For a small number of musically inclined students, Tufts is only half of their college experience. The five-year Tufts University-New England Conservatory (NEC) double-degree program allows students to pursue both a liberal arts education and their respective musical interests.
This Friday, double-degree students will present the first cross-program recital ever to be held at Tufts. The musical performances will span a variety of genres, but the centerpiece of the evening will be the first-ever completely double-degree jazz band.
Jason Yeager, a junior studying international relations at Tufts and jazz performance at NEC, initially conceived of a double-degree performance last year as a "response to the beautiful new music facility at Tufts" and the fact that the program's jazz musicians "finally had the right instrumentation for a group."
Yeager then took his idea to Ryan Saunders, the Granoff Center's event producer and publicist, who expanded the recital in the hopes of "really making it a celebration of the double-degree program."
"The students are really serious and passionate about music, and I think the recital will give the wider community a chance to hear young musicians doing what they love to do," Yeager said.
When Yeager approached other double-degree students with the possibility of a recital, they were enthusiastic.
"There are only about 14 to 16 people in the program, and I think almost every one of them will be performing at the recital," said Emily Markoe, a junior majoring in sociology at Tufts and classical vocal performance at NEC.
Most of the students were excited to perform on the Medford campus where many people are unaware of the double-degree program and have never heard a double-degree recital.
"I have a lot of friends who don't know what I do at the Conservatory all the time," Markoe said, "I'm really excited to perform for my friends who don't get a chance to hear me sing. [The recital] is a great way to learn about NEC musicians."
Students agree that the double-degree program is difficult, and they often feel that they are torn between two worlds.
"It's difficult on a lot of levels: the logistical level as far as the commute and deciding between homework or practice, the social level because you have two sets of friends that never mix, and the psychological level, because most people who are in the program have some degree of indecision about what to pursue after graduation," said Ben Roseth, a fifth-year student soon to graduate with degrees in international relations and jazz performance.
Fortunately, the program's benefits seem to outweigh its hardships. Roseth said that his experience at Tufts "opened a door for [him] through international relations," while NEC allowed him to develop a "very close connection to people through music." Roseth, who plays alto saxophone, and bassist Bridget Kennedy, who will graduate this semester, are largely responsible for forming the jazz band set to perform this Friday.
"Bridget and I are kind of the mama and papa bear of the jazz band," Roseth said, "Last year it dawned on me that we had the personnel to make a full jazz band out of NEC and Tufts students. The group gets along very well at a personal and musical level."
The band will be performing original music which Yeager describes as "modern or contemporary jazz," incorporating the influence culture and experience have had on each of its members.
"There are a lot of cross-cultural references, but overall it's got a jazz sensibility. The pieces feature a lot of improvisation and spontaneity," Yeager said.
The jazz band will perform during the second half of the recital after several vocal pieces, piano pieces and a viola piece. The concert begins at 8 p.m. in Distler Performance Hall on Friday, and it is free and open to the public.
