Q&A with a music business major

Al Wojtera, Tim Shell and Tim Channell

Department of Music Chair Al Wojtera with the outstanding senior in music Tim Shell and music professor Tim Channell.

Meet Tim Shell, winner of the 2014 Outstanding Music Student Award.

1. Where are you from originally?

A. I am from Roanoke, Va..

2. Why did you choose Radford University to pursue your major?

A. I wanted to come to Radford because of the excellent music faculty. I had been in contact with them before coming to Radford, and I wanted to study with them.

3. You have toured with two world class drum and bugle corps before coming to RU. How did you get that opportunity?

A. I went to a drum corps show early in high school and I knew immediately that it was something I had to be apart of. I was truly amazed by the activity and the level of excellence.

4. How would describe that experience?

A. The experience was truly incredible. I toured the country on a bus and slept on gym floors and rehearsed all day long just to perform a 15-minute show; but performing was so worth it.

5. How did you feel when you won seventh place and, then a second time, fourth place at the Drum Corps International World Championships?

A. Placing at the Finals was truly incredible. Having worked so hard and being on the road for three months, I felt completely exhausted, but achieving such a high placement was unbelievably rewarding.

6. How did you get the opportunity to present at the Music Entertainment Industry Educators Association International Summit 2014 in L.A.?

A. I got the opportunity to present through my wonderful professor Dr. Tim Channell. He encouraged me to do research. Then, we submitted the research to be presented at the conference, and it got accepted.

7. How did it feel to present in front of a large audience?

A. It was very cool to be able to present at such a large conference. Some of the authors from the books I used in my research were even there at the conference. That made presenting a little more intimidating, but a great experience.

8. Through your internship with Tait Towers, you were on the team that made the 2012 MTV Music Awards Stage. What would you say was the greatest challenge you faced with that experience?

A. Being on the team that made the stage, the greatest challenge was that there was so much to be done in a short amount of time. I ended up working mostly on the hydraulic lifts and those parts of the stage are very dangerous, but one had to be set up out in the middle of the audience in between sets; this made the situation very tricky, but that is what they asked for.

9. Through your internship with Clair Brothers Audio, you were able to work on speakers for several celebrities, like Justin Timberlake and Katy Perry. How would you describe that experience?

A. It was very cool to see the exact speakers that I worked on being used in Katy Perry's movie, and that those speakers toured the country.

10. As a seemingly very busy person, one who has been in two RU organizations, member of RU Wind Ensemble who held the principle chair your senior year, traveler with world-class drum and bugle corps; what would you say is the most valuable thing you have learned from all your experiences?

A. The one thing that I have taken away from all the experiences is that hard work and dedication can take you anywhere. Just always keep trying and strive for excellence, and in the end you will be rewarded. My favorite quote is "Shoot for the moon, even if you miss you will land amongst the stars.” That quote has been a driving motive for me and it has served to be true in almost every situation.

May 15, 2014
Sabrina Anderson
540-831-6237
cvpa411@radford.edu