Zharia Harris-Waddy’s passion for music brought her to SU’s Bandier program, volleyball team

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Zharia Harris-Waddy has been surrounded by music all her life. At 5, she began learning how to play the violin. Then, she joined her middle school band and started playing the flute and saxophone.

Once she got to high school, however, she had to choose between music and volleyball.

“I would’ve played (music) in high school, but with volleyball it was just too much of a commitment to have to commit to both,” Harris-Waddy said. “So I stepped away from band.”

Harris-Waddy, now a freshman middle blocker at Syracuse, still greatly enjoys music. So, she opted to channel that passion into a potential career. She is a student in Syracuse University’s Bandier Program for Recording and Entertainment Industries, a program in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Harris-Waddy’s experience in playing music and frequently attending concerts caused her to develop an interest in working behind the scenes of the industry.

“Being at different concerts, I always think about what people need to do to put on the show,” Harris-Waddy said. “I was always intrigued by what they do rather than being an actual artist.”

Harris-Waddy grew up listening to artists such as Michael Jackson, Beyoncé and Luther Vandross. When she attended St. Bartholomew church (Camden, NJ) with her family as a child, Harris-Waddy first showed interest in performing.

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The church has a youth choir program for kids to learn how to sing and perform in front of the congregation. Once Harris-Waddy found out about it, she wanted to join, but her mother, Michelle Harris, thought she was too young.

“When she could verbalize, she would ask when she could be a part of the youth choir because she’d see the other girls singing. I told her we had to wait,” Harris said.

When Harris-Waddy turned 4, the youth choir director offered that she come to practice. Harris said her daughter stayed with the program until seventh grade and performed multiple solos during church services.

As she grew up, Harris-Waddy attended concerts from artists such as Drake, Justin Bieber, Beyoncé and Bruno Mars. Despite initially having aspirations of becoming an artist before committing to athletics, attending concerts allowed Harris-Waddy to take interest in the business side of music.

Once Harris-Waddy started to pick colleges, Syracuse stood out because of its prestigious Bandier program. Playing volleyball and being in the program could give her the best of both worlds.

Harris-Waddy is on a short list of Bandier students who are also athletes. Bill Werde, the director of the Bandier program, believes it’s uncommon to see Bandier student-athletes because of the dedication it takes to excel in both fields.

“That overlap isn’t always the largest,” Werde said. “I think where Zharia is relatively unique is that she has these passions and this dedication on both sides of that ball, so to speak.”

As a Bandier student, Harris-Waddy is getting the opportunity to learn about all aspects of the music industry. Harris feels like attending the Bandier program is the best decision her daughter could have made. She said that Harris-Waddy considered majoring in biology, but ultimately chose to follow her passion.

“She’s always been into music. Listening to different music, going to concerts, things like that,” Harris said of her daughter. “(I think) the music industry really suits her.”