This page is no longer being updated and remains online for informational and historical purposes only. The information is accurate as of the last page update.
For questions about page contents, contact the Communications Division.
Lafayette’s Jazz Ensemble and a cappella singing groups can hear nearly professional recordings of their concerts thanks to the work of Marquis Scholar Joseph Benoit ’04 (Middletown, N.J.).
Through another project, he will present collaborative psychology research at a human development conference in the nation’s capital.
Benoit, a double major in psychology and music, recorded two concerts held during the fall semester as part of his senior capstone project in music, then worked with professional sound studio equipment and the computer program Sound Forge to mix and master, or edit, the recordings. In senior capstones, students bring together the range of knowledge acquired in their major and apply it to a creative project.
“I’m really interested in not only music, but music technology,” says Benoit, who sings with the Chorduroys, Lafayette’s male a cappella group, and sings and plays a variety of instruments in the Lafayette-based rock band Not Today.
Benoit visited two professional sound engineers, Kent Heckman of Red Rock Studios in Snydersville, Pa., and Clark Ferguson of Bear Swamp Studios in Macungie, Pa., and worked closely with Tim Frey, sound technician at Lafayette’s Williams Center for the Arts, on the concert recordings.
“He has a lot of initiative and knowledge about music,” says Skip Wilkins, assistant professor of music, who guided Benoit’s work. “He’s just a motivated, bright person.”
Wilkins says Benoit was able to look beyond the high-end equipment during his sound-studio visits and focus how Heckman and Ferguson use that equipment.
This semester, Benoit and fellow Not Today members Brian Clark ’04 and Mark Marina ’03, and Dan Miller ’03 are recording a CD of their own at Red Rock Studios.
Benoit also conducted EXCEL Scholars and advanced research on the marital quality and health of senior citizens with Jamila Bookwala, assistant professor of psychology, during the summer and fall semesters. He and Bookwala will present the results of that research April 23 at the Conference on Human Development hosted by George Mason University in Washington, D.C.
A graduate of Middletown High School, Benoit plays guitar, piano, saxophone, and other instruments in a variety of campus ensembles and musical theater productions.
Senior capstone projects are among several major opportunities at Lafayette that make the College a national leader in undergraduate research. Lafayette sends one of the largest contingents to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research each year. Forty-two students have been accepted to present their work at the annual conference this month.
Chosen from among Lafayette’s most promising applicants, Marquis Scholars receive special financial aid and distinctive educational experiences and benefits, including a three-week, Lafayette-funded study-abroad course during January’s interim session between regular semesters. Marquis Scholars also participate in cultural activities in major cities and on campus, and mentoring programs with faculty.