{"id":25078,"date":"2026-05-20T08:08:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T12:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/?p=25078"},"modified":"2026-05-19T15:29:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T19:29:14","slug":"the-power-of-the-tiny-desk-npr-musics-bobby-carter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/2026\/05\/20\/the-power-of-the-tiny-desk-npr-musics-bobby-carter\/","title":{"rendered":"The Power of the Tiny Desk: NPR Music\u2019s Bobby Carter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Music producer, DJ, and multimedia storyteller Bobby Carter visited Colgate in March as the Clifford Family Innovator in Residence. Carter is the host and producer of NPR Music\u2019s <em>Tiny Desk Concerts<\/em>, the iconic web series that features performances from both well-known and emerging artists behind an office desk at NPR\u2019s headquarters in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Carter is the third visionary to serve as the Clifford Family Innovator in Residence. Supported by a permanent endowment from Trustee Emeritus Chris Clifford \u201967, H\u201911, P\u201993 and Carrie Clifford \u201993, the residency is one of the cornerstones of the Middle Campus Initiative for the Arts, Creativity, and Innovation (ACI), which engages students and faculty in the work of artists, designers, entrepreneurs, and creatives from various fields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From March 3\u20136, Carter immersed himself in the Colgate community, engaging with students, faculty, and staff through a variety of interactive events, including formal discussions with students and faculty, radio and podcast appearances, a criterion record pull, and a musical performance as his DJ persona, DJ Cuzzin B, alongside Assistant Professor of Film and Media Studies and Africana and Latin America Studies Aaron Dial as his DJ persona, Phade Ali.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Throughout the residency, Carter shared stories from his personal and professional life in order to inspire and encourage students to follow their passions. A gifted storyteller, Carter provided examples from notable <em>Tiny Desk<\/em> performances to reinforce the lessons he imparted: authenticity, intimacy, connection, discovery, and individuality.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">On Authenticity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Carter credits much of the success of NPR\u2019s <em>Tiny Desk Concerts <\/em>to authenticity, noting that the stripped-down format of the show forces a level of honesty from artists that resonates deeply with audiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLess is more in our space,\u201d said Carter. \u201cThe audience wants something that\u2019s real, authentic, and made with love.\u201d The most impactful performances are often the most minimalist ones, he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">On Intimacy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The power of the close-quarters format of <em>Tiny Desk<\/em> fosters a vulnerable connection between artists and the audience, in a space that holds no more than 200 people. The audience gets an up-close view of global superstars who typically perform in stadiums and arenas. \u201cThe best of the best get really nervous, which is endearing to watch because you get to see these artists as human beings and not just these massive superstars,\u201d Carter said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">On Connection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the COVID-19 pandemic, Carter had to rely on artists to send in video for <em>Tiny Desk<\/em> (Home) Concerts. This time period was crucial in understanding how meaningful the show was for people, providing the audience with a sense of community and connection to live music when it was otherwise unavailable. As audiences found community in the comment sections of the online concerts, Carter discovered something powerful about <em>Tiny Desk<\/em>: \u201cWhat we were doing meant more to people than I ever realized,\u201d he said. Many people were introduced to the platform during that time, and Tiny Desk\u2019s following exploded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, as <em>Tiny Desk <\/em>expands to Japan, Korea, and Brazil, the team is exploring what common threads connect audiences globally and how they can maintain quality control across production teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">On Discovery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Carter recalled his upbringing in St. Louis, Mo., when his passion for music was ignited, influenced by his musician uncle\u2019s diverse musical taste and an experience watching a DJ control a crowd at a roller skating rink. \u201cI watched just how the DJ had the whole room in the palm of his hand,\u201d he said. \u201cThat was my introduction to how music can just take your body, mind, and spirit.\u201d He also talked about his teen years spent DJ\u2019ing and working in a Sam Goody music store during the 1990s. These experiences provided him with a foundational education in appreciating all genres of music, informing his curatorial approach at <em>Tiny Desk<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen you look at a month\u2019s worth of shows on YouTube, it\u2019s just a DJ\u2019s playlist,\u201d Carter said. \u201cI\u2019m going to give you a little bit of what you love. I\u2019m going to give you a little bit of what you never heard of, but I know you\u2019re going to love.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He sees <em>Tiny Desk <\/em>as a platform for diversity, showcasing a wide range of cultures and genres that reflect the world. <em>Tiny Desk <\/em>is celebrated for its cultural impact bringing NPR into spaces like the NAACP Image Awards, where the organization traditionally had no presence. \u201cTiny Desk was NPR\u2019s happy accident,\u201d Carter said. \u201cThey didn\u2019t expect us to affect culturally the way we do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">On Individuality<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Carter \u2014 who joined the NPR Music team in 2007 and produced his first <em>Tiny Desk <\/em>concert in 2014 \u2014 was a catalyst for the platform\u2019s growth, as he helped open the door to a wider range of genres and he hopes to pave the way for the next generation to follow. His advice to Colgate students was to lean into that individuality in whatever passion they choose to pursue. \u201cMuster up the courage to be exactly who you are, no matter how uncomfortable that may make other people,\u201d Carter said. \u201cMy superpower is my unique perspective. So tap into that special thing about you and bring that in every single room.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Music producer, DJ, and multimedia storyteller Bobby Carter visited Colgate in March as the Clifford Family Innovator in Residence. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1263,"featured_media":25080,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2954],"tags":[3753,3755,3751,1277],"coauthors":[2646],"class_list":["post-25078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-third-century","tag-bobby-carter","tag-clifford-family-innovator","tag-npr","tag-wrcu"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/palXSH-6wu","amp_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/030326-030626_Bobby_Carter_RJL_206.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1263"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25078"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25078\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25482,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25078\/revisions\/25482"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25080"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25078"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=25078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}