Students from various majors made their way out to Woods Theatre last Wednesday, Sept. 11, where Monmouth University’s Music Industry III class held open auditions for aspiring artists and bands to be a part of Blue Hawk Record’s eleventh compilation album last at 7 p.m.
The audition had one of the biggest turnouts to date, having almost 20 in attendance, which not only led to so much talent coming through the doors but also five very hard decisions the class as a whole was not prepared to make.
After much deliberation running through the night the group of students decided on five artists and bands who brought an abundance of musical talent and uniqueness to the table.
Freshman Jacke Tripp, freshman Kristen Wilczewski, junior Tim DiDomenico, a band entitled Malibu, and returning veterans, The Nooks, were all chosen to be a part of this experience which is unlike no other that is offered on campus.
“We had a lot of trouble narrowing down the acts to the five final artists for Blue Hawk Record’s eleventh album,” stated junior Erin Clemente who will be working as Wilczewski’s manager during this exciting process.
“Everyone who came out was beyond prepared and auditioned to the best of their ability, leading us to a long discussion that had every member of the panel involved. The process was so difficult because we could have gone in so many directions with this album, but in the end, we were able to choose five amazing artists and bands, each of which who demonstrated their own style and flare, and I truly couldn’t be happier with the outcome,” Clemente continued.
Helping and guiding the Music Industry III class along the way is Department of Music and Theatre chair, Joe Rapolla, who has taught the class a number of times since he began teaching at the university in 2013.
“I have so many expectations for this Music Industry III class. My goal is for the students to apply what they learned and experienced last semester when we created our tenth compilation album Hang Ten and take it to a whole other level while innovating and incorporating new ideas. The music industry is always evolving and it’s doing so in such a dynamic way. We take the information the industry gives us and integrate it into everything we do,” Rapolla said.
All the bands and artists are preparing for the upcoming weeks filled with promotion, recording, and marketing including second-year veterans, The Nooks, who will be performing their song, “Bulldog’s Cage” for the album.
“We are so gracious for the opportunity to be a part of another Blue Hawk Records compilation album,” said senior and singer for The Nooks Amanda McTigue.
Olivia Rohlfs, a senior who plays ukulele and provides backup vocals for the band, continued, “We plan to make the most out of this experience as we did last year. It’s really going to be a great record and everyone should check it out.”
To keep up with Blue Hawk Record’s five new acts and the Music Industry III class be sure to follow Blue Hawk Records on all forms of social media including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Spotify.
Blue Hawk Records plans on having several promotional shows throughout the semester in addition to a release show during the week of Dec. 3.
PHOTO COURTESY of Rachel Disipio
