Student Spotlight: Musician Brock LaPorte

Tallulah Laska Staff Writer

For some people, being a student-athlete is enough to fill their plate, but as the COVID-19 pandemic exploded in 2020, Brock “Brody” LaPorte decided to expand his musical side. LaPorte had always been interested in music, having played the guitar throughout his life. However, when the pandemic prevented him from playing on Villanova’s men’s lacrosse team and classes were offered online, he realized he had more free time to explore music.

With his free time, LaPorte learned how to play piano and figured out how to remix songs. Additionally, he learned how to add his own music on top of other songs and mash them with other songs.

LaPorte graduated from the Villanova School of Business in 2022 after studying finance and real estate. Because he had an extra year of NCAA lacrosse eligibility, due to COVID-19, he chose to continue playing lacrosse while doing the Business Analytics online graduate program at Villanova. It was then when LaPorte also realized his passion for music was more than just a hobby.

LaPorte began releasing mixes on SoundCloud, and he gained more traction. His music has expanded to original songs, and three of them are now released on

Spotify. His most recent, “lost in you,” is a collaboration with Thomas Newton, a senior mechanical engineer at Villanova. LaPorte and Newton connected via TikTok, creating a song with the goal of a summer feel. They began working on it from the end of 2022 into early 2023, and after workshopping it, it was released on March 24th.

“The chords are really happy, the melody is really happy,” LaPorte said. “It’s windows down, smile on your face kind of music.”

Newton was excited to collaborate with LaPorte on the song. One of LaPorte’s ideas was to have Newton perform a guitar solo during the song, which he loved.

“It was great to work with Brody on the song,” Newton said. “He’s got a great ear for music and definitely is starting to find his sound as a producer. I’m usually very meticulous with my songs, and every lyric or note has to be there for a reason. He was very open to the feedback I gave him, and we really experimented with a lot of different ideas.”

However, LaPorte also understands the importance of having a well-paying job before putting in all his time and effort into music. This is why he chose to further his education at Villanova and pursue a corporate job post-graduation.

“I’m a big believer in doing something that makes you fulfilled and happy,” LaPorte explained, “But I also want a good financial backing.”

Following his graduation this May, LaPorte will be moving to New York with a full-time job, but plans to continue with music on the side. He wants to have a good work-life balance and make time for his music with a goal of eventually pursuing it full-time.

LaPorte has advice for any aspiring musicians, or anyone who is interested in something out of their comfort zone.

“At the end of the day, if you’re really interested in something, just dive deep into it,” LaPorte said. “Don’t be afraid to be bad at the start. Everyone’s bad at the start. Even Elton John was bad at playing the piano at first.”

LaPorte has many songs released on Spotify and SoundCloud, with more to come. He can be found on Spotify as “Brock,” on Instagram @brockmusic__ and on TikTok @brockmusic.

If students have ever wanted to sit in on a conversation between two best friends or have wanted to hear fellow Villanova students’ takes on current events that are happening both on and off campus, Villanova’s WXVU, V 89.1 The Roar has just the program.

For the Benefit of the Radio is one of the main shows on Villanova’s very own radio station. It is broadcast live from Dougherty Hall every Wednesday evening from 5:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.

The show is co-hosted by Danielle Armitage, a senior political science major, and Marisa Weber, a junior communications major. They have co-hosted For the Benefit of the Radio since the fall of 2021.

The title of the show originated from Armitage’s love of One Direction, as it is a reference to a specific interview in which Harry Styles said the phrase.

“One Direction gave a radio interview, and Niall [Horan] spilled his tea, and Harry Styles goes, ‘For the benefit of the radio, Niall just spilled his tea,’ and we spill tea on the radio show,” Armitage said.

When Armitage and Weber metaphorically “spill the tea,” they do so in a very stream-of-consciousness manner, spending the majority of each episode talking about whatever topics are on their minds in creative and entertaining ways. Whether they are giving updates on members of One Direction, occasionally talking with special guests or debating whose face should appear on Mount Rushmore, no topic is off limits for Armitage and Weber.

“We talk about current events going on on campus, about our weekend, anything fun that’s happening [and] sporting events that are happening nearby,” Armitage said. “It’s just us talking.”

The program itself was also inspired by One Direction, as Armitage originally had the idea to play the band’s songs on air. This morphed into the idea of having a different theme for each episode, and Armitage quickly recruited Weber.

“[Armitage] sent me her station manager’s contact, we pitched an idea for the show and here we are a year later,” Weber said.

Some of For the Benefit of the Radio’s themes have included classic rock, spring break and certain holidays that occurred around the time particular episodes were broadcast. Specifically, one of Weber’s favorite themes was their Halloween special.

“I really liked our Halloween special last year,” Weber said. “I love Halloween. It’s my favorite holiday, and we played Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller,’ ‘Psycho Killer’ by the Talking Heads and stuff like that, so it was a lot of fun.”

The show’s song selection for each episode is just as important as the co-host’s discussions, as Armitage and Weber usually try to incorporate a two-song break every 30 minutes during each epi - sode.

Although predominantly Villanova-based, For the Benefit of the Radio has generated a sizable fanbase off campus across multiple states as well.

“Our friends from home listen,” Weber said. “I’m from Pennsylvania, [and] she’s from Colorado, so both our friends will tune in. Our parents will tune in. My mom’s coworkers started tuning in, so it’s grown since we started.”

“I work at the YMCA, and they’ll play it all over the speakers,” Armitage said.

While the fans are a nice bonus, Armitage and Weber would still enjoy creating episodes even if no one was listening. At the show’s core are two friends who enjoy talking to each other and love getting the chance to spend time together.

“It’s a nice little break for an hour-and-a-half to two hours every day,” Armitage said. “Usually, the only time Marisa and I see each other during the week is during our show, so it’s a nice time for us to get updated on each other’s lives [and] see what’s going on. It’s really just two besties having a chat.”

“Honestly, we don’t really care if people listen,” Weber said. “We just like doing it because it’s fun.”

Although the show will be wrapping up this semester, Armitage and Weber have some plans for upcoming episodes to ensure that the show will finish strongly.