Fun and Finals?!

Last blog entry of fall semester! I can't believe that I'm finally going home on Friday. In a way I don't really want to because I'm going to miss everyone so much. It's going to be weird going into my living room to watch television and not have anyone come out and join me (besides family). I didn't think I had too much to tell you about because I've been studying like a crazy person for the past two weeks, but I do have some things! Lately, my floormates and I have become really close friends. We all study in our lounge together until the late hours of the night. Last Tuesday night, it was snowing so hard that you couldn't even see outside and there was about 3 inches of snow on the ground! It was 4:30am and I was studying in the lounge with three of my floormates and we all needed a study break at that point, so we suited up and went outside to play in the snow. We ran around and made snow angels, threw snowballs, and did a little bit of sledding. The late night security guard thought we were all a bunch of crazy girls. It's now one of my favorite college memories/experiences. After all, I'm not going to remember every single test I took and what grades I got in which class. I'm going to remember all those times that I did crazy things with friends at 4:30am. In more floor news, we were bored so we created a twitter! We update it daily with funny quotes and activities we're doing. Our newest activity is Jesery Shore night. Every Thursday we get together and watch the "Jersey Shore" on MTV together and eat snacks.

Other than that, I've just been studying. Today I turned in a 16-page journal, three research projects, and took two finals! I have one final and a paper left and then I'm good to go. I can't wait to see what new adventures next semester will bring, so keep reading! Happy Holidays :)

Forever Orange,
Jenna

Holiday Parties and Music Festivities!

Hello all! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. I had an interesting Thanksgiving because I stayed here all break. It was like a little ghost town, but the few people that were left in the building and I played games, hung out, and did tons of homework. I also went to two basketball games and had court side seats in the student section! I even got to talk to a lot of the players. I had a good time and I survived so I think I'll stay here over Thanksgiving break next year too.

This past Friday, December 4, my sorority and the fraternity we have joint relations with (Kappa Kappa Psi) hosted our annual Holiday Party. It was held at a really nice venue downtown called the Wellington House. It was a great way to get together and end the semester. Everyone dressed up nicely, had delicious little appetizers, and danced the night away. Afterward, some of the brothers threw an after party so we continued our holiday fun into the wee hours of the morning. The next day, we all went ice skating together at the ice rink here on south campus, Tennity Pavilion. It was free to skate and $4 for a skate rental. Since it was 10:30am we were the only ones there which was great! We skated until about 12pm. I only fell once because one of the brothers decided it was a good idea to drag me along behind him. Later that night (Saturday), I got together with a few of my classmates and we studied for our World Music final, which is this Thursday. We took a study break and went to our friend's house off campus who was throwing a little holiday party. We danced and drank hot apple cider and hot chocolate. It was a great day.

Sunday, as a mini-rush event for my sorority, myself and three other sisters took two of our prospective members to the science center downtown, the MOST. It was a lot of fun. The best part was when we went into the jungle/play area structure and were playing in the ball pit with all of these younger kids and they thought it was funny to collect all the balls and throw them at "the teenagers". After, we got coffee and dessert at Starbucks. Later that day I had my studio flute recital. I played a piece by French composer, Busser. The recital went really well and I was pleased with my performance. Almost half of the people from my program came out to support me. It was such a great feeling!

After such a busy weekend I have a lot of studying to do since this is the last week of classes before finals. I have five finals, which is crazy. I can't wait for winter break, but I'm really going to miss everyone when I won't be able to see them for an entire month.

Forever Orange,
Jenna

MySlice.

Hey all! There's not too much going on right now besides tons of exams because Thanksgiving Break is in six days! I have a studio recording exam Thursday, a music industry exam and research project on Friday, and a Personality exam on Monday. I've decided not to go home this year for break because I have a lot of work I need to get done and I can do that better at school than at home. There are always a lot of people who stay around during the holiday. In the band, some of the people who stay here host Thanksgiving dinner, so I'm going to do that so I don't spend the holiday alone!

I just finished my scheduling for next semester and it went really well. It's so strange figuring out what to take for the spring semester when I'm not even finished with this semester yet! I was able to get into all the classes I wanted and at all the times I wanted. The program we use for scheduling, among other things, is MySlice. First, you meet with your advisor and go over what the requirements are and establish a plan of action. Once you do that, you log onto MySlice and browse courses in the course catalog. You pick the sections and class times you want and then you can put those items in your "shopping cart". On your specific enrollment date, you go to your "shopping cart", click enroll, and then your registered! It's really easy. Here's a glimpse at what my life will be like next semester:

Monday/Wednesday:
10:35am-11:30am: Music Industry II
12:45pm-2:05pm: Principles and Practices-Television, Radio and Film
2:15pm-3:35pm: Brain and Behavior

(music industry and principles and practices are required)

Tuesday:
9:30am-10:50am: Music Industry and the Media
11:00am-12:20pm: Presentational Speaking
2:00pm-3:20pm: Accounting
6:45pm-8:00pm: Music Industry Forum/Soyars Leadership Lecture Series
(these are all required classes)

Thursday:
9:30am-10:50am: Music Industry and the Media
11:00am-12:20pm: Presentational Speaking
12:30pm-1:50pm: Convocation
2:00pm-3:20pm: Accounting
(all are required)

Friday:
10:35am-11:30am: Music Industry II

I'm also taking flute and piano lessons. This is a total of 20 credits, which is one credit over the maximum limit. Overall, the classes seem like they will be pretty interesting.

Have a fantastic Thanksgiving and make sure to go on Facebook and become a fan of the Syracuse University-College of Visual and Performing Arts page.

Forever Orange,
Jenna

Akon, Sara Bareilles, Marty Bandier...Oh My!

Hello all! I have two exciting things to talk about. The first being the guest speakers we had last night in our Thursday night class, Soyars Leadership Lecture Series. We had a fantastic panel which included recording artists Akon and Sara Bareilles, Martin Bandier, and Rob Light. They were not able to attend our class because they were in Los Angeles with students from our program who are studying abroad in the L.A. semester, so it was done via video conference. Akon and Sara talked a lot about how they got into the music business and how they picked the team of people who worked behind them. It was interesting to finally be able to hear about the perspective of the artist, because usually we focus on the business behind the music. I was able to learn a lot and apply this information to the artist that I'm currently managing. Rob Light talked about working his way to the top and how much being a Syracuse Alum truly benefited him in the industry. It reassured me that Syracuse has such a strong alumni force within the industry and that I will be able to use those connections in the future. Martin Bandier, of course, was a fantastic speaker. It's always great to be able to have interaction with the creator of the program that I am helping to build. Basically, this was the most fantastic panel of the semester and I was able to learn a lot. Also, I forgot to mention that last Thursday we had Dave Holmes, the manager of Coldplay. He was very informative and he knew a lot about the artist management business. He also created his own management company! He said that he would be happy to give any one of us internships in the future. What a great opportunity that would be!

Today I worked in the recording studio for a project we have to do for our studio recording class. Our assignment was to form groups and then record two projects in the studio and mix and master the tracks. Today we recorded a guitar and bass player, drums, two rappers, and a vocal. The song we chose to do was a version of the song "The Seed 2.0" by The Roots. First, when we go in the studio we have to figure out which microphones we need to use for each different instrument and then we have to set it up. It's great to be able to apply the information I learned in the classroom to real life situations. After we then go into the control room and set up the Pro Tools system and then record. We ran into a little technical issue today because there was a power surge which turned all of the speakers off. Eventually we figured out the problem and were able to finish our session. We had the studio from 1pm-5pm. On Sunday, we have to go back to the studio because since we have our tracks recorded all we need to do is mix and master them. I didn't really know how to use Pro Tools or anything before taking this class, but doing this project is really helping me get acclimated to working in the studio and all the technology that is involved.

I have a lot of exams coming in the next few weeks because Thanksgiving break is quickly approaching (7 school days!) and teachers like to get in all of the exams before the holiday. Once I make it through that, the semester is almost over! I'll keep you updated as always.

Forever Orange,

Jenna

Artist on the Brink

Hey all! I hope you all had a "spooktacular" Halloween weekend. This weekend was pretty awesome for me. There was a football game this weekend against Cincinnati and all SU students were able to get free admission to the game so there was such a good crowd! A lot of people at the game dressed up because there was a costume contest, so it was really interesting to see what kind of crazy costumes people were wearing. I think my favorite was "Ernie Davis"; he wore a mask of Ernie from Sesame Street with the number "44" jersey.

Recently, in my music industry class I met a kid who is a fantastic singer/songwriter. He approached myself and another person in my class about managing his career. We've been working really hard to get him shows to play and really get his name out there on campus. This past Monday night was the Artist on the Brink Auditions for an opportunity to get signed to our very own school/student run record label Marshall Street Records. We got our "client" a spot in the show and he did such a fantastic job performing. The audition concert was held in a little underground cafe in the Schine Student Center called the Jabberwocky Cafe. It was a great opportunity to hear all of the talented student musicians. I really hope he gets signed to Marshall Street Records. Check out his MySpace and hear local SU talent. www.myspace.com/lukeaaronwygodny.

I'm really excited for our Thursday night class tomorrow because the speaker is Dave Holmes, manager of Coldplay! I'll definitely keep you posted.

Forever Orange,

Jenna

Blossoming in Bandier-Jenna

Hey future Oranges! Welcome to my blog. My name is Jenna Loadman and I am a sophomore in the Bandier Program. My hometown is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I decided to come to Syracuse after being accepted in the Bandier Program. I always wanted to have a role in the music industry, but I didn't want to be a music major. I was specifically interested in the business side of the industry. After coming to Syracuse for a music industry audition, I was able to learn about the new Bandier Program and decided that it was a perfect fit for my interests. I can learn about how the industry functions while still keeping up with my instruments by taking flute and piano lessons, but in a less formal setting. Bandier wasn't the only thing that attracted me to Syracuse. Syracuse University is a beautiful campus and had a lot of student activities that I could be involved in. I joined the marching band, "The Pride of the Orange." So far it is one of my most favorite activities. Recently, we performed our Michael Jackson halftime show where we did the "Thriller" dance. Receiving a standing ovation from a few thousands fans in the Carrier Dome was one of the highlights of my year. Last year, we were able to travel to Toronto,Canada and play a halftime show at the Buffalo Bills game! We practice a lot: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday from 7p-9p and Saturday game days. The practices are worth it because it's just like hanging out with your closest friends for two hours. I'm also actively involved in the marching band sorority, Tau Beta Sigma. This is where I've met some of my best friends and future housemates! We do a lot of community service not only for the band, but for the Syracuse community. Another activity that I am involved in is Orange Pulse Dance Troupe. It is a non-auditioned dance group. I am in intermediate ballet and advanced jazz. Since there are all different levels of dance experience, you can join what fits your skill level. I'm really looking forward to our recital in the spring. I live in a dorm on campus and I'm involved in the Community Council. We plan all of the events for the dorm and help make dorm living a lot more fun and exciting. I also take an exercise class at the gym once a week. It's a fun way to keep off that "freshmen fifteen" and release a little stress! That's my introduction, so as you can probably tell, I have a pretty busy life here on campus so look forward to some exciting posts in the future! I'll keep you updated every step of the way.

Forever Orange,

Jenna