Welcoming new GSE students through music
BY NICOLE MEHLMAN-DAVIDOW
You may not realize how musically inclined the city of Buffalo is, especially compared to the more internationally known New York City. However, GSE’s admissions staff could see that artistic talent runs deep within the Queen City.
After brainstorming ways to connect with accepted GSE students, Ryan Taughrin, assistant dean for enrollment management, and Danielle LeGare, director of content, realized that their shared love of music and passion for promoting Buffalo’s music scene could be a great way to draw students to the area. “Ryan and I are both music lovers from Buffalo, so it just clicked for us to create a collaborative ‘Welcome to Buffalo’ playlist on Spotify,” said LeGare. “Music is part of what makes this area so culturally rich, so we were really excited to share music that had Buffalo or UB connections with our newly accepted students.”
The Spotify playlist “Welcome to Buffalo” is a constantly evolving list of songs and musicians that have ties to the region. Artists like Passion Pit, the Goo Goo Dolls and Ani DiFranco are from Western New York, while there are also songs like “The Erie Canal” by Bruce Springsteen that have references to the area.
A link to the playlist is sent to accepted students as part of a sequence of messages designed to make becoming a GSE student a positive experience. “Over time, this has just turned into a staple to share with our incoming students, especially because so many students are fully online learners, and others are coming from outside of the area,” said Taughrin.
LeGare emphasized that the playlist is meant to celebrate a key achievement for accepted students and help them get to know Buffalo better: “Going to grad school is a significant accomplishment, and this playlist is one more way to embrace our community, savor the moment, have a little fun and celebrate.”
According to Taughrin, the playlist is open for members of the GSE community to add area-related music and artists. “I’d love to have new students, as they learn about the playlist, add a song or two as they learn about music from the area.”