A resonant semester: Columbia students reconnect with music on campus

Upper West Side NY

21 January, 2022

3:30 PM

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Columbia Daily Spectator BY MADISON ROSENFIELD • DECEMBER 15, 2021, 11:28 AM Roughly 635 days, three semesters, and one pandemic later, music is back and once again filling the air across Columbia, offering students a chance to connect through music in person for the first time since March 2020. At Columbia, connection through music comes in a variety of forms, found in large venues and intimate spaces: attending concerts, creating and listening to virtual broadcasts, spending time practicing an instrument, or playing in a band downtown. Post-punk, indie, rock, classical, a cappella, and folk are just some of the genres that students tap into when they connect to music. For student musician Mavis Simpson-Ernst, CC '25, musical connection can even be found in a classroom. "I was expecting this school to definitely academically be more straight-to-the-point than it has been. For my Lit Hum class, I had a creative assignment, and I wrote a song based on the poetry of Sappho," Simpson-Ernst said. Aside from finding creative ways to weave lyrical and musical expression into the Core, Simpson-Ernst also plays shows with her band, works with music organizations on campus, regularly practices guitar and electric bass, and surrounds herself with creative and musical Columbia students. "Breaking into a new community of artists is always a little [scary] but I have met some wonderful people that are all very encouraging, and especially upperclassmen," she said. Living and learning in New York City provides students with the unique opportunity to connect to music in ways that transcend the physical grounds of Columbia's campus; many renowned musical destinations are just a short subway ride away. Harlem's famed jazz clubs allow students to explore Upper Manhattan's musical history and culture. The birthplace of hip-hop is just a bit farther north in the Bronx––the music style is often credited to neighborhood local DJ Kool Herc from the 1970s. In the opposite direction, in downtown Manhattan neighborhoods like Greenwich Village, Chelsea, and the East Village, one can experience music history, especially of the punk and folk variety. Columbia students take advantage of New York City's unique musical landscape in different ways. Student musicians Maude Latour, CC '22; Sarah Kinsley, CC '22; and band Twice Shy, composed of three Columbia seniors and one Manhattan School of Music graduate, have ventured beyond Columbia's campus to play in shows at venues like the Mercury Lounge, Baby's All Right, and Rockwood Music Hall. Others choose simply to take in music as audience members, like Benjy Shapere, CC '25, who has made a point to see artists like Show Me The Body and others perform live across the city. Returning to campus has "definitely sort of reignited my idea of what music is completely and sort of shifted it," Kinsley said. Emerging from the throes of the pandemic, several student musicians, including Latour; Kinsley; Jackie Marchal, CC '22; Eva Westphal, CC '23; Chandra Gangavarupu, SEAS '25; Huailing Chen, GS '22; and Max Patel, CC '23, have recorded and released singles, EPs, and LPs this semester. Since each of Kinsley's songs have been released during the pandemic, being back in person this semester and performing in shows both on and off campus have deeply influenced her connection to music. Because of the pandemic, "the reminder of what it's like to perform music live had been completely lost from my perception of how to share music with people," Kinsley said. New York City's storied musical history informs Columbia students' connections to music. While members of the Columbia community have grown musical tendrils across the city, the University remains a home base for students––a breeding ground for musical connection and innovation. Shapere, a cellist since second grade, is deeply influenced by the talented musicians that he has seen and played with so far on campus. "They just motivate me to expand my range, expand my repertoire, expand my technique so I can play with them. So I can play on their level and make beautiful music with them," Shapere said. Citing New York City musical powerhouses like The Velvet Underground and Arthur Russell as major inspirations, Shapere, like others, also draws on the culture of the city as he creates music on Columbia's campus. "Lately, I've been walking across Central Park and going to the Met museum. I've been there a couple times the last few weeks, and every time I do that, I feel so inspired to go right back [to campus] and play some music," Shapere said. Like Shapere, many members of Columbia's community often participate in multiple musical endeavors across campus. In fact, finding himself with more free time than expected this semester, Shapere often plays in the practice rooms in Schapiro Hall and Carman Hall, improvises with friends, plays chamber music with the Columbia Music Performance Program, or noodles around in the Columbia Computer Music Center with his sibling, Eliana Shapere, BC '23. Shapere is also in the process of becoming a DJ through WKCR-FM, Columbia's student radio station. WKCR provides a space for students and listeners to be immersed in underground, alternative, and lesser-played genres of music. WKCR Student Life Coordinator Sofia Rivera, CC '24, is excited to explore what radio can mean to the Columbia community as WKCR transitions back to live, in-studio broadcasting. WKCR prides itself on its inclusivity, enabling students to easily get involved with the radio scene on campus and inspiring listeners across the city to discover new music. WKCR's airwaves typically feature jazz, classical, and world music, though the station is beginning to expand to include other genres like hip-hop as well. "WKCR's vision of itself is definitely educational. And so I think that vision of learning things together, learning new things about music that maybe you didn't know before, especially just really niche topics and really old vinyls that we have access to, … I think that's really exciting," Rivera said. Barnard also has a radio station, WBAR, which brings direct connection through music to listeners across the campus community. Radio broadcasting, student musicianship, utilizing practice spaces, and taking advantage of ample musical opportunities on campus are snapshots of how Columbia students have connected to music over the past three months. Postcrypt Coffeehouse, which recently moved from outdoor spaces back into its venue in the crypt of St. Paul's Chapel, gives folk music a home on campus. Student musicians are finally able to showcase their talents in front of a live audience again. "I've always really enjoyed art and music and the kind of community that goes along with it. It feels like such an honor to be able to create a small community here. … It's really nice to see people come back and see all these new friendships and encounters happening," Postcrypt's booking manager, Inés Pérez, BC '23, said in an October interview with Spectator. The same goes for other campus institutions like Columbia Pops, the Columbia Orchestra, and the Metrotones and Pizmon, two campus a cappella groups––each have given students designated means through which they can connect to music on campus. As the semester comes to a close, it is clear that the celebration of music by students and the greater Columbia community alike has breathed life into campus. Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator is the independent undergraduate newspaper of Columbia University, serving thousands of readers in Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and beyond. Read more at columbiaspectator.com and donate here.