A tiny, cluttered room filled with hundreds of books, posters, CDs, records, and tapes, brims with happy people, all eagerly clustered around office desks. Five trumpet players, three guitarists, two trombone players, and a percussionist file into this tiny room. They all stuff into the space behind the desk, knocking over pencil holders and stacks of paper.

Then, with a bang, they begin to play a rapid, heart-pounding tango. The crowd whistles and whoops. It is an average day in the National Public Radio Music Office: The spectacle of a Tiny Desk Concert.

NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts are a series of videos and broadcasts featuring both local, Twin Cities, and national bands from all over the United States. They feature up-and-coming artists who bring a new, unique sounds to the ears of listeners young and old.

NPR’s Live Concert Series first aired in Nov. 2007. Two years later, the Tiny Desk Concerts were created. The concerts being published on YouTube has created a viral phenomenon, changing the way people access music, and broadening their musical horizons. The Tiny Desk Concerts have featured artists from The Civil Wars, Jake Bugg, and The Avett Brothers, Alt-j, Adele, and Macklemore. The variety of music is endless.

“The Tiny Desk Concerts offer intimate performances by artists that can appeal to anyone’s musical tastes, no matter what genre you like. I listen to a wide variety of music, which is why these concerts are perfect for me,” Junior Kailee Carlson said.

The famous desk in the concert series belongs to Bob Boilen, creator and host of “All Songs Considered” and founding member of Tiny Desk Unit, the 1980’s Washington-based new-wave band.

Boilen and colleague Stephen Thompson “came up with the idea for the Tiny Desk Concert Series after struggling to hear a muffled performance from folk singer Laura Gibson through the audience’s jibber-jabber. After the show, Stephen jokingly said to her, ‘Next time you’re in town, you oughta just play Bob’s desk. My brain just lit up,” Boilen said in the Washington Post. 

Five years later, NPR has hosted over 250 Tiny Desk Concerts. An office e-mail goes out a few weeks before each Tiny Desk Concert, followed by an announcement over the intercom minutes before showtime. Usually, about 60 NPR employees gather, but bigger gigs can draw more than 100.

“Public radio has the freedom to support many independent artists, because they aren’t pressured to make their money from Top 40 listeners. The Tiny Desk Concerts are a chance for listeners to hear and watch these great quality performances up close,” First-Year Kevan Larson said.

Although it has become an honor to perform behind the “The Desk,” the show can be quite tough for many musicians. Because only one microphone is supplied, the musicians create a mix to allow every member of the band to be heard. It is also very close-quartered and cramped, not to mention the clicking and clacking keyboards down the hall of NPR employees working away.

“I love how the concerts are acoustic and done by singers who can truly sing and only have a few instruments to accompany them– or even play an instrument themselves. It takes a true artist to sound good without the extra acoustics and added sound effects. They are wonderful to listen to, because many clips are soothing, and perfect for studying or simply to relax and listen to good music,” Carlson said.

Despite the constricted space, amazing music is produced behind the desk. Each week, brilliant musicians pack themselves into the tiny room and share their music with the nation. Folk, jazz, alternative, rock, classical, gospel, blues, rap, bluegrass, and countless other sounds will always be heard wafting from under the office door.