They can be seen grading papers for English composition, dissecting owl pellets for biology lab or solving equations in calculus, but students rarely see their professors as a lead guitarist or singer of a band.
What started as a conversation in the English department about music tastes fewer than ten years ago morphed into a group of people who get together every other week to jam.
They call themselves Noisy Deirdre.
"We were a bunch of people who played music together for fun," said Tom O'Shea, instructor from the English department. "Then, we got a gig, and we needed a name. We wanted the name to sound Irish so we finally decided on the name Noisy Deirdre from the Irish legend 'Deirdre of Sorrows.'"
Noisy Deirdre does not have a set number of band members, but has an ongoing e-mail list of approximately 50 people.
O'Shea, organizer of the group, sends all the e-mails as well as plays rhythm guitar.
"When we meet, we usually have about five to eight people at a time; out of the large group, not everyone is necessarily active all the time," O'Shea said.
O'Shea said he would characterize Noisy Deirdre's style as Americana or string band music.
The band plays old folk songs, fiddle tunes or anything a member of the group suggests. He also said many of their songs are from the 19th and early 20th century.
Noisy Deirdre usually has a fiddle, banjo, guitar, bass and recorder, along with a few different singers. For a while, the band played with a tuba, which was an interesting addition, O'Shea said.
Wiekbe Kuhn, vocalist, works in the information department of Liberal Arts and is a founding member of the group.
"I enjoy the social aspect of the band," Kuhn said. "We get together every other week to hang out for a few hours. It's relaxing and fun and something that doesn't require a lot of talking."
Andrew Gillespie is the assistant provost for International Programs. He said he heard about the band from Dean of Education Betty Louise Whitford.
Gillespie plays the mandolin.
"The band is such great fun," Gillespie said. "We work all day, but it is also important to remember the arts and be a part of the Auburn community, and this is a fun and entertaining way to do that."
Although no students are a part of the band at this time, Noisy Deirdre has had student members in the past.
O'Shea said student members tend to stay around until they graduate, so they often rotate in and out.
Noisy Deirdre has performed at multiple events around Auburn including a fundraiser for domestic violence prevention at Kiesel Park and an event on Cater Lawn where other bands formed by faculty were also featured.
The band's next event is at Earth Fest, which is sponsored by the Environmental Awareness Organization.
The event will be April 2 at the arboretum and will inform visitors of ways to help the environment.
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