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 328

Classical Pianist Joyce Yang Gives Students Feedback During Master Class

Staff Writer
-
0
Yang shares tips with junior piano performance major Anna Unterreiner
Yang shares tips with junior piano performance major Anna Unterreiner

Internationally renowned classical concert pianist Joyce Yang recently visited Belmont to perform in the annual Woods Piano Concert Series on September 28 in McAfee Concert Hall. The day after, Yang came back to campus to lead a master class of piano students, offering the chance to individually play a piece of music and receive her comments and suggestions for improvement. The master class was also held in McAfee Concert Hall.

Yang is well-known locally and throughout the world for her achievements as a classical concert pianist. She received the silver medal award in the Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2005 and plays roughly 100 concerts each year all over the world. Yang has played several piano concertos with the Nashville Symphony and will be returning to Nashville to play with them again in 2017.

The Woods Piano Concert Series began in 2010 and has allowed Belmont to host a significant classical concert pianist each year since. The pianist comes to campus to perform a solo concert and also teaches a master class with piano students in the School of Music. The series aims to honor the legacy of Merrydale Woods, who was a piano teacher, long-time Nashville resident and the benefactor behind Belmont’s becoming an “All-Steinway School” in 2008.

Band Featuring Two Alumni Plays First Grand Ole Opry Show

Staff Writer
-
0

Contemporary Christian band “Selah,” consisting of Belmont alumni Todd Smith and Allan Hall along with their third member Amy Perry, graced the Grand Ole Opry stage for the first time in their 20-year career on September 23. The line-up included other well-known artists such as Cassadee Pope, Chris Lane, Ricky Skaggs, Striking Matches, Lindsay Ell, The Whites, Connie Smith, Mike Snider and John Conlee. Skaggs introduced Selah to the audience before the band performed songs “Precious Lord, Take My Hand” and “Amazing Grace.”

Over the course of their musical journey, Selah has been awarded eight Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, including five “Inspirational Album of the Year” trophies. The title track of their 2014 album “You Amaze Me” also became the first song to debut at #1 on the Christian Soft AC chart that began archiving in 2006. The trio has sold over 4 million album and single units total. They will be on tour in the U.S. between October 7 and November 19.

Smith said, “Belmont gave me 4 years to understand the music industry while I was pursuing my degree. It was a place where you were encouraged to dream big dreams, a place where you were surrounded by like-minded students who understood your passion and goals. Those years helped prepare me for what I am doing 20 years later.”

To view coverage of Selah’s Grand Ole Opry appearance by MusicRow Magazine, click here.

Pharmacy Students Appointed to American Society of Pharmacists Student Advisory Groups

Hope Buckner
-
0

Fourth year pharmacy students Destin Lenz and Kelsie Graham were appointed to American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists Pharmacy Student Advisory Groups for the 2016 – 2017 year. The Forum has six advisory groups that provide advice and guidance to the forum pertaining to the needs of student members and how to address these needs using ASHP programs and resources.

Lenz is serving on the Community and eCommunication Advisory Group and Graham is serving on the Policy and Legislative Advisory Group.

Kelsie Graham
Kelsie Graham
Destin Lenz
Destin Lenz

Student Gives College Prep Advice to Middle & High School Dancers

Staff Writer
-
0
Student Gives College Prep Advice to Middle & High School Dancers

Shack speaking to ballet studentsBridges to Belmont scholar Summer Shack recently spoke to a local class of middle and high school ballet dancers about getting the most out of both their high school and college experience. Shack spoke at Rejoice School of Ballet, a non-profit dance school that aims to nurture and celebrate dancers from diverse racial, socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.

Shack was invited to speak as part of the school’s “4 Pillars Program,” which aims to promote the well-being of the whole dancer and focuses on the areas of Diversity, Spiritual Formation, Health & Nutrition and Life Skills. She was invited by Belmont alumna and adjunct faculty member Ashlyn Hall, who also works as a faculty member at Rejoice. Shack spoke in the Life Skills area of the program and encouraged students to take advantage of opportunities they are presented with while in high school. She also shared tips on how to prepare for college.

“It was an honor to have Summer at Rejoice,” said Patricia Cross, Executive Director at Rejoice School of Ballet. “At Rejoice, we are telling our dancers that they can achieve their dreams.  We want to help them develop the life skills they need to make the best decisions they can as they grow into empowered young women. Summer and her success embody the message we want our dancers to hear. Our dancers loved spending time with her. She is an inspiring young woman.”

Ramsey Records New Projects

Hope Buckner
-
0
Ramsey Records New Projects

Drew Ramsey, instructor of songwriting, had a busy summer as he spent the majority of his time in California writing, producing and recording the new Jonny Lang project. More recently, Ramsey and his team (including Belmont’s Ocean Way’s Pat McMakin and Ramsey’s production partner Shannon Sanders) created a video with artist Robert Randolph.

Additionally, a song Ramsey co-wrote and co-produced, “Get There,” is being used for the 7th year at New York Knicks home games in Madison Square Garden. Another one of Ramsey’s song, “Take the Party,” is being used by the SEC Network for the 3rd year as the theme song for their show “SEC Nation.” Ramsey and Shannon are in the video for the show’s opening.

Seals Wins Sandra Hutchins Humanities Symposium Writing Contest Poetry Award

Hope Buckner
-
0
Seals Wins Sandra Hutchins Humanities Symposium Writing Contest Poetry Award

img_2763Gabriel Seals, office manager/receptionist for Belmont’s Health Services, recently received first place in poetry in the Sandra Hutchins Humanities Symposium Writing Contest. This award is given to six students each year, two in poetry, two in fiction and two in creative nonfiction, in accordance with Belmont’s Humanities Symposium.

Judges for the event included Dr. Gary McDowell for poetry, Dr. Susan Finch for fiction and Dr. Andrea Stover for creative nonfiction–all faculty members from the English Department. Winners are invited to read their works at a celebratory panel during the Symposium, hosted each fall by the Humanities Departments (English, philosophy and foreign languages). The award is named after Belmont’s retired colleague, Dr. Sandra Hutchins.

Belmont Learning Centers Host ‘Mindful Midterms’ Week

Staff Writer
-
0
Belmont Learning Centers Host ‘Mindful Midterms’ Week

Belmont’s Learning Centers, housed on the first floor of the Janet Ayers Academic Center (JAAC), will be hosting daily events during midterm week to give students moments of peace throughout what is commonly a hectic and stressful time of the semester. One event is scheduled each morning between 8 and 9 a.m. from October 3-7 that will aim to help students slow down and remember to breathe.

The schedule for the week will be as follows:

Monday (10/3): Prayer and Meditation – Math/Science Center -JAAC 1036

Tuesday (10/4): Coloring – Math/Science Center – JAAC 1036

Wednesday (10/5): Yoga – The Lawn

Thursday (10/6):  Origami – Math/Science Center – JAAC 1036

Friday (10/7):  Prayer and Meditation – Math/Science Center – JAAC 1036

Each event will also include snacks, and allow students to come and go as they feel necessary. The Learning Centers hope these events will provide students with the opportunity to clear their minds of chaos and re-focus their mental and spiritual foundations.

Learning Centers Coordinator Michael Hudson described the reasoning that was put behind planning these events. “The general idea came from watching both students and my tutors sort of disappear over exams,” Hudson said. “During midterms, I would often watch these vibrant, exceptional people become isolated and withdrawn, and in turn they would start to doubt themselves and their abilities. This self-doubt got in the way of their successes as much as anything else. I really wanted to create an event and space that allowed students to give themselves permission to disconnect from school and reconnect with themselves, each other and God.”

The Belmont Learning Centers offer free tutoring and group study in math, physics, biology, chemistry, programming, writing and languages to all Belmont students.

Belmont Hosts Pitching 101 Convocation

Hope Buckner
-
0

On Monday, September 19, Belmont hosted a convocation event entitled, “Pitching 101: Get It Heard,” in the Johnson Theater. Belmont welcomed song pluggers Laura Alexander, Lee Krabel, Kenley Flynn and Matt Turner as panelists to speak on the process of pitching songs in the country music industry. The panelists shared their experiences and gave advice on pitching songs to artists. They also engaged with students by answering questions regarding the process of pitching and what kind of songs pluggers are looking for today.

During the event, Alexander discussed the “crazy ride” she has experienced working in the music business. She shared the importance of researching and developing an ear for what artists are looking for and being able to categorize songwriters and song types She also shared that one of the main goals as publishers is to have relationships with artists as they are the ones that make the decisions.

Turner gave great insight that the best songwriters sometimes write the crappiest songs, but they have to write and write and write to get to the great ones. He also agreed with Alexander that the primary part of the song pluggers’ job is to research the artist. He emphasized that one must disregard what they like for what the artist likes and understand which artist fits the song format. Turner then advised students that their job is to meet the young, up and coming producers and build relationships with them to get their foot in the door.

Krabel spoke on the importance of going to venues around Nashville to become acquainted with industry faces and names.

Kenley emphasized the importance of “moments” in a song, whether they be lyrics or melodies. He told students to “get weird with it,” and if they meet the right person, they can break through the noise of the streaming world and make a name for themselves.

Alexander, Krabel, Flynn and Turner described Belmont as a great place for students to build relationships with the people that will eventually be working along side them. They were introduced by Madison Sundquist, senior music business major and the session was moderated by Katie Braile, sophomore audio engineering major.

Curb College Hosts Big Machine’s Kris Lamb

Hope Buckner
-
0

The Curb Seminar, hosted by Belmont’s Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business, welcomed Kris Lamb from Big Machine Label Group to speak about his career in the music industry. Lamb shared his experiences as a student at Belmont and the work he has done since. He also gave insight on working in promotions and how to get radio airplay.

During the event, Lamb discussed his journey into the music industry. Lamb’s first internship was at Curb Records through Belmont and his first job was with Curb Music Publishing where he “worked with a ton of cool cats and really loved publishing.” He was noticed by the industry for his hard work and eventually began working for Lyric Street with many artists including Rascal Flatts and Taylor Swift. He advised students to do everything they can to get recognized and to possess a type of mentality that shows you are going to work hard and passionately.

When asked about working in promotions, Lamb shared that airplay is a ruling factor in the music industry, and to achieve that airplay, the artist must be as exposed as possible. He explained the process as first positioning the product in the best possible light, then going to the program directors in charge of airplay with that product. He stated that each project requires a “different life cycle and different strategy” for getting the artist exposed to the public and radio stations.

Lamb shared that what keeps industries able to evolve is finding artists that are unique and compelling rather than artists that are a derivative of another. He explained that his job is to present promotions as the authority and to plant seeds station to station for artists to grow and get heard. Lamb concluded by telling students to find what they are passionate about, then seek it out and to work hard while paying attention to available opportunities. He was introduced by James Elliot, chair of The Curb College Songwriting Program.

Songwriting Lecturer Contributes to Second Gold Record of His Career

Staff Writer
-
0
Songwriting Lecturer Contributes to Second Gold Record of His Career
Thiele with Daigle at the Gold Record party
Tealy with Daigle at the Gold Record party

Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business Lecturer in Songwriting James Tealy (Thiele) recently received recognition for his contribution to Contemporary Christian artist Lauren Daigle’s album, “How Can It Be.” The album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in August, making it the second album of Tealy’s songwriting career to receive a Gold Award. In order to receive this Gold certification, Daigle’s album had to sell a minimum of 500,000 times. Tealy’s contribution came in the album’s song “I Am Yours,” which he co-wrote with Daigle and several others.

Over the course of Tealy’s career, he has had songs cut by major artists across several different genres. Some of these artists include Josh Wilson, Kari Jobe and Chris August. Tealy has also had some of his songs appear in television programs and films across the globe on networks such as NBC, CBS, Fox Sports and more.

For a longer list of song cuts by Tealy, check out his website.

1...327328329...887Page 328 of 887
Belmont University Logo | News & Media

CONTACT US

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

FOLLOW US

Secret Link