NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE: From outside his office window, Belmont University School of Music's Jeff Kirk can see Nashville's world famous Music Row, and the joke around campus is that Belmont sits at the head of Music Row. However, the joke embodies a metaphorical truth that transcends simple physical proximity: the BUSM houses one of the nation's largest commercial music departments, and it's difficult to find any niche in the music industry that doesn't enjoy the professionalism of Belmont graduates. To prepare their students for the rigors of the "real world", BUSM places a premium on maintaining "real world" facilities, down to the brands and model numbers that the "real world" has come to embrace. A generous gift from The Friends of the School of Music has allowed BUSM to augment and polish their already impressive facilities with sixteen Sennheiser wireless systems and eight Neumann KMS 105 live vocal microphones, among other improvements.

Synergy (in the true sense of the word) between the BUSM Commercial Music Department and the Music Business Department in the Business School has elevated the prestige of Belmont and allowed them to draw faculty from renowned music schools such as the University of Miami and UC, Berkeley. Production, engineering and management elements from the Music Business Department work closely with talent from the Commercial Music Department, creating a "Real World" microcosm that paces students through more than just "the motions" of the music industry.

To realize their mission for over 400 BUSM students, the school employs 75 faculty members, pulled from the music industry itself to ensure continuity and connection. Genres within the BUSM run the gamut, from classical to country and everything in-between, and faculty place emphasis on students' ability to work with technical professionals and the actual equipment that they'll use in the "real world". Student center stages, off-campus clubs, and outdoor pavilions supplement the BUSM's 1000-seat main auditorium and 100-seat chamber as host to over seventy performances a month.

Jeff Kirk and Frank Baird collaborate with others on new purchase decisions and have been behind many of the school's recent improvements. Kirk, Director of Events Administration and Coordinator of the Commercial Music Program, has logged innumerable hours on the road, recorded on the Jazz Mania record label, and continues to record sessions on Music Row. He obtained his undergraduate degree from the paradigm-defining University of Miami before obtaining his masters from Belmont. Baird, Music Facilities Manager, worked some tours with Clair Bros. in the 80s before moving to Nashville to continue regional PA work. With comprehensive experience in diverse, top-end productions, Kirk and Baird know what technology makes the audio industry go round.

With the musical performance, opera, and show choir programs clamoring for a wireless rig, the duo set out to find and deliver the very best system the audio industry has to offer. "We needed sixteen simultaneous channels, and I knew the cheap stuff wasn't going to cut it," recalled Baird. "Sennheiser sent us some 3000-series and 5000-series demo units that blew us away. The frequency agility was amazing and the sound was phenomenal. I walked out of the auditorium with a microphone and across the street to Jeff's office. My people back on stage said it never faltered. Even the wind sounded like wind, not that low-end garbage most mics deliver! The fidelity is superb."

BUSM settled on eight Sennheiser EM 3032-U dual channel receivers, sixteen SK 3063-U miniature body-pack transmitters, and sixteen SKM 5000 handheld microphones outfitted with ME 5005 supercardioid condenser capsules. In addition to the handheld microphones, they also purchased Danish Pro Audio lavalier microphones as an alternate to the handhelds and two sets of Sennheiser antennas (one for permanent mounting and a second for location use). Clair Bros. built a custom clamshell case to house all of the wireless equipment. Four drawers on the right side of the case each contain four beltpack/lav/handheld combinations, while the left side of the case supports the matched receivers.

The purchase has proved immensely popular, with "Company", BUSM's show choir, exploiting it the most. Each year, Company hosts a show choir competition that brings in twenty of the country's highest-ranked show choirs, and the Sennheiser wireless system is a boon to the caliber of the competition. The Musical Theater's production of "Bye Bye Birdie" promises to flex the school's newfound wireless muscle as well.

To complement the fidelity of their new wireless system, BUSM decided to purchase a clutch of wired microphones. Again, they spoke to Sennheiser and received four demo Neumann KMS 105 live vocal microphones. The latest in Neumann's evolving line of live microphones, the KMS 105 condenser microphone brings Neumann's renowned studio sound to the stage with specifications suited to live use.

"I was completely surprised," admitted Baird. "Having lived through the rise and fall of such condensers as the 535 and Beta87, I've always been reluctant to use even 'live' condensers in live situations. With those older microphones, it was like, 'I don't know if I want to put that microphone out there with this particular band because I know it's going to feedback.' The KMS 105 busts that stereotype; it's completely stable. Having allayed my fear of feedback, the KMS 105 proceeded to dazzle me with its classic Neumann sound. It's like you can hear the vocal chords in the singer's voice vibrating; so much nuance!"

Given its resistance to feedback and its stellar studio sound, Baird has found himself reinforcing classical instruments with the eight Neumann KMS 105s they ended up purchasing. "I'll place it on a cello, for instance. Since it's a condenser, the sound is there, and because it's stable, I can give some back to the performer without fear of feedback. The other day I used two on a horn quartet, and everyone was amazed by the clarity and definition we achieved. You could hear the flutist's breath and the delicate clacking of keys. Just stunning..."

"Times have changed," declared Kirk. "We used to learn the ropes on the road, but the level of competition has risen to a level that precludes the uninitiated from entering the industry at 'the ground floor'. Universities such as Belmont are filling in the gap, giving them the real world experience that they need to take advantage of the opportunities they'll encounter. Giving them the best of the best such as Sennheiser and Neumann ensures that they have a professional benchmark and the chops they'll need to succeed. When they're putting together a show after going triple-platinum, they'll think, 'what microphones were we using back at school? Oh yeah, Sennheiser and Neumann, the very best stuff out there.'"