Student Stories: Noah Luna and Emmet Haden
Noah Luna Emmet Haden
Class of 2020 Class of 2020
Major: Integrated Studies Major: Mechanical Engineering
As the lyrics of Dave Matthews Band’s Two Steps go, “Celebrate we will because life is short but sweet for certain,” and two Vanderbilt students are doing just that. Emmet Haden (BE ’20) and Noah Luna (BMus ’20) recently celebrated the release of their debut album, Commercial Break. The album was recorded under the guidance of Blair School of Music adjunct instructor of Jazz Saxophone and member of Dave Matthews Band, Jeff Coffin.
As first years at Vanderbilt, Luna and Haden had no idea their paths would one day converge to record this album. As an engineering major from Charlottesville, VA, Haden had previously been involved with music through his high school band. As Haden entered Vanderbilt, he knew he would pursue Mechanical Engineering and hoped he could find a way to continue his music interests in the Music City. A chance encounter with Professor Ryan Middagh, Director of Jazz Studies, led Haden to audition and join the Blair Big Band.
Alternatively, Luna, a native of San Antonio, TX, auditioned for the Blair School of Music during his senior year of high school and was accepted to study percussion. Similar to Haden, Luna met Professor Middagh and auditioned for the jazz program. From there, Luna and Haden were placed together in a small jazz ensemble, leading them to be paired with Jeff Coffin and four other students, Nicholas Townsend (BMus’19), Trent Ogaz (BA’19), Ben Pleasant (BS’19), and Travis Duck (BA’19).
After several semesters of jazz courses and practicing in Coffin’s at-home recording studio, the group realized their hard work in the jazz program could potentially culminate in an album. With Coffin’s support, the group committed to the long hours necessary to complete the album, meeting up late at night and on weekends to write, record, mix, produce, and market the album. Haden states that working in a group had its benefits, allowing them to share ideas and feedback.
“People would come in with a chart of an idea and, by the end of rehearsal, the chart would be covered with new marks,” explains Haden. “People would have to write a new chart because it would be so different from ideas. It was a mix of each individual bringing in an idea, and then shaping it in rehearsals.”
Luna explains the importance of having Coffin involved as a supporter in this process, stating, “He was just really invested in us. If we weren’t actively doing each process with our hands, if we weren’t doing the mixing or if we weren’t doing distributing or marketing, just being able to be so close to Jeff and watch him go through all these processes was pretty eye opening.”
As Haden and Luna look towards the future and entering their professional careers, they reflect on what this project has meant to them and what advice they might offer to other students considering similar experiences in their Immersion projects. Haden encourages students to take advantage of all the opportunities within the Nashville community, including the music scene. Luna encourages students to take a look at things they are already involved in to find out what makes them the most excited.
“We knew we wanted to record, and we knew we wanted to write. I think that made the experience because we were so invested.”
Listen to Commercial Break’s debut album.