c 8A - Monday, January 9, 2012 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com The 'U' isn't alive with the sound of SATB music When I arrived at Michigan nearly three years ago, I, like many other students, knew absolutely nobody. Asa terrified freshman with no friend base ina state I'd visitedv only twice before, I knew - my meet-and- greets with my hall neigh- LAUREN bors weren't CASERTA going to be enough to keep me socially involved during my first semester of college. But like my mom always says (and kids, always listen to your mother), the best wayto meet new friends is to join a group of people doing something - any- thing - you truly love. And as horribly cliche as it sounds, I love to sing. I was only four months out of high school, and I could still vividly remember the underclass- men members of our Honors Con- cert Choir singing the "Old Irish Blessing" asa farewell to me and my fellow seniors as I bawled into my friend's shoulder. The memo- ries I made as a member of HCC, which was the top-auditioned mixed choir at my high school, were irreplaceable - and I was eager to make more at Michigan. But as I stumbled through Fes- tifall's maze of flyers and sign-up sheets, I soon realized with dis- may that the group I was search- ing for, the group I had looked forward to joining ever since I had accepted my spot in the class of 2013, didn't seem to exist. True, there is the University- sponsored Arts Chorale. But that is a class that participants must register to be in. There are more a cappella groups than I can shakea stick at. But there is no student-run, auditioned SATB (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass) choir that focuses on competition-level music aimed at non-music majors. This is both extraordinary and disappoifigfor a school this size. Many current University the means. students have had experience Above all, singing in competi- singing in high school choirs tion-level groups was a great way that participated in regional and to leave the chaos and stress of state performances - not only do school behind while still push- competitions and festivals give ing hard toward an ultimately teams a goal to work toward, but rewarding goal. I loved how Hon- they also open up opportunities ors Concert Choir had a magical to perform in other states and way of allowing me to forget countries. about the torments of AP classes and college applications when all nine vocal parts of a song would Shower suddenly align in perfect, goose- bump-inducing harmony after singers, unite! hours of meticulous and frustrat- ing work. So what's the deal? We havea school chock-full of passionate Groups like this also expose and competitive students who students to the very best that are waiting for a way to channel the world of choral music and their energy into something they arrangements has to offer. love just as much as their non- Songs that split a choir's bases, musical interests. Engineers who tenors, altos and sopranos into are soaring sopranos. History subgroups of two, three or more majors who are bellowing bases. do require discipline and care- Honey-sweet anthropology altos ful teamwork, but anyone who's and tenors wrapped in the trials heard the booming echoes of of organic chemistry. Hogan or delicate dissonance of The University of Michigan Whitaker knows the end justifies is living proof that high-quality student-led performance teams can flourish. Basement Arts is a completely student-run theater group with a long history of cre- ative excellence - "A Very Potter Musical" was born on their stage. A cappella groups such as the Dicks & Janes and the Compul- sive Lyres also rely on student talent to keep up their polished performances. But if ever there existed a perfect template for what a large- scale choir with the freedom of a student group could look like at Michigan, one would have to look no further than the Michigan Pops Orchestra. This student-led group was founded in 1995 by Warren Hsu, a then-student and eventual physi- cian who wanted a way to practice music outside of the traditional University framework while still providing an exciting learning experience for its members. Having grown from a simple idea shared among a few like- minded musicians to a beloved University staple run by a 13-member student executive board, the Pops are a perfect example of how a large student extracurricular group with com- plete control over their inner workings can successfully flour- ish while exposing themselves* and their audiences to everything from the challenges of Tchai- kovsky to the magic of Disney. The Pops are an invaluable potential blueprint for what an auditioned, student-led choir for non-music majors could look like. The interest is certainly there, and though a capella isn't for everyone, many students put their collegiate vocal plans on hold when they can't find a stu- dent group that fits the bill. Or is it? Does anyone else out there who hasn't yet found what they're looking for want to put down their pencils, shut their computers and warm up their voices again? Caserta has lost her voice. To help her find it, e-mail caserta@umich.edu. >cus Areas ncluoe: Sustainability and Society Business and Economics Society, Culture, Justice, and Activism Public Policy, Urban Planning, and Law Technology, Engineering, and Design Natural Sciences and Public Health WE ARE SOUTHWEST FLORIDA'S SPRING BREAK 1 I UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Bring in this coupon for $10 off any Winter 2012 U-Move Fitness class when you register in person in the U-Move Fitness office! Register now! Classes run Jan 9-Apr 17 I I www.kines.umich.edu/umove or in the UMove Fitness office in I 3064 Central Campus Recreation Building. Call 734.764.1342 for more information.