Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is Offering a Course on Taylor Swift
I wouldn't have believed it if you just told this to me in conversation, but I looked it up, and it's true.
Harvard University is offering a course titled "Taylor Swift and Her World," and I love it.
According to english.fas.harvard.edu, the course will talk about how Taylor released her first record to country radio when she was 16 years old. Since then, she's crossed over to pop, but there isn't a genre of music that she hasn't touched.
Taylor's music, as this course will teach the people who take it, goes far beyond the box that the music industry tries to put her in.
Taylor Swift is Magic
The Harvard course, which is being taught by Professor Stephanie Burt, will dive into Taylor's impact that goes beyond her music. When her show comes to a city, it impacts the economy of that city, much like the Olympics do when they roll into town every four years.
I don't have the exact numbers, so don't take that literally.
However, according to cnbc.com, it has been proven that there was an "undeniable ... Swift Lift" for the 20 cities she visited.
Taylor is a Sweetheart to Her Fans
I think it's fair to say that I've been in radio for many, many years. Every once in a while, the radio station would get boxes and boxes full of gifts from Taylor for her fans. We didn't have to ask for it, it just showed up. Any Swiftie can tell you stories about how good she is to her fans, like this one:
I remember working with a man who brought his daughter and her friend to a Taylor Swift concert. During the show, Taylor came down to where he and the girls were sitting, pulled off some of the bracelets she was wearing, and gave them to the girls. They, obviously, still talk about that day.
I was not with Townsquare Media when she came in. However, I DO love that WOKQ was, to quote Taylor, "The first station to ever play me." She's one in a lifetime.
Would you be interested in taking this course?