The phrase “something is happening here” is often heard around Monmouth’s Woods Theatre, where the music industry program is housed, as both a nod to pop culture and a statement of fact. The music industry program is without doubt making things happen that are benefitting students as performers, producers, marketers, and more.

Monmouth is one of only a handful of institutions in the country to offer a concentration in music industry. Few students have this opportunity to study applied music along with the business methods behind music production and distribution.

Driving the energy of the program for the past two years is the chair of the Music and Theatre Arts Department, Joe Rapolla, who himself is a talented musician, music industry veteran, world-class marketer, and a passionate teacher.

But what Rapolla brings most to the students at Monmouth University is his personal charisma and confidence. He has been where students want to be, and he knows how to get them there.

“There are a new economics, a new language, and a new structure to the music business today,” Rapolla said. “The merging of all those elements means students have got to be able to organize, collaborate, and execute the direct exposure of themselves or the artists they will be working with. Students come away from this program knowing they can be in control of their careers.”

Rapolla said that by providing students with direct exposure to what is going on in the music industry today, they will be able to reach and engage audiences across all platforms.  To that end, students at the University can become involved with the student-found and student-run Blue Hawk Records.

Blue Hawk Records is an independent record label and music organization designed to provide music and hands-on experience for the students. Its mission is to equip music industry majors, as well as others in the University, with relevant, real-world experience and familiarize them with the typical workings of different occupations in the music industry. Students are able to capitalize on this specialized experience as they function in performing and recording, talent, scouting, artist promotion and development, live music and record release, as well as artwork, packaging, sales, and marketing.

Music industry graduate, Kitty Dorsey ’13, said, “I chose the music industry concentration because it had exactly what I wanted: music AND business classes in one major. I felt that having both types of classes would prepare me for any role in the music business, whether it’s performance, management, producing, publishing, or marketing.”

And it is that mix of music, entertainment, and business that makes the program exceptional. “As music, media, and new technologies continue to converge, we are continually updating our program to keep pace with the changes that are happening in the business,” said Rapolla.

He added that it is a goal to have students “real world ready” by not only nurturing their creative talents and energy but by also ensuring their critical thinking and networking skills are honed to a sharp edge. “With the growing number of platforms and devices, it is essential to be able to leverage elements like data to improve customer contact and to efficiently spark the interest of music fans,” Rapolla said.

Rapolla is a lover of music and the joys of performance, but he has one eye firmly on the developments that are making up the “new normal” of the industry, and the broadening base of opportunities they are creating.

Tepedino and her classmate worked together to explore Turner’s writing and to understand the critical academic reviews discussing his work. She said Associate Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences Michael Thomas gave her the confidence to face a large audience of Turner fans and share with them their appreciation of, and insights into, his writings.

“It was nerve-wracking but also rewarding,” said Tepedino, who is completing her master’s degree in English at Monmouth while working as a public relations brand manager. “Where else do you get to do something like that as an undergraduate?”

Associate Dean Thomas, who serves as the director of the Visiting Writers Series, said the series provides a vital link between writers and the public. “It provides an arena in which writers and the audience feel more alive, less lonely, and where emotions from joy to suffering can be collectively aired,” he said. “And by hearing these thoughts and feelings revealed, we are given the opportunity to learn how to better inhabit our world.”

Thomas added that, “by far, the largest impact of the Visiting Writers Series on students is in the small, craft workshops and discussions that students get to have with national and internationally recognized creative writers.”

Tepedino agreed. She said throughout her time at Monmouth, she sought out the Visiting Writers Series as a way to be deeply involved in cultural activities that resonate with her interests. As a writer herself, she found that the variety of writers that come to campus is inspiring and helps students focus on their own goals. “It has been eye-opening to be one-on-one with writers whose work and success I admire and also to be in a small group with writers who got me out of my comfort zone.”

As Tepedino learned, the arts at Monmouth are not a sideline experience for passive bystanders. In the performing arts, Monmouth offers pop-up shows, bands to join, musicals and plays to act and sing in, and world-class performers to meet with in small seminars before these artists perform to sold-out audiences.

Additionally, students with an interest in the written word can publish original stories, poems, and critiques in the quarterly Monmouth Review, and can find expression in the exuberance of a one-of-a-kind performance art group that features poetry slams and other interactive expressions.

The visual and fine arts also thrive at Monmouth on the walls of multiple galleries, through meet-and-greets with national and international artists, and in the annual shows that draw acclaim and attention to original work by students and faculty.

These platforms are supported throughout the Monmouth curriculum. Students wishing to embrace the arts academically find thoughtful and involved faculty dedicated to turning dreams into reality and passions into careers.

According to Vaune Peck, associate director of the Center for the Arts, students work with this center in a variety of functions that have led alumni to jobs in the entertainment industry. She said that she has students working in all areas of the production of live performance such as artist relations, stage management, ticket sales, selling artists’ merchandise before and after shows, working with stage managers and crews, dressing room set-up, and more, from small stages to larger arenas.

“All of these work experiences are relevant to finding employment in the arts after our students leave Monmouth,” Peck said. “They get to work with experts and take that expertise into the job market.” She added that students who have worked with the Center for the Arts have found employment as box office managers for live music giant AEG, in broadcast entertainment news, as stage managers, and more.

Liz Rimassa, who currently works in ticket management for AEG after earning her bachelor’s in business administration with a concentration in accounting in 2012 and her MBA in 2014, said, “Working for the Center for the Arts at Pollak Theatre was a rewarding experience. It was a great chance to interact with many talented people and to build lasting relationships with the performers and tour managers that I worked with.”

For students interested in the fine arts, Chair of the Department of Art and Design Andrew Cohen explained that the department as a whole is “committed to providing our students the best possible education.”

“In recent years we have enhanced our digital emphasis. Ranging from animation, to graphic design, to photography, to 3D printing and other directions, students receive a thorough education in both digital and traditional skills,” he said.

Graphic design major Olivia Greco ’14, who is working as a graphic designer and a marketing assistant, said it was the interest shown to her by the faculty that was critical in her progress from student to professional.

“Monmouth’s faculty had a genuine interest in my future and in how I developed as an artist and a human being,” Greco said. “My professors kept my classes current by focusing on changing trends in design, technology, and workplace practices. They were also wonderful mentors, especially when it came to connecting me with internships and jobs opportunities.”

Life outside of the classroom is also active and dynamic with the arts at the core of many student groups, such as Artists for Change, a forum for the exchange of ideas about the world of art and a vehicle for student artists to utilize their abilities. There is also the performance-driven CommWorks, which was established for all students who enjoy and are committed to performance as a means to transform, educate, entertain, and empower both performers and audiences. Boom Roasted Productions, a wholly student-run theatre group, has staged new works by emerging artists and recently presented a production of the musical Rent.

A number of partnerships with local and international theater companies provide access to new works, classic theater, and Broadway productions. Students may purchase discounted tickets to Red Bank’s Two River Theatre throughout the year; view a slate of various productions, from the Metropolitan Opera to Britain’s National Theatre, available on campus in HD; and take trips to Broadway that are affordable, engaging, uplifting, and just fun.

Students Learning from Professional Musicians, Dancers, and Conductors

• Marc Muller performed “Hippy Jazz” at Woods Theatre.
• Catherine Baggs’ dance company “Aries In Flight” performed Ailey Studio Theatre as part of Kat Wildish’s Performing in NY Spotlight Series.
• Bob Boyd (drums) performed at Tim McLoone’s Supper Club in Asbury Park for a benefit concert for the Monmouth County Food Bank and Jazz in the Park in Red Bank.
• David Tripold directed the 2015 All Shore Chorus
• George Wurzbach performed at the University of Maryland with his folk music trio, Modern Man, and with folk legends Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey (of Peter, Paul, & Mary), Chad Mitchell, and Tom Paxton at a tribute concert for Dick Cerri.
• Joe Rapolla performed at the Songwriters by the Sea concert

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