"I think Harvard's philosophy towards on-campus performance is based partly on notion that students have access to the city's nightlife, which is largely valid except for the problems of unrealistic academic workloads and 21-plus clubs--considerable exceptions," Weinstein says in an e-mail message.
Gibbons, however, says Brown University, which is located in urban Providence R.I., supports a student nightclub called "The underground," which features funk, jazz, and rock music, as well as alcohol for those over 21.
Harvard does have opportunities for musicians to get started, even it they don't draw the big dollars and crowds.
Woodward started by playing in the Dunster Cafe, which features a weekly showcase of independent musicians, and Loker Commons.
"To go straight into the Boston Scene would be tough," Woodward says. "Any body who has the will to play in public can definitely do that here."
Striking a Chord
The musicians say the pressure of Harvard life can also interfere with their endeavors.
"It's really hard because Harvard college takes up so much of your life," Filip says.
Tardy says the balancing act requires trade-offs.
"You have to sacrifice some things, sacrifice the GPA," she says.
Using a little ingenuity, however, musicians have made performance pay off for their academic lives.
"I often try to kill two birds with one stone--for example, composing songs about midterm review sessions, or typing response papers on my guitar's word-processor," Weinstein says in an e-mail message.
Tardy, a Folklore and Mythology concentrator, is writing a thesis on voodoo and classical blues lyrics.
Gibbons, an English concentrator, has designed an independent study class on the role of religion in folk lyrics.
They have made the music scene important to all parts of their lives. These students are committed to an extracurricular that is by nature marginalized. Yet, they pursue music because they love it, not necessarily because it enhances their resume or degree.
At BSide's recent performance, they asked the audience to join in and feel their vibe.
"Say yes...yes...yes...yes...yes," Matthew rapped, along with the crowd. In the audience, Harvard students, with their papers and reading a mile away, couldn't have been happier.