Dr. Ron Gilbert, director of Media Production Services at Lee University, took a group of music and telecommunications students on a tour of the Nashville production scene. Dr. Gilbert makes the trip for every session of his Music Recording Industry class, but this summer was particularly noteworthy as current students encountered Lee alumni in the business.
Dr. Gilbert’s class is taken by many telecommunications and music business students who are interested in pursuing a career in music production and recording. Many of these students are pursuing an emphasis in Music Business, which is offered collaboratively by the School of Music, the Departments of Business and Communication and the Arts. The degree was launched in 2002 to provide multidisciplinary instruction to students desiring careers as performers, managers or entrepreneurs in music business.
The group met with Leah LaRocco, class of 2003, who works in Member Services at the Recording Academy, the organization responsible for the Grammy awards. They also met with Christian Williams, class of 2010, at Brentwood Benson Music Publishing.
These are only two of the many Lee alumni who have made a name in the music business. Others include Mark Harris, class of 1986, who has put out 12 albums with the group 4Him, as well as two solo projects. Lee alum music producer and saxophonist Gabriel Bello’s recent self-titled release has appeared on Billboard’s jazz album chart for six weeks, currently at #2. Nathan Chapman, class of 2001, has produced noteworthy albums and won the 2010 Grammy for album of the year with Taylor Swift’s Fearless. Phil Stacey (2002) and Jermaine Purifory (2010) caught the nation’s attention in the 2007 and 2010 seasons of “American Idol”, and Voices of Lee made it to the finale of NBC’s “Sing-Off” in 2009.
As part of the Nashville tour last fall, Lee students met with alum Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts. He hosted the students at Blackbird Studio and arranged for a discussion panel including producer Dann Huff, writer and producer Neil Thrasher, and recording engineer and producer Marty Williams.
Dr. Gilbert and other faculty members continue to collaborate with music companies to place Lee students in excellent internships, developing the relationship between the university and the music production world. The broad foundation for Lee’s music business and telecommunications degrees are serving students well, as talented alumni have gone into performance, writing, production, and recording in the Nashville scene.
For more information about Lee University’s telecommunications program, visit www.leeuniversity.edu/academics/arts-science/communications.