‘Tiny Dorms,’ but big musical potential: an intimate presentation of the Yale music scene
Spring Fling’s “Tiny Dorms” showcases the work of four Yale musicians, each in a different genre of music.

Courtesy of Reese Weiden
Anyone familiar with NPR’s Tiny Desk concerts knows the cozy charm that makes its performances so unique in a world of sold-out venues. But what happens when the format finds its way to a college dorm room?
Yale’s Spring Fling Committee started “Tiny Dorms” in 2022, hoping to give student musicians the chance to showcase their talents in an intimate environment. Filmed in a custom-decorated “dorm” room in Jonathan Edwards College, the Spring Fling Committee “Yale”-ified NPR’s beloved concept.
“There is unique added value in being able to see the emotions on their face, up close and personal,” said Reese Weiden ’27. “I think that comes out in a video in a way that it can’t quite arise in a live performance.”
The project was started by Renée Theodore ’24 during her time on the Spring Fling committee, where she served as creative director and co-chair for one year. Since her graduation, the Tiny Dorms project has been passed down to Weiden, who has been a member of the Spring Fling Committee since 2024.
Weiden’s approach to the Tiny Dorms videos involves imbuing the content with as much intimacy and personality as possible. She achieves this by speaking to artists about their aesthetic inspirations and their musical journey to create a “cohesive visual direction,” said Weiden.
However, the love and passion for Tiny Dorms largely comes from the artists themselves. Weiden’s passion for the project is inspired both by a desire to democratize access to musical resources for Yale students and showcase the diversity of student talent.
When selecting artists to showcase, the committee focuses on the music itself, rather than the technical aspects involved in their music-making. The Tiny Dorms selection committee recognizes that musical acts can vary in access to equipment: some musical groups might have recording equipment and backing bands; others might only have themselves and a guitar.
Because of the varying experience and technical resources of the artists, the team focuses on “raw talent,” said Weiden. The result is an array of talented artists excited to showcase their music.
Marin Korenaga ’27, who performs as Marin Clarisse, said that she decided to apply to be a part of Tiny Dorms after seeing the committee’s open call to songwriters. Korenaga was particularly excited about the project because she had never done a live recorded session before. Along with a cover of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Please Please Please,” she chose “Baby Like Me” and “Desert Blue” — two songs set to feature on her upcoming EP.
After selecting the songs, she assembled a band composed of drummer Mandy Buster ’25, pianist Gaeun Lee ’26, bassist Gina Jung ’27 and guitarist Grace Halak ’26.
Korenaga added that walking into the decorated dorm on recording day was “truly a surprise.” The room was filled with album covers, stickers, vinyls and trinkets.
“Having everything come together at the end was really inspiring,” said Korenaga, expressing her gratitude for her band’s supportiveness. Describing the applause that came after her set ended, she said that she “felt like we were really celebrating what everybody on the team had accomplished.”
For another performer, Lula Talenfeld ’25 — who performs as Lula Pilar — the Tiny Dorms experience provided her the opportunity to go solo. Talenfeld chose three of her own songs that she felt were thematically connected but diverse in genre.
Talenfeld has often performed with campus band ‘ABC’— comprising five members, in total — but she wanted to prove to herself that she could also perform alone.
“It was entirely nerve-racking to walk into the ‘dorm room’ and have nothing to rely on but myself,” she said, “but hitting the last chord on the last song and hearing the cheers of the SF committee was a huge sigh of relief.”
Truth Templeton ’26 echoed Talenfeld’s feelings about sharing personal creations with an audience. He said that music-making and performing were open and vulnerable processes for him, so he was nervous to share his work despite the supportive environment.
He said a call with his bandmate Thara Joseph ’26, who reminded him to “have a little faith,” eased his apprehension. Templeton added that participating in Tiny Dorms has inspired him to start writing, producing and committing more time to music.
Talenfeld said that the committee’s version of Tiny Desks had “the same sort of intimacy that makes NPR’s concert series so magical.” She noted that its stripped-down format allowed for the artists’ lyricism and storytelling to shine.
Tiny Dorms is a separate entity from Spring Fling’s “Battle of the Bands” and other subsequent Spring Fling activities.