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.”

(more…)

Belmont Students to Represent U.S. In Red Bull Global Drumming Competition

Rising Belmont seniors Andrew Bellisle and Vinay Shroff, both percussionists and students in the university’s School of Music, will represent the United States at the Red Bull Tum Tum Pa World Finals in Rio De Janeiro June 8-12 after winning local and regional competitions.
This unique Red Bull Tum Tum Pa competition, where students use everyday classroom materials to create organic rhythmic sounds, is the first of its kind. Over 386 teams competed on college campuses around the U.S. in March and April. Five were chosen to compete against an elite squad of drummers from 32 countries in Rio de Janeiro on June 11, when a jury will award the Best Beat Performance.
In the first round of the competition, Bellisle and Shroff, competing as team “Coffee and Cream,” performed a cover of Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” and an original composition at Nashville’s Café Coco (click here to view video of their first round performance). Judges graded the competitors based on rhythm, creativity and audience response. After their spot-on cover, complete with Shroff blowing into a half-full can to create the song’s “Snoooooop” noise, the duo earned the highest score and made it to regionals. The duo won the regional competition after they received the most online votes in the Southeastern Conference and were selected to be one of five national finalists by a group of judges.
With permission and support from many at Belmont, as well as the Nashville-area representative for Red Bull marketing, the two students filmed their official competition video in Belmont’s Hitch Science Building chemistry lab. Belmont’s Red Bull Student Representatives Kirk Slawek and Matt Shaw helped film the video, while Belmont student Kenny House recorded audio. Red Bull’s local marketing head, Lisa Gracey, is helping to promote the duo.
The official video is on Red Bull’s website, and click here to view photos from the filming session.

Martha Ingram Honored With Belmont Applause Award

Pictured at right: Martha Ingram receiving Applause Award from Belmont President Bob Fisher
The School of Music at Belmont University honored arts supporter Martha Ingram with the Applause Award at the annual President’s Concert Saturday, April 21, 2007. The Applause Award is given annually to a person or organization who has greatly benefited the arts community in Nashville. The President’s Concert honored the leadership of President Fisher and celebrated the talent and diversity of the School of Music at Belmont.
Ingram has been widely recognized as a leader in business, civic organizations and the arts. Ingram currently serves on the boards of the Nashville Ballet, the Nashville Opera Association, Tennessee Repertory Theatre and is chairman of the Nashville Symphony Association board of directors and the KeyBoard for Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music.
Ingram and her family are supporters of Belmont and the College of Visual and Performing Arts. The Ingram Scholars program and the Ingram Diversity Leadership Scholarship provide Belmont student recipients with an academically challenging education that prepares them to engage and transform the world with intelligence, compassion, courage and faith.
Previous Applause Award honorees are: ASCAP, Eddy Arnold, Chet Atkins, BMI, Patricia Taylor Bullard, Cheekwood Botannical Garden and Museum of Art, James Cotham, Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Vince Gill and Amy Grant, Donna Hilley, Ronn Huff, Nashville Ballet, Nashville Opera, Nashville Symphony, Barbara Massey Rogers, SESAC, Kenneth Schermerhorn, Tennessee Repertory Theatre, Jerry Warren and Sam Wilson.

Moser Publishes New Book on Music Copyright Law

Moser on Music Copyright, a new in-depth analysis of copyright law and its application to the music industry by David Moser, Associate Professor in the Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business at Belmont University, has been published by ArtistPro/Thomson Course Technology. Moser on Music Copyright provides musicians, songwriters, and others involved in the music industry with a thorough understanding of copyright law. Understanding copyright law is particularly relevant today, as Internet file sharing and other new ways of distributing music have made front-page news headlines.

(more…)

Commercial Music Showcase Feature Best From School of Music

The Belmont University School of Music will present its 14th Annual Commercial Music Showcase on Monday, February 6, 2006 at 6:00 p.m. in Massey Concert Hall. The free, one hour concert features the best solo performers, arrangers, instrumentalists, background vocalists and crew in the Commercial Music Program. The performers were chosen from 55 students who auditioned in September in front of music industry professionals for one of five coveted showcase spots.

(more…)