Photo: courtesy of Brittany Barbera ’06
Her Eye is on the ‘Sparrow Song’ Album
What were you doing on December 10, 2013? Most of us probably don’t remember, but Brittany Barbera ’06 certainly does. It was the day her first album was released on iTunes. The project, titled The Sparrow, is the culmination of years of preparation, performances delivered, prayers said, connections made, songs written, and leaps of faith taken. From Bethlehem to Nashville, it’s been quite a journey.
Q: How long have you been making music? A: I’m not a trained musician, but I’ve been
performing in one way or another since I was a kid. I’ve done a lot of singing and worship leading at church, but looking back, I had never really known a singer-songwriter until Lisa Detweiler ’07 walked into my room for the first time during my sophomore year at Juniata. We spent a lot of time writing and singing and experimenting with covers and original songs. She’s had a profound influence on my life and my music. Q: What did you do after Juniata and how did
you end up in Nashville?
A: I worked in construction management for a
Photo: courtesy of Brittany Barbera ’06
while, but the economy was unstable and I was laid off and brought back twice. One day I was talking to a friend about wanting to be in music, and wanting to know people who make music for a living. She said, “Well, let’s just pray about that.” The next day I heard about a music conference in Nashville where I could meet writers and musicians. Of course, I had to go.
Q: Did you stay after the conference? A: No, but shortly after, I just decided to pack up and drive to Nashville. I got a room and
hotel-hopped for a few months. Eventually, I found roommates and made friends with other people in the music industry. Q: How did you go from moving to Nashville to having an album on iTunes?
A: It’s been a lot of hard work and definitely collaboration. Nobody makes it on their
own. One of my friends is a sound engineer at a studio downtown and he suggested that I needed demos. So, I worked with him to record some covers. That led to more writing, which led to recording demos of my originals. I met a writer that I really clicked with and kept writing. I eventually recorded my EP. I’ve gotten some radio play in the northeast, so now my challenge is to continue talking with stations, making connections and marketing my music.
Q: How do you describe your music? A: My music is sort of a mesh of pop, country and folk. I care a lot about lyrics and my sound has been compared to artists like Sarah McLachlan and Norah Jones.
Brittany’s music can be found on iTunes, Amazon, and at www.brittanybarbera.com.
Juniata
—David Meadows ’98, director of alumni relations and parent programs
60
Andrew J. McMullin
was promoted to manager of stakeholder management solutions at Burns and McDonnell, an engineering firm. He relocated to their regional office in Wallingford, Conn. where he manages more than 20 team members and oversees a portfolio of transmission projects in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and the New England states.
1999
Be sure to mark your calendar for your 15th Reunion Celebration at Homecoming & Family Weekend—October 17-19, 2014. Please contact the alumni office if you would like to volunteer and serve on your reunion committee. (1-877-JUNIATA; alumni@juniata.edu). Kesha A. Baptiste-Roberts
is assistant professor of nursing and public health sciences at Penn State University-Hershey. She co-edited and contributed chapters for Obesity During Pregnancy in Clinical Practice. The clinical textbook was published in December 2013. Kesha authored a chapter titled “Maternal Obesity and Implications for the Long-term Health of the Offspring,” and co-authored “Body Image as a Contributor to Weight in Pregnancy and Postpartum: Racial Differences.”