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Warm yellow lights lined the stage as student performers of all genres sang into a microphone and strummed their guitars. For some, it was their first performance, while for others, the feeling of stage lights was familiar.

Either way, the audience watched, silently captivated.

This opportunity to perform original songs was courtesy of Syracuse University professor Jeffrey Rodgers’ course, HNR 340: Inside the Words and Music.

“There is a lot of talent on campus that a lot of people may not be aware of,” Rodgers said. “We like to put a spotlight on that for people.”

The course, which is offered only during the fall semester, meets for three hours each week. Rodgers first implemented the Songwriter Showcase as an assignment for the class in 2009. This year, a class of 15 students orchestrated the production for its 17th anniversary.

Monday’s show in Slocum Auditorium consisted of nine performers. The singers shared the stage in groups of three, performing music that ranged from pop and rock to folk and country. Guitarists and drummers accompanied some performers.

Marley Cohen, a sophomore English and history major, said students in the course began planning the show in early October, when Rodgers sent out a form for students to apply for different roles. Everything for the show was planned, produced and organized by the class, Rodgers said.

Students’ responsibilities for the show included outreach, graphic design, copywriting, social media managing, emceeing and more.

Cohen’s job as a social media manager consisted of working with graphic designers, tagging singers and reposting videos. She spent a large portion of the class making promotional posters and discussing her progress with her professor, she said.

During the selection process, students chose nine out of 15 songwriters based on their submissions.

Natalie Schlesinger, a country singer from Connecticut and public relations major, submitted her songs “To Be Country” and “Letters.”

“To Be Country” chronicles her time in Nashville, Tennessee, where she toured colleges before coming to SU. The song embodies her desire to be one of the great Nashville country singers — despite not fitting the typical “country singer mold” of having southern roots, she said.

Brycen Pace | Asst. Photo Editor

Natalie Schlesinger sings her original songs to an audience in Slocum Auditorium. She performed two songs, “Favorite Dress” and “Twin Bed.”

Schlesinger wrote “Letters” when she was 15 after being inspired by the movie “To All the Boys I Loved Before.” She said many of her friends enjoyed the song, which made her consider it for submission.

Schlesinger hopes her performance showed the audience that songwriting isn’t a one-size-fits-all trade.

“Yes, (songwriters) can be people who are super successful and super famous, but they can also just be people who do it for themselves as a diary entry,” Schlesinger said. “If you want to write music you can, anyone who wants to write songs can and should.”

The show aims to highlight a variety of performers with different styles and experience levels. It’s meaningful for singers to get their writing out to an audience, Rodgers said.

Some students in the class have already released music, while others have no prior musical experience, Cohen said. This creates a non-judgemental atmosphere where the priority is learning and sharing.

“It was a very cool, low-pressure environment, where as long as you love music, anybody is able to participate,” Cohen said.

The low stakes also helped the performers overcome the difficulty of playing in front of a large crowd for the first time, Rodgers said. For some performers, this was their first chance to share works they’d been working on for a long time.

Brycen Pace | Asst. Photo Editor

Emerson Carracedo sings to a crowd at Slocum Auditorium. Performers played a variety of original music, ranging from pop to country to rock.

For Foster, the process was very rewarding. He participated in the showcase last year and met a close friend there who he now makes music with. Foster said they’re in different schools with different majors, so it’s unlikely they would have met otherwise.

During his performance, he played two songs – “Coldest Christmas,” which he recently released on Spotify, and “Edison,” which he wrote about two weeks ago. He said the song was a “dynamic curveball” he wanted to throw at the audience.

“This was a super receptive audience,” Foster said. “It is so nice to play in front of a bunch of people who are here for the music.”

Foster was grateful to share his music with the crowd and his fellow songwriters. He said the experience brought them closer together as they bonded over their shared love of music.

“A lot of performers have commented in the past that it feels like a very validating, inspiring experience to play in an environment like that,” Rodgers said.

The class and production offers all students, regardless of major or skill, a chance to work on their craft. Throughout the course, students participated in activities that explored and promoted creativity, Cohen said.

Rodgers said the more chances for participants to get their music out there, the better. Over the years, students have been excited and surprised at the plethora of opportunities for music and songwriting on campus – a more expansive scene than most realize, he said.

Rodgers hopes the class serves as an aid in pushing students into their future careers, whether that be in music or not.

“I hope people will gain more appreciation for this side of creative work that is going on, on campus,” Rodgers said.

Published on December 10, 2024 at 1:18 am