National Public Radio (NPR)’s Stephen Thompson and Bob Boilen were at a coffee shop in Manhattan when they heard a band warming up in the back. Though the broadcasters had never heard of The Kopecky Family Band, both Boilen and Thompson decided to stay and listen.
The Belmont University-born band was impressive as Thompson wrote on NPR.com: “We found ourselves sticking around for an entire set – the Kopeckys’ sweet, swollen songs kept blooming into something we couldn’t resist.”
Although some of the youngest band members just graduated from Belmont in May 2011, the band has been very busy recently performing at South by Southwest (SXSW), Bonnaroo and other venues as well as being chosen as a No. 1 pick by College Music Journal (CMJ). This week the group is also featured as a “Tiny Desk Concert” on NPR.com—Tiny Desk Concerts are video performances, recorded live at the desk of “All Songs Considered” host Bob Boilen at the NPR Music office in Washington, D.C.
All seven members met at Belmont and thrive off making the unique music their listeners enjoy. Band member Gabe Simon says it’s important to keep their sound diverse. “As much as we want to make great music, we want to be different,” he said. “We want to make it special.”
To hear music and learn more about The Kopecky Family Band, visit www.kopeckyfamilyband.com.
Alumni The Kopecky Family Band Featured on NPR
Alumnus Wins at Startup Weekend EDU
Belmont alumnius Joseph Mosby’s entrepreneurship team was chosen as the best out of 13 teams (about 100 potential entrepreneurs) at Kauffman Foundation’s “San Francisco Startup Weekend EDU.”
Startup Weekends are 54-hour events held around the world where developers, designers, marketers, product managers and startup enthusiasts come together to share ideas, form teams, build products and launch startup businesses. Mosby, who graduated from Belmont with a finance degree in 2009 and a Masters of Accountancy in 2011, and the rest of the participants took part in a “Startup Weekend” based solely around educational technology ideas. It was one of the first times in Startup’s history where a specific theme was defined.
Mosby’s team developed demolesson.com, a way to revolutionize the K-12 teacher hiring process based on the belief that the best way to find the best teachers is to watch them teach. Teachers can upload videos of themselves in the classroom in order to not only enhance their resume but also to give schools a better idea of how they function in a typical classroom setting.
“Belmont’s professors, regardless of whether they specialized in entrepreneurship or not, taught me to go out and make things happen; shake things up for myself. They taught me how to push past my comfort zone. That knowledge, combined with the quality technical and leadership skills I learned in the Belmont tenure, helped my team succeed,” said Mosby.
Student Jeff Jenkins Competes Tuesday on NBC Hit Show ‘The Voice’
Belmont senior and Texas native Jeff Jenkins is excited to sing his way into becoming America’s first “Voice.” After a long audition process, Jenkins will appear in the first round of live performances airing nationally on NBC June 14 with the rest of his teammates.
Hosted by Carson Daly, “The Voice” features four celebrity coaches–Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Maroon 5’s Adam Levine and Blake Shelton–leading their teams in weekly vocal performance contests. Jenkins, a communication studies major and music business minor who has already made it into the show’s Top 16, will compete live on national television Tuesday night with the three other members of Levine’s team and the four members of Cee Lo Green’s team. After the performance America will vote: the contestant with the most number of votes from each team will automatically be safe for the next week; the celebrity coach will then have the opportunity to hand select a second contestant to save from his team.
Although the process has been grueling, Jenkins said he is thankful for his chance to be seen by America, have his talent heard and receive positive response. In fact, the response has been so positive that Entertainment Weekly has already declared Jenkins is the contestant to beat.
“I still don’t realize any of this is real. I’m just Jeff. To have the support in Nashville, where everybody ‘plays and sings’, to have that support – that’s a big deal,” Jenkins said. “This is where I’ve always wanted to be, where I want to be headed and I’m already there.”
The winner of the show will be awarded a $100,000 recording contract with Universal Republic as well as $100,000 cash. If Jenkins wins the “Voice” title, he said he will start a charity to support children with cancer and other illnesses and open a place where “kids can go to just be who they are, normal kids.”
Music Business Students Choose Song for ‘American Idol’ Scotty McCreery
The work of 10 Belmont students bore its fruits this summer when a track from their album of uncut songs was chosen to be recorded by 2011 “American Idol” Scotty McCreery. The song, “Out of Summertime,” is expected to be released as the second radio single from McCreery’s debut album following “I Love You This Big,” which had the highest Billboard Hot Country chart debut for a new artist’s first single since 1990.
“It feels awesome and exciting to know that we worked on this all semester and to know that a group of students can have such a great accomplishment,” said Jordan Ureckis, who graduated from Belmont in May and is now working at Sony/ATV Music Publishing. “It is kind of like a dream come true, and it makes me excited for my future song placements because I am an aspiring song plugger.”
Ureckis was among the group of then- juniors and seniors in Belmont’s music business program who spent their spring semester on BMI’s Catalog Cast working with Nashville music publishers to give uncut tracks a second chance on Music Row.The spring 2011 BMI Catalog Cast included: Jimmy Chapin, Nathan Drake, Cameron Hail, Madison Hardy, Richard Patci, Dan Storm, Colleen Taylor, Jordan Ureckis, Megan Wagner and Hailey Whitters.
On their first day, students split into five teams of two and gathered compilation CDs of uncut songs and back-catalog tracks from Music Row publishing companies. The group met every Wednesday during the spring semester to present their favorite songs to each other and narrowed more than 1,000 tracks down into a 10-track compilation album of potential hits.
“The whole goal of the Cast was one big project to make a compilation CD. For weeks we presented these songs that we thought were hits and talked about why and which singers we could see using them,” said Megan Wagner, a rising senior and aspiring publisher.
OT Students Present Research Findings at AOTA Meeting
Three graduating students in the doctoral program for occupational therapy presented research findings this spring at the annual conference of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). Jessica Henry, Rebekah Cooper and Cheryl Smith (pictured left to right) joined with faculty members Dr. Yvette Hachtel and Dr. Christine Manville to present their project, entitled “Perceptions of Persons With Acquired Spinal Cord Injuries Regarding Rehabilitation Experiences”.
The study investigated the views of injured persons to determine how well their rehabilitation programs prepared them for discharge. Four themes were identified as being important considerations for rehabilitation practitioners: gaining perspective, community, honoring the individual and sensitive material.
New Director of General Education Appointed
Dr. Alison Moore, associate professor of chemistry, has been appointed director of general education at Belmont. Dr. Moore has been at Belmont since 2004 serving with distinction as a teacher, advisor, mentor to new faculty and a faculty leader. In the application process for this position she demonstrated strong understanding of the philosophical foundations and practical applications of the BELL Core. Associate Provost, Dr. Jimmy Davis said, “We express deep appreciation for Dr. Moore’s willingness to serve the Belmont community of learners in this important role.”
Dr. Moore attended Transylvania University for her undergraduate degree and received her Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati. Prior to her arrival at Belmont she spent two years as a post-doctoral fellow at Boston University.
Belmont Book Award Presented at ICMC
At the International Country Music Conference, held last weekend at Belmont University, the Belmont Book Award for the best book on country music was presented to Bar Biszick-Lockwood for her book, Restless Giant: The Life and Times of Jean Aberbach & Hill and Range Songs, and the Lifetime Achievement Award “for linking books and country music” was presented to Ralph Emery by Don Cusic, founder and chair of the Belmont Book Awards. Pictured, left to right, are Don Cusic, Bar Biszick-Lockwood and Ralph Emery.
Belmont Professor Published in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education
Andy Webster in the School of Pharmacy co-authored an article published in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education. The paper is titled Pharmacy Faculty Workplace Issues: Findings From the 2009-2010 Council of Deans – Council of Faculties Joint Task Force on Faculty Workforce. Many factors contribute to the vitality of an individual faculty member, a department and an entire academic organization. Some of the relationships among these factors are well understood, but many questions remain unanswered.
The authors examined the literature on faculty workforce issues. They identified and focused on 4 unique but interrelated concepts: organizational culture/climate, role of the department chair, faculty recruitment and retention, and mentoring. Among all 4 resides the need to consider issues of intergenerational, intercultural, and gender dynamics.
Al-Shamma Presents Paper at Chicago Theatre Symposium
Dr. James Al-Shamma, Department of Theatre and Dance, presented a paper at the Chicago Theatre Symposium at Columbia College in Chicago on May 19. It was titled “Sarah Ruhl’s Chicago Roots: Improvisation and Literary Adaptation.”
Belmont Professor Named Tennessee Music Teachers’ Association Composer of the Year
Mark Volker, Belmont’s coordinator of composition and a School of Music professor, was named 2011’s Tennessee Music Teachers’ Association Composer of the Year. Volker was chosen by a committee that worked with the theory-composition chairman after professors were nominated by their local associations. Following the nomination the committee receives a submission of scores, a tape and other information on the candidate.
The selection process is made on the basis of excellence by the composer and contributions to musical composition throughout Tennessee. The award includes a commission to compose a piece for the Tennessee Music Teachers’ Association convention held next summer and consideration for the national composer of the year award.
