American Prize in Conducting, Musical Theater Division
Jo Lynn Burks was recently named as the second place finalist for the American Prize in Conducting, Musical Theatre Division, for Belmont’s performance of “Parade.” Burks was selected from applications reviewed from all across the United States. The American Prize is a series of new, non-profit, competitions unique in scope and structure, designed to recognize and reward the best performing artists, ensembles and composers in the US based on submitted recordings. The American Prize was founded in 2009 and is awarded annually in many areas of the performing arts.
Burks received a Bachelor of Performing Arts in Music from the University of Alabama and then went on to receive her Master’s of Musical Theatre from the University of Miami, Florida. She now wears many hats as a musical director, orchestrator, singer, pianist and teacher. As a keyboard player/singer, Burks has toured with Gladys Knight, Lead Singers of the TEMPTATIONS, a solo tour with Roger Daltrey of The Who and with many Nashville touring artists including Laura Bell Bundy.
Solo pianist/singer engagements include New York City’s The Carlyle, the Waldorf-Astoria, The Plaza and fun, Pat O’Brien’s in New Orleans. On Broadway, she originated a principal role in “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story.” Other Broadway credits include “Smokey Joe’s Café,” “Hairspray,” “All Shook Up” and “The Color Purple.” Her national tours include “Fame,” “Mamma Mia,” “Smokey Joe’s Café,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Hair” and “Fred Waring & The Pennsylvanians.”
Additional information about the American Prize can be found here.
Belmont University Musical Theatre Wins the American Prize in Musical Theater Performance for Parade
Belmont University’s Musical Theatre performance of “Parade” was recently announced as the 2017-18 winner of The American Prize in Musical Theater Performance. The show was selected from applications reviewed from all across the United States. The American Prize is a series of new, non-profit competitions unique in scope and structure, designed to recognize and reward the best performing artists, ensembles and composers in the US based on submitted recordings. The American Prize was founded in 2009 and is awarded annually in many areas of the performing arts.
Telling the tragic, true story of the trial and lynching story of a man wrongly accused of murder, Parade is brought to theatrical life with soaring music and a heart-wrenching story. The show offers a moral lesson about the dangers of prejudice and ignorance. Belmont’s production ran for four performances in Massey Concert Hall November 2016.
Winners of the Prize receive cash prizes, professional adjudication and regional, national and international recognition based on recorded performances. In addition to monetary rewards and written evaluations from judges, winners are profiled on The American Prize websites, where links will lead to video and audio excerpts of winning performances.
The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts grew from the belief that a great deal of excellent music being made in this country goes unrecognized and unheralded, not only in our major cities, but all across the country: in schools and churches, in colleges and universities, and by community and professional musicians. The Prizes are selected by a panel of judges, representing a variety of backgrounds and experience, including distinguished musicians, professional vocalists, conductors, composers and pianists, tenured professors and orchestra, band and choral musicians.
“Most artists may never win a Grammy award, or a Pulitzer, or a Tony, or perhaps ever even be nominated,” Chief Judge of The American Prize Katz said. “But that does not mean that they are not worthy of recognition and reward. Quality in the arts is not limited to the coasts, or to the familiar names, or only to graduates of a few schools. It is on view all over the United States, if you take the time to look for it. The American Prize exists to encourage and herald that excellence.”
