(MANCHESTER) Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is described by Middle Tennessee State University Provost Mark Byrnes as, "One of the world’s premier live-music experiences that also doubles as a university classroom."

University Provost Mark Byrnes, accompanied by Media and Entertainment Dean Beverly Keel and Greg Pitts, journalism and strategic media school director, spent time with the team of about 25 students who are producing content at Bonnaroo under the guidance of MTSU faculty and staff.

Byrnes said, “This sort of hands-on experience is incredibly valuable to our students, because it supplements what they learn in the classroom. It also gives them a chance to figure out if they want to do this for a living.” 

A video recap of MTSU’s activities at the festival thus far, featuring students, faculty and staff, can be watched at https://youtu.be/CIsyx5il13o. 

The partnership between MTSU and Bonnaroo dates back to 2014, coming back in full force this year after a 2020 pandemic pause and a 2021 weather cancellation. It is an annual labor of love for Media and Entertainment students, who earn college credit for their work in video and sound production at Bonnaroo’s event stages and gain valuable experience in content creation, including video and photo storytelling and digital reporting.

Keel noted, “This is not playtime for them. This is really, I would say boots on the ground, but flip-flops on the ground.”

Bonnaroo asked if students and faculty from MTSU’s Media Arts and Recording Industry departments could help them this year by doing video and audio production of the Hulu streaming service’s late-night DJ productions, which Keel described as a “next-level, new chapter.” 

Byrnes told Keel that the Bonnaroo classroom was “one of several signature events of your college.

“It really helps explain why it is a world-famous, world-renowned college — because your students in your college get opportunities that they just cannot get somewhere else,” the provost said.