Berklee Blogs introduces Gabrielle Thornley, a Professional Music major and spring intern, as she begins her internship with The Echo Nest, a music intelligence company that provides the largest repository of music data in the world for app developers. In today’s blog, Gabrielle tells us some of the cool things The Echo Nest is involved in and how they help interns get emotionally invested in the work they do.

So far, the Echo Nest has been all I could have asked for. I’ve met so many new people and have already made some great connections. Some of the work has been a bit monotonous, but it is a data company, after all. Most of my days consist of me sorting through genre lists with hundreds of artists and correcting any errors that the company may have in their data. I do get to enjoy endless supplies of tea and music while I do it, which makes it pretty bearable :).

Over the past couple of weeks, The Echo Nest has made it a point to remind the interns that our tasks are not busy work, but that we are actually helping the company in many different aspects. We’ve had a few meetings with associates from different departments within the Echo Nest, which have really helped to clarify the purpose behind what we do and how our tasks affect the company as a whole. Personally, I’ve learned so many cool things about this company that makes me really proud to say that I am a part of it. I never realized how many clients actually use the Echo Nest. They work with probably every major company worldwide, such as iHeartRadio and MTV to name a couple.  

The best part so far came last week, when we were asked to directly help with one of the new projects that is being tackled right now. The Echo Nest is developing a series of playlists whose songs depend on a specific activity or event taking place. The categories ranged from “Doing Yoga” to “Getting lucky,” in which we were supposed to generate songs that reflected the mood in which a person would be in while doing these activities. I chose “Drinking With Friends,” consisting of mostly rap and electro music, the typical songs that are played in most party atmospheres. I even impressed myself with the 130 songs that I chose for this playlist off the top of my head. I also picked “Getting Lucky” as a fun way to incorporate my love for R&B music into this activity. The playlist was filled with about 50 slow jams ranging from D’Angelo to Trey Songz. This was definitely the most fun I’ve had while working on an activity so far and I’m really looking forward to seeing this project take off and knowing that I contributed.

 

Read Gabrielle’s Other Posts:

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A Solid Start

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Bio

Gabrielle Thornley is a pop music artist from the small town of Coatesville, Pa. Her passion for music originated very early, when she began singing at the age of two. Accepted into the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, Gabrielle has studied directly under teachers that are music industry professionals. Inspired by the soulful vocals of D’Angelo and Mariah Carey and the storytelling lyrics of Joni Mitchell and Amy Winehouse, Gabrielle started writing her original songs in October of 2011. Ranked as one of the top ReverbNation pop artists in Boston, her sultry lyrics have been featured on numerous independent radio stations worldwide. Currently, Gabrielle is working on writing and recording original songs for her first EP, debuting in the summer of 2013.

 

Follow Gabrielle for updates on new music and upcoming performances:

www.facebook.com/gabriellemusic123

http://www.reverbnation.com/gabrielleelizabeth1

 

 

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