For this week’s article I’m trying something new. Thinking about music and how it fits into my life, I thought about how I relate to a lot of my friends and family through music. My dad and I like listening to Neil Young on long drives, my best friend and I love going to see Manchester Orchestra whenever they come to town, and I’ve made a lot of close friends based on our mutual affinity towards certain artists.
Everyone has some sort of preference for music, it’s a very human process, and it can help them to relate to others. Going off of that idea, I thought, “I wonder what sort of music Vanderbilt faculty and staff members listen to.”
So here you have it…a series of articles I’ll be publishing that are going to help you relate to professors, dining staff members, T.A.s, and other miscellaneous Vanderbilt employees.
Today’s article is about Jennifer Bradham’s favorite music. Jen works in the Environmental Science/Environmental Engineering department and last year I had the honor of being a student in her Oceanography lab.
Amidst her work grading papers and researching in the lab, Ms. Bradham still finds time for listening to music. In fact, she has specific artists lined up that are designated for the different facets of her job. Jen explained to me, “I listen to Tchaikovsky’s nutcracker when I need a pick me up and don’t have to concentrate extremely hard, but I listen to Emery, Emanuel, or Finch when I’m in the lab working on my experiments.”
In her free time, she listens to a lot of more of that alternative/punk genre of music that she listens to in the lab. Stemming from a high school love of the pop-punk stylings of Blink-182 (favorite high school song = All the Small Things), Jen’s favorite artists include punk rock artists like Further Seems Forever, Brand New, and LP. Staples of the alternative acoustic movement like The Spill Canvas’ One Fell Swoop are included on her list of favorite albums. From losing a shoe while crowdsurfing at Warped Tour to having a framed Tyson Ritter autograph on her wall, Jennifer Bradham’s musical taste is definitely indicative of her bubbly and fun teaching style.
Listen to some of Jen’s favorites here!
Are there any Vandy faculty and/or staff members whose taste in music you’re curious about? Let me know in the comments!