Student-led music groups crescendo
Posted on September 25, 2008
Filed Under Auditions/Ringers Needed, Community Groups | Leave a Comment
With new textbooks and classes this school year come new ambitions from musicians. Luther students, including those from outside the music department, are venturing beyond faculty direction to organize and lead their own music ensembles.
Joining Undeclared, Beautiful Mess and Vinyl Roots on the student-led frontier are a second handbell choir and new vocal groups Sounds of Laughter and Awkapella.
Formed last fall, Awkapella consists almost entirely of seniors. The group of friends collaborated without a specific leader.
“Four of us sang together for Eucharist and we really liked it and wanted to do it more often,” said member Zach Busch (‘09). “It wasn’t really organized, we just all wanted to sing.”
Six out of the ten members are music majors. They work together to arrange adaptations of pop music from artists like Billy Joel, Kirby Shaw and Rihanna.
“We try to stay outside the distinct a cappella style,” said member Sarah Frederickson (‘09).
This year, Awkapella plans to sing on KWLC’s Thirty Minutes on a Thursday. They have a performance at Marty’s planned for Nov. 4 and are also looking into more collaborative opportunities.
“We’ve been invited to perform with 7 Days, an a cappella group from the University of Minnesota,” said member Erik Lehmann (‘09).
Ingrid Scott (‘11) and Sam Gaylord (‘11) recently started planning a new a cappella group called Sounds of Laughter. Both will direct and perform with the group. The founders are excited to sing music by the Beatles.
“We both love the Beatles and we’ve been listening to them since we were little,” said Gaylord.
Scott also commented on the group’s foundation in Beatles music.
“It started when we were in the music building jamming to the Beatles and we wanted to make an a cappella group,” said Scott.
Scott and Gaylord plan to hold auditions in early October.
“Anybody who can read music can audition,” said Scott. “The audition is not that hard. Just sing a scale so we know your range, and a solo would be nice, but it’s not required.”
With the ambition to include students with various experience levels, Sounds of Laughter will consist of ten to 16 members.
“We were thinking of having three or four people in each voice group because we like the sound it creates,” said Scott.
Joseph Carey (‘11) has been organizing a second student handbell ensemble. In contrast to the Luther Ringers handbell group lead by Greg Peterson, assistant professor of music, this group will be open to students with any amount of experience.
“Thirty people tried out for the eleven spots in Luther Ringers, so Dr. Peterson had to, in the end, turn away a lot of talented people,” said Carey. “I decided, with Dr. Peterson’s support, to start the student-led group to keep people ringing and help teach the basics to people who’ve never rung handbells before but want to learn.”
So far, half of Carey’s group is composed of music majors, many of whom are stepping outside their concentrated music style. No auditions are planned for the ensemble.
“The goal of the group is to give anyone who wants to ring a chance to do so,” said Carey.
Students of any musical background are encouraged to check out the many musical opportunities available at Luther.
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