{"id":40802230001,"date":"2021-07-01T14:16:43","date_gmt":"2021-07-01T18:16:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/mca\/?p=40802230001"},"modified":"2021-11-09T10:56:38","modified_gmt":"2021-11-09T15:56:38","slug":"monmouth-university-artists-celebrate-diversity-inclusion-with-new-release","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/mca\/monmouth-university-artists-celebrate-diversity-inclusion-with-new-release\/","title":{"rendered":"Monmouth University Artists Celebrate Diversity & Inclusion with New Record Release – Order Your Copy Now!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Current and former Monmouth University students are the featured artists a new album celebrating diversity and inclusion that debuted on June 30, 2021. Recorded and produced by Monmouth Artists for Diversity (MADI),<\/strong> this new collaborative effort emerged from Blue Hawk Records,<\/a> Monmouth University\u2019s student-run record label, and was supported by the Office of the Provost and the University\u2019s Intercultural Center with a Diversity Innovation Grant<\/a> (DIG).<\/p>\n

ABOUT THE PROJECT:<\/strong>
\nThe goal of the DIG initiative is to provide encouragement and financial support to members of the campus community who want to take an active role in the University\u2019s shared commitment to promoting diversity and acceptance. Acting on the opportunity, Lawrence Jones, a former New Jersey Superior Court judge and adjunct professor of political science, approached Music & Theatre Department Chair Joe Rapolla about co-sponsoring a proposal to establish Monmouth Artists for Diversity & Inclusion (MADI) through DIG funding. Along with Rapolla and Jones, the faculty team also includes Rashida Cruz, an adjunct professor in the Music and Theatre Arts Department who teaches business of music and experiential learning music industry internship courses. Rapolla said the central idea of MADI is to evoke and inspire the imagination of the Monmouth University community in a way that promulgates diversity, inclusion, and cultural awareness through music, spoken word, and art.\u00a0 As part of this project, a diverse student advisory panel worked in close collaboration with the faculty team to oversee both the selection of music and the production of the MADI release, as well as related promotional activities.<\/p>\n

“An important goal in creating MADI was to provide students with a forum for artistic expression and public commentary on critical social issues facing our nation today,” said Jones. “The University’s support has been invaluable to the process of helping to transform the idea of MADI into a reality, and as a result, students from different backgrounds came together to share their talents and personal experiences in a highly creative and educational way, and are now launching MADI’s amazing debut album,” he said. \u201cIt seems both serendipitous and entirely fitting that our faculty team heard the mixes for the first time on Juneteenth, during African American Music Appreciation Month,\u201d Cruz said of the project. Rapolla said the entire Monmouth community, including students, alumni, employees, and friends, were invited to submit any work they felt was in solidarity with overall concept of celebrating diversity and inclusion through art. \u201cThe MADI team carefully deliberated over the pool of submissions, selecting songs that conveyed powerful and healing messages and met the requirements of the grant,\u201d Rapolla said. Working within a compressed time frame, the MADI team met regularly to see that the songs were well-composed, produced and distributed, all while developing media assets for marketing and promotion. The final product includes five original works, including one remix and one spoken word, that will appear on the \u201cMADI Volume One\u201d compilation.<\/p>\n

THE MADI TEAM:
\n<\/strong>Joe Rapolla – Chair, Department of Music and Theatre Arts<\/em>
\nRashida Scott-Cruz – Adjunct Professor, Department of Music and Theatre Arts<\/em>
\nLawrence Jones – Adjunct Professor, Political Science<\/em>
\nEzrah Archie ’22
\nWilliam “BJ” Biedbach ’21
\nKendall Brighton ’22
\nKayla Booker ’22
\nHasan Chambers ’22
\nBen Davis ’22
\nMichelle Etienne’ 22
\nAmanda Hayes ’24
\nShadiyah Jai ’21
\nConnor Rupp’ 22
\nVic Tartara ’22
\nMax Wolf ’22
\nConnor Hansan, Adjunct Professor, Department of Music and Theatre Arts<\/em>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

ORDER A COPY NOW:<\/strong>
\nLimited Edition 10\u201d vinyl a<\/i>vailable here: <\/i>https:\/\/qrates.com\/projects\/24504-madi-volume-one<\/a><\/p>\n

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
\n<\/strong>Jena\u00e9 Louis-Jacques<\/strong> – No Different
\n<\/em>Jena\u00e9 is a second-generation Jamaican-American singer, songwriter, and actress based in New Jersey. Since the age of three, Jena\u00e9 has been singing and has immersed herself in the world of performing arts ever since. She plays piano, trumpet and recently started teaching herself to play the ukulele. Currently attending Monmouth University as a dual major in Mathematics and Music Industry, Jena\u00e9 strives to use her talents as a tool to make a difference in her surrounding communities and hopes to one day be known as an artist who has successfully created a difference in the world.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n