By Mary Best
Editor-In-Chief
This fall, Cattaraugus County will be abuzz with music.
Paige Winston, music director for WSBU-FM 88.3 The Buzz, is spearheading a Bona-style “Save the Music” campaign, hoping to unite Bonaventure students and their artistic talents with Olean and Allegany residents.
Winston, a junior journalism and mass communication major, said while the project began as a capstone idea, it has morphed into a personal project aimed to connect students with local residents.
“We have Bonagany, but I’m friends with people who live in town or grew up here and don’t go to Bona’s, and I don’t think there is much support between the two communities,” Winston said. “I love a lot of the people I hang out with in town, and it’s a shame that they don’t always get to see the good parts of Bonaventure.”
The project may be in its early planning stages, but Winston hopes to put up a music and art festival around Parents’ Weekend or in late October.
“I want to showcase not only the musical talents of the people who are at Bonaventure but also in the Olean/Allegany community,” Winston said. “I want to bring all of that together and I think Bonagany would be a really good time to do that.”
Winston hopes to get involvement from as many student organizations as possible, as well as some music and art groups from local schools.
“I’ve gotten in contact with BOCES and they seemed very interested in getting their different art and music-related groups involved,” Winston said. “As far as Bonaventure groups go, I wanted to get involvement from SBU Hip-Hop, ASIA, the BV, the music and art departments, etc. Just all the clubs that have different forms of expression that don’t really get showcased outside of their individual meetings and events.”
Winston originally announced her plan to launch the campaign at the March 19 Student Government Association (SGA) meeting. SGA Executive Board President Cody Clifford endorsed Winston’s efforts, even though it’s still in its early planning stages.
“I think the idea of the ‘Save the Music Festival’ campaign is a great idea,” Clifford, a junior marketing major, said. “If the campaign is to be successfully planned it would be a great and fun opportunity for organizations to get involved. I think it is also important to educate and promote musical/artistic expression.”
Clifford said other students should support the movement — not just to help the community, but so students can participate in a fun activity that celebrates something they love to do.
“I really think we have the chance to make an impact on hundreds of students’ lives,” Clifford said. “We have a number of organizations on campus that focus on music and art, and this would be a wonderful opportunity for them to give back while supporting their clubs’ missions and goals.”
Despite Winston’s lack of responses from musical groups she has reached out to, Clifford said he remains enthusiastic about the project.
“I do see it being a complicated event/campaign to organize, but I am confident that it could be done successfully,” Clifford said.
Winston plans to be here an extra month this summer to put plans in motion, and in the meantime is looking for students who are interested to be on planning and outlook committees for the event.
“By the time the next school year rolls around, I hope to have all the committees set up,” Winston said. “We’re going to start one hopefully soon at the Buzz, and then get in contact with the different groups, not just the one’s on the Bonaventure campus, to start an outlook group and get that going over the summer. I hope to start advertising through the Buzz and get different staff members involved to hopefully get some underground advertising for it.”
While the project may seem ambitious, Winston said she thinks music and art-related student involvement should help make it successful.
“I’ve never really met somebody who doesn’t like music or doesn’t relate to what a song says or how one melody feels,” Winston said. “Art’s more of a feeling that people possess and that needs to be showcased, and I think people will really take to that, especially if there’s student involvement.”
Ultimately, Winston said the reasons for her campaign tie back to music’s universal like-ability, which will hopefully be the key factor in uniting the campus and local communities.
“Music is something that relates to everybody. Art is, too,” Winston said. “It’s kind of corny to say, but the world runs on music. There’s a metronome in everything. Every beep has a beat. Everything goes to its certain tune. That’s the most basic reason.”
