Belmont songwriting professor Jodi Marr collaborated with songwriters Erin Kinsey and Victoria Shaw to co-write the song “PINK,” which will aid breast cancer research. The song features five artists including Dolly Parton, Sara Evans, Monica, Jordin Sparks and Rita Wilson.
Funds from the song benefit Susan G. Komen, the world’s leading breast cancer research organization. To read the full article on Music Row’s website, click here.
Belmont Professor of Musicology Dr. Virginia Lamothe has a chapter published in the book “Companion to Music at the Habsburg Courts in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries.” Dr. Lamothe’s chapter is entitled “A Tale of Two Entrate: Processions, Politics and Patronage for the Hapsburgs in Sixteenth and Seventeenth-Century Rome.”
The book, published by Brill and edited by Andrew Weaver, discusses two “royal entrances” for members of the ruling Habsburg family made in Rome nearly a century apart. The two entrances describe Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in 1536 and Imperial Ambassador Prince Johann Fürst von Eggenberg and 1638.
With interests in seventeenth-century opera, vaudeville and early musicals, Dr. Lamothe teaches history courses in classical music, popular music and First-Year Seminar. To see more of her published pieces, click here.
Assistant Professor of Psychology Dr. Timothy Schoenfeld recently published a research article in the journal Hippocampus entitled, “Adult neurogenesis alters response to an aversive distractor in a labyrinth maze without affecting spatial learning and memory.”
As a teacher of Animal Learning and Conditioning and Physiological Psychology primarily, he wrote this article to determine the function of newborn neurons in the brain.
He shared that the brain creates new neurons in adulthood and it is theorized that these new neurons are important for learning and memory. In these experiments, Dr. Schoenfeld used a genetically modified rat that can “turn off” the creation of new neurons and found that these rats were no worse at solving a complicated labyrinth maze.
However, in the presence of an aversive odor, peppermint, they were less distracted by its presence than the rats with adequate new neurons. This all suggests that new neurons in the brain are helpful for paying attention to and evaluating important signals in the environment for potential threats, implying a greater role than just simple learning and memory.
To read Dr. Schoenfeld’s full article in the Hippocampus journal, click here.
Belmont alumnus Johnny Cloherty is finding success with his Nashville-based music tech startup Songfluencer. Founded in 2018, Songfluencer uses data-driven technology to earn music success on TikTok. The proprietary app pairs songs with hand-picked social media influencers in Songfluencer’s network, who then create compelling content that exposes these songs to millions of followers, with the goal of generating click-throughs to digital streaming providers such as Spotify, Apple Music and other platforms. Songfluencer’s recent feature in Rolling Stone highlights the data-driven strategies that have launched success for artists.
Cloherty graduated from Belmont in 2013 with a major in creative and entertainment industries (formerly known as entertainment industries studies) and a minor in music business. During his time at Belmont he was a proud member of the leadership committee for Belmont’s Showcase Series, serving as production manager of the Rock Showcase in 2012 and associate producer of the Best of the Best Showcase in 2013. He was also the music supervisor for Fall Follies 2013 and was a part of the pilot class for the Happy Together Tour with Mark Volman.
“Belmont was really a massive catalyst for me. Prior to coming to Belmont, I really had no idea what the entertainment industry was. Through interning and participating in extracurricular activities while attending Belmont, I learned so much about the depth of it and fell in love with the chaos of it all,” Cloherty said.
After graduation, Cloherty’s work revolved around digital innovation, social media and management. Through these experiences, he became fascinated with how digital marketing would continue to evolve and dominate conversations in entertainment. With a closer understanding of how marketing and promotion impacted fan acquisition, Cloherty realized that managers and labels desperately needed a service that helped execute influencer marketing campaigns for their artists. He decided to fulfill his entrepreneurial spirit and soon launched Songfluencer.
Songfluencer’s mission is to promote music and breakout artists. The company has been fortunate to be a part of artist teams that helped more than 100 artists reach viral charts. Cloherty also has a passion for live entertainment and hopes to one day find the intersection of influencers and live entertainment, believing that Songfluencer has the potential to be a trailblazer in that space, as well.
“Belmont fosters a culture of creativity and out-of-the-box thinking that my company requires,” Cloherty said. All of Songfluencer’s full-time staff consists of Belmont alumni. Through working with these alumni and through his own personal experience, Cloherty recognizes the value of Belmont’s education experience. Looking back on his college experience, Cloherty appreciates the emphasis professors and faculty, especially those in Curb College, placed on networking, extracurricular involvement and internships. He explained there is so much about the entertainment space that a student simply can’t learn in a classroom.
To current students, Cloherty shared, “Those that know me know my number one rule is to break the rules! I think too often we follow paths that are comfortable, convenient or serve others’ expectations of us. This is your life. Live it on your terms. Find out as early as you can what you want out of your career. Not ‘what you want to be when you grow up,’ but what you want. Maybe you can’t make up your mind and be that specific. Then start placing an emphasis on discovering what you don’t want. Then (pro tip here!) imagine where you want to be in 5, 10 or 20 years and make that plan. There are no boundaries or rules except the rules you bestow upon yourself. So, break the rules!”
Kimberly Breeden, a graduate of Belmont’s MSOT Bridge program, is currently serving as one of the founding partners of Aspire OT. Her company’s mission is to “empower passionate occupational therapy practitioners through affordable continuing education courses,” which are hosted by other occupational therapy practitioners.
In addition to her successful business, Breeden has also developed her professional education experience by taking on the roles of co-author, contributing author, mentor, guest lecturer and instructor for continuing education workshops across the nation.
Breeden had been working as an OTA for the previous 18 years when she was accepted into the Bridge program. She credited the program with “making me fall in love with occupational therapy again,” and shared how her courses prepared her to take the reigns on an OT program based on biopsychosocial and self-management approaches.
Her business, Aspire OT, has also created an innovative State Association Partnership Program that allows state occupational therapy associations to provide virtual conferences and other online continuing education opportunities to their members without placing a financial or man-power burden on the associations.
Aspire OT currently partners with the Tennessee Occupational Therapy Association, Nebraska Occupational Therapy Association and Arizona Occupational Therapy Association. To see more about Aspire OT, visit their website.
Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International, joined the Belmont community for a conversation on the heart of the organization’s commitment to create a world where there is a home for everyone and their mission to bring people together. In this event hosted by the Office of Spiritual Development as a part of the Debate 2020 Programming, Reckford shared insight from his experience on the critical importance of housing on all aspects of society including health, education and racial equity.
Reckford recognized that during a time of political unrest and polarizing views, picking sides often leads people to defend the indefensible and refuse to see the good in those who do not see things exactly the same way. But he also recognized that we have the opportunity to do better, promoting truth over tribe and civil bipartisan discourse.
“Transformation, like every positive action, happens in relationship,” Reckford said. At Habitat for Humanity, Reckford has witnessed on countless occasions the transformation that occurs from relationships of ordinary people who come together from around the world to help families build or improve their homes. Though these people do not agree on every topic, they all care deeply about the work and are motivated by their faith.
Habitat for Humanity has helped more than 7 million people in the last year alone. Habitat for Humanity believes every child is created in God’s image and should have the opportunity to grow up to be all that God intended. Many people are familiar with the volunteer opportunities to participate in building homes, but fewer people know that the organization was created by a committed group of people desiring to live out their Christian faith, loving one another in a tangible way. Being both faithful and inclusive are key values of the organization.
Reckford was strongly influenced by his grandmother, U.S. Congresswoman Millicent Fenwick, who was widely known for her unconventional fight for social justice. He described her imposing presence, always challenging him to be useful. While Reckford took many directions to find his path to usefulness, he said there is nothing he would rather be doing than working with Habitat for Humanity, despite difficult days along the way.
Since he began his role as CEO in 2005, Reckford has experienced both the triumphs of success stories and impactful experiences and the struggles of the realities they face. Along with the systemic issues the organization works to fight on poverty and affordable housing, natural disasters over the years have also drastically changed the organization’s ideas of what is possible and upscaled their work. He described the way these catastrophes strip our pretenses away, often forcing connection and community in the way people come together to take care of their neighbors in recovering. Reckford noted the opportunity we all have to live in this way of community, service and love that we experience during tragedy at all times, even the mundane days.
Reckford’s prayer is that the world will choose this model of loving and serving to live every day. When we help each other, we get a glimpse of the kingdom of God.
“My grandmother wanted me to be useful because she knew my life would be better and brighter, and I would more fully experience a world of hope when I had genuine compassion for others, because I need to feel that connection. We all do,” Reckford said. Through every trial, each of us is called to be a light in the darkness. Reckford encouraged the Belmont community to consider how they will be useful and make the world a better place, a reminder that while our individual efforts will make a difference, our collective efforts can change the world.
Belmont’s annual St. Jude Fundraiser, Up ‘til Dawn, is the campus’ main fundraiser that allows students to get involved in raising money for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. In the 2019-2020 academic year previous to COVID-19, the campus organizations collaborated together and raised a total of $138,434.
Due to this academic year’s fundraiser amount, Belmont was announced as one of St. Jude’s Top 5 Fundraising Schools in the country for their outstanding donation. In five years, the students at Belmont have been honored with more than 20 awards from both the University and AlSAC/St. Jude recognizing them for fundraising, leadership and programming.
Since the beginning of the partnership in 2015, Belmont has raised $650,000 for the children of St. Jude. Belmont Students “have helped ensure that no family receives a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food,” shared Ryan Kunkel, Senior Vice President of Field Development at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Typically each year the University hosts a fundraising event titled ‘Up til Dawn where students can participate in an all-night event filled with games, inflatables and challenges. However, due to the pandemic, the organization had to adjust their means of fundraising.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic means that there will be a shift in order to ensure safety for students, Meghan Westbury, the University’s advisor for Up til’ Dawn, shared that the team is still dedicated to hosting an exciting and engaging fundraiser. This year, the team is dedicated to using the organization’s mission creatively to still increase student engagement in a mission that is larger than themselves.
While this year’s Bruin Lead sessions posed their own challenges in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, faculty and graduate students successfully facilitated leadership workshops for all Belmont students.
Between the two options, nearly 60 students challenged how they practiced and viewed leadership. Students were able to come together via Zoom to learn and practice exemplary leadership using the Student Leadership Challenge by James Kouzes and Barry Posner.
As Zoom continues to play a key role in our current education it certainly allowed facilitators and BOLD to keep the energy alive among students and challenge them to think boldly and organically. For example, students were given the task to acknowledge themselves and their personal goals.
Two students reflected on their Model the Way experiences, one of which is anonymously quoted saying, “Something that stuck with me the most was the premise that I need to strengthen my own personal values before I can express them to others and lead them. It was something I had always struggled with, and BOLD gave me ways to actually go about strengthening them.”
Another student anonymously said, “I have really been challenged to reflect on the Model the Way leadership type. It was my lowest scoring one and I want to take the time this semester to make sure my actions match my values. I want to work on taking and using constructive criticism better.” Bruin Lead and the Student Leadership Challenge gave leaders the ability to acknowledge themselves as an individual first and move on to them as a part of a group.
Facilitators took advantage of Zoom Breakout Rooms for students to work in small groups where they clarified their values and goals as an individual. By modeling the way, students were able to move into inspiring a shared vision, to challenge the process, enable others to act and finally to encourage the heart (the five practices covered in the Bruin Lead curriculum).
As defined by BOLD, leadership at Belmont University is, “A values-driven process of individuals from diverse backgrounds working together to boldly and ethically engage and transform the world.”
Bruin Lead’s overall hope for 2020 is that students take the leadership behaviors that are proven to bring out their best self and work and use it to transform the world. BOLD’s next major event is the Leadership Lately series on November 9.
BOLD is also hosting a self-paced online training program called The Beat – Belmont Ethics and Accountability Training virtually until December 10 for leaders through their Blackboard account. Students can join the BOLD experience in Bruin Link.
To contact the BOLD office, email bold@belmont.edu with any questions.
Belmont musical theatre alumnus Hampton Bishop launched his company HKBalloons NYC in 2015 and has seen growing success. HKBalloons NYC mixes art and entertainment, most notably providing balloon sculptures and bouquets for companies, events and shows.
After graduating from Belmont in 2011, Bishop began his career in musical theatre, pursuing opportunities at the Tennessee theme park Dollywood and eventually moving to New York City, the musical theatre capital of the world, to further his career on stage. Although Bishop found success in musical theatre, he also needed additional income. Determined to continue pursuing his passion for visual and performing arts, he decided to pick back up his first passion of balloon sculpting.
He began by twisting balloons in Central Park for tips and soon realized he could do so much more. Bishop then launched HKBalloons NYC. While balloons were always a part of Bishop’s life, from learning in grade school to creating designs during high school and college, he never dreamed they could become his stable income and career. After just a few years in business, HKBalloons NYC had clients including Too Faced Cosmetics, World Dance Championship and Saturday Night Live, where his company created the set design for the Jonas Brothers’ musical performance.
Many of the skills and values Bishop learned while studying musical theatre at Belmont have equipped him to be a successful entrepreneur. Musical theatre taught him about making good impressions in an audition, being kind and respecting others and the space you’re in. These are things Bishop tries to implement with every client and venue he works with today. Bishop hopes to create a stage show with balloon puppets and sets to use balloons to get back to his theatre roots. Bishop’s background in theatre and music, along with his eye for design and production, allow his company to provide unique sculptural installations that serve as functional décor and art.
To current students, Bishop says, “My advice would be to enjoy your time at Belmont. The relationships and people you meet will last for a lifetime. Also be willing to pivot. Being able to pivot and change ‘the path’ that you’re on is not always a bad thing. You may think that you have set out to do one thing, but you can find happiness in another.”
HKBalloons NYC provides sculptures, bouquets, covered ceilings, custom prints, videos, LED lighting, large inflatables and fantasy flowers. Visit hkballoonsnyc.com to view recent work and learn more.
In conjunction with the final Presidential Debate being hosted by Belmont University, middle school and high school students enrolled in Metro Nashville Public Schools were invited to enter the Presidential Debate Essay Contest.
First place winning essays were published in the Tennessean, and winners were also invited to provide a video of themselves reading their essays or excerpts to share publicly. Winners also had the opportunity for a behind-the-scenes tour of the Belmont Presidential Debate grounds (pictured here), in addition to receiving monetary prizes.
The winners are:
High School:
Middle School:
Each of the winning essays are available to read on Belmont’s Debate website.
