Belmont University’s Department of Songwriting recently put on their annual back to school event at Historic Columbia Studio A, part of Belmont’s campus on Music Row. The department welcomed 107 freshman and transfer students in Fall 2019, bringing the total number of songwriting majors to nearly 350.
Marcus Hummon speaking to students
Hosted by Songwriting Chair James Elliott and other faculty, the evening included a performance by 2019 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Inductee Marcus Hummon. The Grammy Award winning songwriter performed the number one song “Cowboy Take Me Away” that he co-wrote with Martie Seidel of the Dixie Chicks.
Another highlight of the evening was the warm welcome from several graduates of the Songwriting Program who have all signed major music publishing deals: Anna Vaus (Black River Music Publishing & CAA), Emily Falvey (Smack Songs) and Emily Weisband (This Music & Warner Brothers Records).
Drew Ramsey, Anna Vaus and James I. Elliott
The alumnae told the students about their experiences at Belmont and how it prepared them for their emerging careers as songwriters and artists. There were also a few performances from songwriting majors who studied on the Month in London program.
Country superstar and Belmont alumna Trisha Yearwoodwill host the 10th annual “CMA Country Christmas,” the two-hour music celebration that airs on ABC during the holiday season. In addition to her hosting duties, Yearwood will also perform on the Christmas special, taking the stage for a night filled with Christmas classics and festive one-of-a-kind collaborations.
Joining Yearwood for “CMA Country Christmas” are Kristin Chenoweth, for KING & COUNTRY, Chris Janson, Tori Kelly, Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts, Runaway June, CeCe Winans, Brett Young and Chris Young.
“Music, memories and enjoying the season with loved ones are what make Christmastime so special,” said Yearwood. “Hosting ‘CMA Country Christmas’ is an opportunity to share joy and celebrate the holidays with friends and family everywhere.”
“CMA Country Christmas” will be taped Wednesday, Sept. 25 at Belmont University’s Curb Event Center in Nashville. Tickets go on sale to the public this Friday, Sept. 6 at 10 AM/CT at CMAChristmas.com/tickets.
“CMA Country Christmas” is a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton is the Executive Producer, Paul Miller is the Director, and Jon Macks is the writer.
The Star-Spangled Banner was once a staple on local television stations, signifying the beginning or end of the broadcast day. Nexstar is restoring this long-held tradition across 171 stations in 100 markets, beginning on Labor Day.
The new singer/songwriter series will showcase multiple renditions of the National Anthem by BMI’s emerging talented songwriters who recorded their own unique versions of the Star-Spangled Banner at Belmont University’s Ocean Way Studios. Nexstar will leverage its leading distribution capabilities to deliver professionally produced music video recordings of the National Anthem to more than 43 million television households across the United States.
“Nexstar’s local teams take great pride in their ability to bring the local communities they serve together and that is why we are excited to partner with BMI and Belmont University to broadcast this new daily series featuring the Star-Spangled Banner that will air 365 days of each year,” stated Tim Busch, president of Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. “This unique collaboration supports higher education in business for the music and entertainment industry, while providing aspiring professional artists and songwriters a national distribution platform to showcase their respective talents. We look forward to returning the time-honored tradition of including the National Anthem in our stations’ broadcasts with this new partnership.”
The first group of songwriters to be featured include Nashville-based Brian Sutherland, Texas native Kristen Kelly and 2018 American Idol contestant Julia Cole. All musical genres will be highlighted during the series.
“This unique partnership gives BMI’s songwriters a wonderful platform to showcase their vocal talent to viewers across the country,” said Dan Spears, vice president of industry relations at BMI. “We’re thrilled that Belmont University’s Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business has generously provided its state-of-the-art recording studio, as well. I’m looking forward to hearing how our songwriters perform their own special rendition of one of the nation’s most beloved patriotic songs.”
School of Music alumnus Eric Hurt was named this week as the new vice president of A&R for EMPIRE, the San Francisco-based indie that’s home to current albums by Snoop Dogg, Iggy Azalea, Robin Thicke and Young Dolph. The label has launched a Nashville outpost with plans to release music by a slate of country artists.
Eric Hurt is tasked with signing and developing new talent in Nashville. Country artist Willie Jones arrives along with Hurt. Hurt had previously signed Jones to Black River Publishing, where he worked beginning in June 2017 and oversaw a catalog that boasted multiple hits.
Hurt reports directly to EMPIRE CEO and founder Ghazi Shami, who said, “EMPIRE is built on culture and authenticity. As we expand into country music, we believe Eric fits our company ethos and is an integral part of Nashville’s vibrant music industry. We look forward to empowering country music singers and songwriters for years to come.”
“I couldn’t be more excited to join the team at EMPIRE,” added Hurt. “Ghazi’s forward-thinking approach to launching and supporting artists will be a great addition to the Nashville market. As we continue building Willie Jones’ career, we’ll also grow and develop our roster in country with a diverse group of talent.”
Sandra Dudley, assistant professor of commercial voice, will return to the University of Fredonia, her alma mater, to perform at the 50th Anniversary Gala Performance for the Rockefeller Art Center. Dudley was selected to represent the 1980s graduates and sing in the program with a professional band.
Dudley studied classical voice at University of Fredonia and also performed jazz there from 1979-1983. She received her Master’s in Voice from the Eastman School of Music in 1985. Dudley is beginning her 25th year teaching at Belmont University in the College of Music and Performing Arts.
“I am thrilled to be going back to my alma mater to perform as part of this celebration,” shared Dudley. “I received a top notch education from Fredonia which then led me to countless professional opportunities. I am so looking forward to this wonderful experience.”
Arnie Malham believes in three concepts that can separate a good business from a great business: individual growth, abundance for the whole team and reverse paranoia, or the belief that the universe wants you to succeed.
Joining
Belmont as the Jack C. Massey College of Business Entrepreneur in Residence for
the 2019-2020 school year, Malham’s 24-year journey to build three businesses
was anchored by his willingness to “get it wrong enough to finally get it
right.”
In a convocation event held on campus, Malham gave advice for
students and young entrepreneurs on building a remarkable company culture and
growing from every mistake.
After being fired in 1994, Malham took his small side venture and made it his career, without a clue as to how to run a company. Armed with his belief that different is better than good, outliers are fascinating and mind-set is everything, he persevered. Thanks to countless business books and dozens of mentors, Malham put the momentum behind his company through a bold, culture-first approach.
He told students that outliers start to explain things going right in a business. They are opporunties nobody else sees. While the clients at cj Advertising were less glamorous than other ad agencies, the culture Malham built kept employees around for a long time. His company paid employees to read, sent birthday cards and money to their children and focused on training them to be the best in their field. He even used an anonymous tip line to find out his team wanted better toilet paper, and he made it happen.
cj Advertising grew to become the largest full-service brand-building agency in the country exclusively for law firms. Along the way, Malham also launched a call center named Legal Intake Professionals (LIP) in 2005 that was also strictly focused on serving personal injury law firms. Both businesses were sold to separate buyers in 2017, and Arnie turned all of his attention toward a concept that played a huge role in creating the successful culture of growth at both cj and LIP: BetterBookClub.com.
As Belmont’s Entrepreneur in Residence, Malham will be available to give one-on-one advising to students as they begin or continue in their entrepreneurial endeavors. He will also support other entrepreneurial programs in the Massey College of Business throughout the year. A seasoned entrepreneur rooted in Nashville, Malham will also act as a connector between Belmont and the larger Nashville community by bringing in speakers, connecting students with mentors and getting students engaged in other entrepreneurial events in the area.
“My goal as
Entrepreneur in Residence is not to have the students learn from my mistakes,
but rather to help them discover the compounding value of learning from their
own mistakes while on their unique paths to personal and professional success,”
said Malham. “I’m honored to be a small part of the ever increasing success and
influence of Belmont’s Center for Entrepreneurship.”
Belmont has two EIRs each year, and Dan Hogan will continue his role from last year. Both he and Malham are available to meet with any student (of any major) for office hours in the Hatchery. They provide guidance on any question the students may have related to starting a business.
Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship Elizabeth Gortmaker said it is a tremendous resource to have seasoned entrepreneurs provide this hands-on mentorship and allow the students to meet with someone from the community on a regular basis.
Elizabeth Gortmaker Talks to students about Center for Entrepreneurship
“Dan and Arnie are both very involved in Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) of Nashville. They both have great success stories and a huge heart for giving back to students and supporting young entrepreneurs,” she said. “After several meetings with Arnie, it became clear that he had the expertise and the heart for supporting our young entrepreneurs.”
A list of
Malham’s additional achievements include:
Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year, Regional Finalist – 2009
EO Nashville Chapter, President – 2009
DiJulius Secret Service Summit, highest-rated speaker in event history – 2012
EO Entrepreneurial Masters Program – 2012
Nashville Business Journal’s Best in Business Awards winner – 2012
EO Nerve (regional conference), Learning Chair – 2015
Published “Worth Doing Wrong: The Quest to Build a Culture That Rocks” – 2016
Nashville Business Journal’s Most Admired CEOs and Their Companies award winner – 2017
Malham said,
“I’m excited about the opportunity to help these talented business leaders of
tomorrow cheer for others, embrace the concept of a rising tide raising all ships
and open their minds to a universe conspiring to help them succeed.”
Belmont University’s 18th annual Humanities Symposium will take place Sept. 15–23 with all events in Janet Ayers Academic Center on Belmont University’s campus. This year’s topic, “Mankind and the Moon: Inspiration, Aspiration and Imagination,” was inspired by this year’s 50th anniversary of the moon landing.
Aspiring to cultivate a campus conversation about our topic, and as talk of missions to Mars and returns to the moon percolates, this year’s symposium gives us a chance to look to the future, even as we contemplate the long past of our fascination with space and the moon.
Presentations by Belmont faculty and guest speakers have an interdisciplinary range, as seen in the program. This year’s topic also allows a broad exploration of the relationship between the humanities and the sciences, and of how imagination and space flight, poetry and science have built a pathway between humans and the moon.
The keynote talk will be by Dr. Noel Boyle. Presentations and panels with special guest speakers include:
Dr. James Hansen, author of First Man, the authorized biography of Neil Armstrong
Dr. Rhea Seddon, space shuttle astronaut, surgeon and health care leader, and member of the first class of women astronauts
Professor Margaret Lazarus Dean, chair of creative writing at University of Tennessee Knoxville
Dr. Wyman Williams, chief of the Space Systems Office, Georgia Tech University
Dr. Robert Scherrer, chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University
Professors Mark Schoon and Casey McGuire, Department of Art, University of West Georgia
English Professor Marcia McDonald shared, “In addition to our stellar lineup of guest speakers and faculty, we have outstanding contributions from Belmont students as well, including presentations on moon soundscapes from Oregon, the moon in Chinese culture, the moon in contemporary popular culture, a panel by the Science and Religion Club, as well as an open discussion led by Philologoi, the Philosophy Club.”
As a prelude to the Symposium, the School of Humanities sponsors a film series. This year’s series includes films ranging from a 1929 German film to the 2018 First Man.
More details are provided about the symposium on Belmont’s
website. Most of this year’s events offer convocation credit and are listed
in the Belmont Calendar.
The article explores how bacteria isolated from dogwood trees can be used as an effective biological control agent in the fight against powdery mildew disease.
Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology is an
international journal which publishes the results of scientific research and
other information relevant to the discipline of plant pathology as review
papers, research articles, notes and disease reports.
There wasn’t an open seat in the Massey Performing Arts Center (MPAC) this morning as students packed into the venue to hear from alumnus Josh Turner, speaking on his faith and career for today’s Chapel. The event opened with videos of Turner performing and speaking about his most recent release, 2018’s “I Serve a Savior.”
In an interview with Vice President for Spiritual Development Dr. Todd Lake, Turner then reflected on his Belmont experience and lessons he learned while in college. As a senior in high school, he suffered a vocal injury that led to a year of vocal rest. He was not allowed to sing except for in his classical voice lessons, a struggle for someone who grew up loving country music and who dreamed of making it his full-time career.
“I was having to overcome a physical injury. I would go to my apartment and just be exhausted vocally. My future hinged on the health of my voice, and I thought my future was out the window. The ironic thing is that God had a plan for it all.”
One day while sitting in the MPAC basement, Turner tried to sing a Randy Travis song, testing how his recovery was progressing. “That vocal injury was a blessing in disguise. My voice was healing, and the hard work was paying off. My voice sounded better than before the injury.”
Turner also recounted the story of writing his signature song, “Long Black Train,” a song born at Belmont and inspired during a walk across campus after listening to a Hank Williams box set in Bunch Library. After playing the song for a few friends and at both his junior and senior recital, “Long Black Train” became his entry into the music business. In fact, he recalled one particular class with Dr. Clyde Rolston in which the girl sitting in front of him shared his demo with a publisher, ultimately leading to his first record deal, while the girl sitting behind him took on even greater meaning in his life.
“I always tell people the greatest thing about Belmont for me is that I got a record deal and a wife out of the same class.”
Lake then prodded him to share advice for the 900+ students in the audience, and Turner mentioned a lesson he learned recently from watching the “Spider-Man: Homecoming” movie.
“At one point Tony Stark said to Peter Parker, ‘If you’re nothing without the suit, then you don’t deserve the suit.’ That got me thinking that this Marvel stuff is pretty deep. I knew who I was before I got a record deal. I didn’t necessarily need the ‘suit.’ I feel like God’s given me that suit for a reason.”
“There are people out there looking for hope, for peace, for something to pull them out of the pit… If I let them see Jesus in me, they are going to see the way, the truth and the life. What I’m doing has a meaning and a purpose.”
Belmont Basketball fans were invited to come out last night for the 2019 Belmont Basketball Schedule Release party in the Vince Gill Room of the Curb Event Center.
Last season, the women’s team joined UConn as the only other team in the nation to win its last four conference championships. The Bruins will continue to challenge themselves this season with a challenging non-conference slate that features eight institutions who competed in postseason tournaments last season.
The Bruins non-conference schedule highlights matchups with six teams ranked 75th or better in RPI to end last season, as they finish out the year with their traditional 18-game OVC schedule. Read more and view the women’s schedule.
Having won 17 conference championships since 2006 – third-most nationally over that span behind only Gonzaga and Kansas – Belmont’s men’s team stands among the most accomplished and tradition-rich programs in America.
Annually playing one of the nation’s most demanding schedules, the Bruins’ slate for this season features 12 contests against teams who received postseason invitations a year ago, including five against programs with a Top 60 final NET ranking. Read more and view the men’s schedule.
