James Grinnell Extracurriculars

Grinnell College is a place where student initiatives are able to thrive. Outside of class, I take part in the Grinnell Concerts Committee, which is entirely run by students. I enjoy working with the Concerts Committee, not only because I enjoy music, but I appreciate how concerts help foster a vibrant musical community on campus. As part of the Student Government Association, the Grinnell Concerts Committee works with a yearly budget of $90,000 to showcase the best of new music, bringing bands like Washed Out and Teengirl Fantasy to campus this semester. Grinnell's concerts program is unique in the sense that we book our shows as if we were a venue, unlike many colleges that treat shows as one-off events. Due to this, we're able to book a consistent lineup of bands throughout the semester. Students set up the booking of concerts, help with advertising and publicity, as well as set up our venue (Gardner Lounge), manage sound, and take care of hospitality during each concert. I tend to use my time "tabling", that is, unceremoniously blasting a band's songs outside the dining hall the night of a concert in order for students to sample what the concert might be like. The Grinnell Concerts Committee must deal with very complicated logistics in order to bring the great bands we enjoy to campus, so even though I play a relatively small role, it's still nice to know that I'm helping to bring great bands to campus.