MANCHESTER, Tenn. - At Bonnaroo attendees are not missing a beat as the constant sound of music flows from every corner of the festival.
Over at the "Who" stage, “I get to be outside with live music, live bands, a lot of fun people,” Amanda Pierce said. “It's been awesome so far.”
It's not just fun and games for the Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) senior.
“I'm actually here for class,” Pierce explained. “That’s a crazy thought to spend four days at Bonnaroo instead in a traditional classroom.”
Bonnaroo serves as the ultimate classroom for forty MTSU students who are getting hands on training in journalism and video production for class credit.
“We are making a promotional video for Bonnaroo,” she said. “We’re just put our knowledge to work for them.”
It looks like a large RV but MTSU's $1.7 million mobile production lab is filled with state of the art equipment.
“We're going to shoot 16 different acts,” Assistant Professor Bob Gordon said. “All of them are non-rehearsed, one take, eight cameras just like the professionals do.
At the “Who Stage” the students are behind the controls and running the show. Pierce is the Production Manager.
“I've learned to stay organized and to problem solve fast and stay cool,” she said.
It's real life experience that can take them to the next level.
“I graduated law school and walked out the door of law school and wasn't sure if I could be a lawyer,” Dean Ken Paulson said. “But these students walk out the door knowing they can shoot rock concerts.”
It's enough to make students decide early if they have what it takes.
