As part of a transatlantic music project, University of Kent students spent a week in the American state of Tennessee, exploring the musical history of Memphis and Nashville, as part of the Delta Project – one of many initiatives in the School of Music and Fine Art (SMFA) which recognises the University of Kent’s commitment to internationalisation and wider participation, leading to greater opportunities in collaborative research.
The trip, from 5 – 13 June, was organised and led by University of Kent lecturer Alan Mash, with participating students from a range of degrees including business, journalism, music, creative events and social science.
Noel Chambers, 2nd year BMus (Hons) Popular Music commented, “It was great to experience Memphis culture – we travelled a lot and saw lots of different sites like the civil rights museum, the blues museum and Sun Studios. It was really inspirational to see the studios where Elvis Presley recorded.”
Sophie Cawsey, another SMFA student, who graduated this year with a BA (Hons) Event and Experience Design, agreed, “It was a really good trip. We crammed everything in and learnt a lot about the history of the place. From an events perspective, it was really interesting to see how the different places create different experiences for their visitors.”
The School of Music and Fine Art and The Delta project have signed agreements with Wisconsin University, Indiana University (Jacobs School of Music), University of Tennessee Knoxville and Memphis University, with 3 others in Nashville and Memphis awaiting finalisation.
From September, two students will also be studying at Memphis University for a year, which will provide them with the opportunity to explore new cultures whilst enhancing their own curriculum vitae.
