Penn State graduates have gone on to become congressmen, play professional sports and star in television shows. Continuing the trend, Michael McGee, a 1978 graduate, went on to win the first round of the American Idol of song-writing competitions, the John Lennon Songwriting Competition (JLSC).
Andrew Perroy, associate director of the song competition, said it is one of the leading song-writing competitions.
"There are quite a few contests out there, but the JLSC is one of the most well known," Perroy said.
The contest was judged by prominent people in the music industry, including Fergie from Black Eyed Peas and John Legend. Judges looked at songs based on originality, composition, melody and lyrics.
McGee said he had known about the JLSC since its creation in 1997 but he had never entered it because he didn't consider it a good investment.
"As my material got better I finally decided to enter," Mcgee said.
McGee finally entered the competition in November 2005 and won a spot in the top four, which ultimately convinced him to enter into the second session with country song "Beyond Words." McGee was the grand prizewinner during session two.
Now, McGee is up against the session one winner to see who can gather the most online votes to win $5,000 and a song-writing contract.
McGee said this is not the first time he's entered a song-writing contest.
"I've always written, and I started out with poetry," McGee said. "I began entering competitions in the early '70s, and I ranked higher and higher in placements."
McGee said he draws his inspiration from listening to what people say.
"Capturing the feeling is most important," McGee said. "The key of song-writing is taking a unique angle and grasping the audience to make them want to listen more."
Angel Tucciarone is one of McGee's co-writers and she said the two go back a long way.
"We have plaques and things for the two of us," Tacciarone said. "I'm thrilled for him because he's been trying a long time, and I encourage him to keep entering contests."
Voting takes place at http://www.jlsc.com/vote.php and everyone can vote once a day until April 6.
