IMPORTANT NOTE: These are the archived stories for Belmont News & Achievements prior to June 26, 2023. To see current stories, click here.

Home Blog Page 302

Community Partnership Benefits Belmont Students, Local Ballet Students

Staff Writer
-
0
Community Partnership Benefits Belmont Students, Local Ballet Students

A community partnership has brought internship, work study and volunteer opportunities to Belmont students while also providing young ballet dancers with lifelong role models. Belmont University has established several connections with local nonprofit Rejoice School of Ballet, an organization dedicated to celebrating dancers from diverse racial, socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. Established in 2000, the school aims to offer high-quality dance lessons to children who are unable to afford classes elsewhere. Since opening its doors, more than 1,200 students have received a dance education from professional faculty that emphasizes diversity and Christian formation.

As a result of the partnership, Rejoice School of Ballet currently has two Belmont student interns who help with an after-school ballet program at Hadley Park Community Center in North Nashville. The school has also employed seven students as teaching assistants through Belmont’s work study program where they assist dance instructors. Additionally, two Belmont Service Year students, a program the University offers that provides students with free housing in exchange for regular volunteer work, have completed their service hours at Rejoice.

Rejoice student dancers practice during a class at the organization's studio.While these connections offer significant opportunities to Belmont students, Rejoice School of Ballet Founding Executive Director Patricia Cross believes that the presence of Belmont students in the school’s dance classes has also been beneficial for her students. “Over the past several years, we have been blessed to have Belmont students as volunteers and teaching assistants. These young people model for our students what the next stage of their life can look like. They are professional and kind. They are dedicated students and community volunteers. They are the kind of young people we are teaching our dancers they can grow up to be,” said Cross.

In addition to having Belmont students involved at several of the School’s four locations, Rejoice will host its annual spring showcase, complete with 140 dancers, at Belmont’s Troutt Theater. “Using the beautiful theater on Belmont’s campus is such a treat for our dancers,” Cross said.  “To have access to a venue as excellent as our training gives our dancers and their families an added sense of accomplishment and pride.”

Rejoice also has two Belmont alumnae on its faculty, Ashlyn Hall and Molly (Thatcher) Robinson, who are both dance minors. Hall teaches ballet, tap and modern classes and is the assistant director of the school’s upcoming ballet, “The Sleeping Beauty.” Robinson teaches tap and strength and conditioning among other classes. She also helps introduce younger students to the world of ballet in an interesting way that encourages participation in the school’s pre-professional training track. In addition to Hall and Robinson, Rejoice’s Administrative Assistant Meghan Lamb is also a Belmont graduate. Lamb volunteered at the school throughout her time at Belmont.

“Belmont has been a faithful partner with Rejoice for many years,” said Cross. “As we work to provide excellent ballet training, the volunteers and staff we have from Belmont have helped us create an environment focused on spiritual formation and excellence for our young dancers.”

For more information on Rejoice School of Ballet and the services it offers, visit its website.

Photographs by permission of Rejoice School of Ballet.

Belmont University Launches New Undergraduate Mock Trial Team

Hope Buckner
-
0
Belmont University Launches New Undergraduate Mock Trial Team

Mock Trial team at Belmont with their coaches and advisorsBelmont University’s first undergraduate American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) team participated at the 2017 Louisville Regional Tournament at Bellarmine University February 24-26 with 21 other teams. The team is sponsored by Interdisciplinary Studies and Global Education. In its debut competition, Belmont’s inaugural team performed admirably in four rounds against seasoned competitors from the University of Tennessee, UAB and MTSU, splitting the first ballot in their first round against UT. Invaluable, complimentary feedback from attorney judges suggested ways to prepare for future tournaments.

“We’re thrilled to give wings to student initiative and add Belmont’s name to the list of prestigious undergraduate institutions that compete in AMTA. It is an excellent co-curricular activity for students who hope to develop presentational and rhetorical skills or to learn through experience about the practices of the justice system that is so integral to our democratic society,” said Dr. Mitch McCoy, Belmont’s coordinator of the minor in legal studies and faculty sponsor of Belmont’s team. “I had the pleasure of watching all four rounds in which Belmont competed and was truly impressed by the dedication and seriousness that each team member showed throughout the three day tournament.”

“The Belmont University Mock Trial Team was able to be founded through the support of some amazing people whose expertise has allowed our team to soar beyond anything that I imagined,” said sophomore philosophy major Blake Simmons, founder of the undergraduate Mock Trial team. “I pitched this team as a way to give back to a school that has given me so much. I have no doubt that our team will continue to grow, thrive, and earn prestige.”

Mock trial is a simulation of lower-court trials in the United States judicial system. AMTA acts as the governing body for intercollegiate mock trial competition and hosts tournaments at universities across the nation to provide opportunities for college students to gain experience for future law careers. Through the trial simulations, students develop critical thinking and public speaking skills, as well as a knowledge of legal practices and procedures.

New to Belmont this year, the undergraduate Mock Trial team is led by Belmont College of Law 1L Margaret Connor who ably coached and offered her congratulations to the team for this first important step in establishing a trajectory toward excellence in AMTA.

Along with Simmons, team members include freshman music business major Matt Nino, sophomore music business major Becca Sweett, freshman motion pictures major Sarah Lancaster, freshman music business major Karl Kleppe and senior music business major Eric Donica.

At tournaments, team members assume the roles of witnesses, counsel for plaintiff or counsel for defendant. Since the team is only notified of which side it will represent just prior to the round, all team members are prepared to take on more than one role.

Chorale Flash Mob Video Goes Viral, Receives Media Mention

Hope Buckner
-
0
Chorale Flash Mob Video Goes Viral, Receives Media Mention

Chorale member singing during the flash mobBelmont University’s Chorale recently posted a video of their flash mob performance of South African hymn “Hlonolofatsa,” a song sung in one of South Africa’s 11 original languages, at a restaurant in Memphis. Within days, the video went viral as more than 400,000 people viewed it on the group’s Facebook page, and more than 1.3 million people saw the post on ChoirBuzz, a facebook page that covers choral news and information from across the country.

After posting the video, Chorale member Emily Kivi received a message from a reporter representing the Daily Sun, a South African newspaper. Upon speaking with Dr. Ames, reporter Abigail Javier published a story covering the group’s performance.

Director of Choral Activities and Associate Professor in the School of Music Dr. Jeffery Ames said he prides himself in the opportunity to expose his students to multicultural music. Taking care to program classical works along with spirituals, concert gospel music or music from other cultures, Ames said the hymn “has a wonderful call and response beginning between the soloist and the choir and is a spectacular addition to any performance.”

The group’s rendition of the hymn illustrates how people of all backgrounds can celebrate each other in powerful ways, Ames said. “This is an amazing example of how music transcends race and ethnicity. I love how this impromptu performance happened at the restaurant. The translation is, ‘Bless everything in the name of the Father,’ and in our current world, we all need to speak blessings more than hatred.”

Afzali and Yi Certify with HIMSS in Healthcare Informatics

Staff Writer
-
0

Afzali's headshotYi's headshotBelmont University College of Pharmacy students Aziz Afzali and Jae Yi recently became certified by examination in the area of health care informatics. The Certified Associate in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CAHIMS), a credential distributed by the Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS), is a health IT certification designed for emerging professionals within the industry. This certification demonstrates knowledge of health IT and management systems, facilitating entry-level careers in health IT. It is designed to be a career pathway to the Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CPHIMS) credential.

Belmont Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Informatics and Analytics Anthony Blash is the sponsor of the CAHIMS certification initiative at Belmont and has created a four-course sequence of classes to prepare pharmacy students for healthcare informatics. The department saw its first student certify at the CAHIMS level in 2015 and expects 20-30 students to certify each year moving forward.

CHSN Faculty, Staff Members Make Music to Support Down Syndrome Association

Staff Writer
-
0
CHSN Faculty, Staff Members Make Music to Support Down Syndrome Association

Michals and Christian at Hotel PrestonDr. Natalie Michaels, associate professor in Belmont’s School of Occupational Therapy and Michal Christian, academic support assistant in the School of Nursing, recently began making music together as a hobby. On February 20, the duo took their act to the community and played a small gig at Hotel Preston in Nashville, donating all their tip money to the Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee. According to Michaels, they played “everything from The Girl from Ipanema to Whitney Houston to Lady Gaga,” and had a blast doing so.

Michaels has been writing music recently and has been playing flute and piano since she was ten years old. Christian is both a professional ballet dancer and musician. The two plan to announce a second gig that will be coming up in a few months and encourage anyone interested in hearing them play to “stay tuned.”

Doctorate Students Present Research at the Tennessee State Capitol

Staff Writer
-
0
Doctorate Students Present Research at the Tennessee State Capitol

Straatmann and Edwards with their research posterThird-year students in Belmont’s Doctoral Program in Occupational Therapy Joseph Straatmann and Emilie Edwards were recently selected to present their research at the Tennessee State Capitol as a part of Graduate Week. Straatmann and Edwards presented their research project to state legislators, Tennessee college deans and the Nashville community. Other colleges represented included UT-Martin, UT-Knoxville, Vanderbilt and Austin Peay.

“The primary focus of this poster presentation was to highlight the work that graduate programs were doing across the state,” said Straatmann. “We met wonderful people from all the local universities and had a chance to talk about our research. Not only did we present our poster, but we were able to network with many individuals in the Nashville community and universities.  We received great feedback and tips for future research projects and how we can improve on what we’ve done.”

Straatmann has been impressed with the opportunities he has received within the School of Occupational Therapy since his arrival at Belmont over two years ago. “As a member of the Belmont occupational therapy program, I have had opportunities to present at numerous conferences here in Tennessee, national conferences in other states and even international conferences that pass through Nashville. Our program, as well as Belmont, does a great job of allowing multiple ways for students to become active members in the community.”

Steven Curtis Chapman Shares Faith Story with Packed Student Audience

Staff Writer
-
0
Steven Curtis Chapman Shares Faith Story with Packed Student Audience

A five-time GRAMMY Award winner and recipient of 58 Dove Awards, Christian singer-songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman recently took time out of his busy schedule to speak to Belmont students about his faith journey and the important lessons that have come from it. His discussion came just four days before a group of students will be traveling to China to serve at Maria’s Big House of Hope, a care center that Chapman started in memory of his adopted daughter Maria that offers medical attention to orphans with acute medical and special needs. The mission trip, held over the University’s spring break, is the 3rd one that has given students the opportunity to serve at Chapman’s organization.

Chapman began his discussion by reminiscing on the year he spent at Belmont as a student before his music career took off 30 years ago. He reflected on the lessons he learned from his experience in Nashville and from the people he met including Chair of Belmont’s Songwriting Department James Elliott, who played a pivotal role in helping Chapman achieve his first record deal.

“Some of the most incredible friendships and relationships that helped me to do the things I wanted to do began here,” Chapman said of Belmont.

The focus of his talk then centered on the idea of finding beauty and faith in broken and unfixable places. He discussed how his parents planned to have him in a last-ditch effort to save their broken marriage and how that shaped him into being a “fixer” for the rest of his life. With that mentality came the frustration of realizing that there were some situations that would prove to be “unfixable.” However, Chapman argued that it is in the midst of those seemingly hopeless situations that he found the strongest connection to his faith.

“It has been the most broken places, the most unfixable places, where I’ve experienced God in the most incredible ways,” said Chapman.

He brought up the fact that the majority of his songs have also come out of broken places, giving the example of a song about two of his adopted daughters, titled “Cinderella,” as a work that would never have existed if his daughters hadn’t been abandoned by their own parents and placed in his life. He also mentioned the song “I Will Be There,” often called his most beautiful, and how it was written about his parents’ temptation to divorce. Chapman argued that instead of asking God why there is brokenness in the world and cursing Him for letting bad things happen, we should be asking ourselves what it means to be alive in a broken world and how we should engage with it. There will always be tragedies in the world, but it is ultimately our choice when deciding how we will respond to them.

Chapman’s visit ended with him praying over the students who are about to embark to his organization overseas and with an acoustic rendition of his song “My Redeemer is Faithful and True,” which he co-wrote with Elliott.

Curb Hosts Conversation with Reba’s Business, Inc. Vice President of Creative and Marketing

Hope Buckner
-
0

On Friday, February 24, Belmont hosted a curb seminar featuring alumnus Justin McIntosh, vice president of creative and marketing for Reba’s Business, Inc. McIntosh shared his experiences at Belmont and how they shaped him for his career today, experiences working with Reba McEntire and how students should approach a career in the music industry.

McIntosh said arts were a big part of his education growing up and that’s what led him to Belmont. He shared that the foundation Belmont gave him made his career so much better. ServiceCore gave him the opportunity to volunteer and intern with influential people in the industry while showcase experience prepared him for producing shows as a professional working for artists like Reba. He stated that you get that experience at Belmont of having to work with people and learning that it’s not about “whose” idea it was but “which idea is best.”

McIntosh shared that Reba’s brand extends beyond music which sets her up for success for years to come. He said that she is a true professional–always showing up ten minutes early and never taking bait the media may throw her way. He shared that  Reba lives by the motto, “There is never an ‘I,’ it’s ‘we.’”

He said that consumers today are savvy enough to know when an artist is being authentic, and that people long for a genuine, authentic relationship with an artist, especially in country music. He also shared that at the end of the day, working for an artist is a sacred space. He said for him to be able to do his job well, there has to be trust.

McIntosh shared that if you want to work in this industry, you have to love it and have a passion for the music. He advised students to never lose being a fan because it will keep you inspired. He said that this approach changes the perspective to “What would a fan want to see?” or “What would make me excited in this show?”

The session concluded with McIntosh advising students to show up, be eager and not be afraid to take risks. He said that you have to be flexible and able to take risks because the industry will continue to change. He shared that you have to be intentional about forming relationships because as people work together, they are better prepared for the changes to come. This event was moderated by Dan Keen, professor of music business.

 

Students Work the GRAMMYs

Hope Buckner
-
0
Students Work the GRAMMYs

This year, Belmont Service Corps took 16 students and two faculty advisors to Los Angeles to work the 59th annual GRAMMY Awards. While onn the five-day trip, students worked Radio Remotes for Westwood One, the Red Carpets for Music Cares and the GRAMMY Awards through Rogers and Cohen.  This was Service Corps 16th consecutive year working music’s biggest night.

Maddy Sundquist, a senior music business major, said, “It was a great trip! The opportunity to meet industry people in different genres from all over the country is an experience you can’t replicate. We’re all so thankful Belmont can give us this opportunity that no other school can.”

Belmont Hosts Largest Homecoming To Date

Hope Buckner
-
0
Belmont Hosts Largest Homecoming To Date
Tailgate on the Lawn
Tailgate on the Lawn

Belmont welcomed the largest group of people in the institution’s history at last week’s homecoming festivities. Following individual class reunions, a huge tailgate at the tower–complete with BBQ and all the fixings, student organization meet-ups and more, both the men’s and women’s basketball teams took on Tennessee State University and came out on top with scores of 87-71 and 68-63, respectively. The women’s game brought the largest crowd in the history of women’s basketball on Belmont’s campus.

Leading up to Saturday’s happenings, homecoming celebrations were held all week long across campus. On Mission Monday, Aaron Bryant from Avenue South spoke on missions and service and a concert by the Faculty Brass Quintet was held. T-Shirt Tuesday offered students the opportunity to ‘give a shirt, get a shirt’ as they donated gently used t-shirts in exchange for this year’s homecoming shirt.

Homecoming smores in Harrington Place Dining
Homecoming smores in Harrington Place Dining

WOW Wednesday, a newly created day of surprises, included pop-up events across campus all day as senior leaders served popcorn in the Beaman Student Life Center, the University Staff Advisory Council handed out doughnuts in Massey Business Center and staff member and Belmont legend Antonio performed a concert in Harrington Place Dining, among other things. Thank You Thursday gave a nod to Bruin4Bruins, a fundraising initiative launched on Saturday that seeks to raise $150,000 for the student experience. Faculty, staff and students signed a banner to thank donors, in advance, for their kindness.

FANtastic Friday asked all of campus to wear their Bruin finest as they celebrated the end of the week. Belmont’s baseball and softball team played at Rose Park and a homecoming pep rally was held in the Beaman. The day ended with the annual Homecoming Concert and a young alumni social at Desanos Pizza Bakery

For galleries of images from each event, click here.

1...301302303...888Page 302 of 888
Belmont University Logo | News & Media

CONTACT US

University Marketing and Communications
615-460-6650
communication@belmont.edu

FOLLOW US