Matt Binford, Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication, and his student in COMM 355 class collaborated with Justin Kennedy, Professor in the School of Music, and his students in the electronic music ensemble to present Velocitties Technology Ensemble Studio Performance on April 25 at the WCU Recording Studio.
The performance was streamed on YouTube and WWCU 95.3.
“It is just exciting to bring live programming back to the radio station after the last few years,” said Binford.
“This collaboration came about after Don Connelly [communication professor], mentioned that we could use a Tieline device to connect the TV studio to the radio station,” said Binford. “It was kind of perfect because it featured all original music produced by Western Students”.
The WCU communication students and staff directed the show.
“Ethan King works for the school of music, and he was the recording engineer for the show”, said Binford. “The show was directed by Veronica Newsome and assistant directed by Ryan Creel. Don Connelly, Bryson Jusko and Luke Grozier handled things at the radio station.”
“I think this is an amazing opportunity for students,” said Binford. “I can see the students enjoy these shows and learn a lot from them. I very much would like to do more of them.”
Kaitlyn Cabaniss, a broadcasting junior student, was also a part of the team and helped run the event.
“I got to learn more about using the equipment and being professional,” said Cabaniss. “This experience taught me how important our job is. There is so much art and creativity to share with the world and we get to share it! We all have unique gifts and talents we get to bring together to create something beautiful. I love seeing everyone excel in what they love and are good at. Working with a team like this just shows you the joy of others. It’s super inspiring.”
Binford, his students and the communication department look forward to more opportunities soon. They hope to be able to do at least one event like this per semester.
The next big project that Binford and his communication students have been planning, is to host a live simulcast on WWCU 95.3 on election night in November of 2024.
Check out the music concert at WCU School of Music – Velocitties Technology Ensemble Studio Performance (youtube.com)