F&米的故事

富兰克林 & 马歇尔’s four a cappella groups took the stage at the final Common Hour 星期四是本学期的最后一天. 学生组织汇集了来自 不同专业的人都热爱音乐.

“I think it really is the epitome of the small liberal arts experience,” said Liz Joslin, a senior government major and president of The Poor Richards, a coed group. “We have so many students here that did music and sports in high school and want to 继续来到这里，做一些事情.”

Brianna Herrera, a senior public health and anthropology joint major, knew she wanted 让音乐成为她生活的一部分. 在参加了高中的管弦乐队之后，她 我想尝试一些新的东西，为凯特试镜 & 钥匙，一个为女性和 性少数人群.

“Keeping music in my life was important because it’s something that I think really 现在是Kite公司总裁的埃雷拉说 & 键.

For other students, like Yasmin Nicholas, a cappella was nothing new. 高中数学 and German studies double major was in a cappella groups in high school but was drawn to the leadership opportunities available in a student-led setting.

“I could maybe become the person who leads rehearsals, I could start to learn how to arrange music,” she said of her decision to join The Poor Richards. “我所做的 我现在是音乐总监. 这是非常值得的.”

Joining an a cappella group can also expand students’ social networks. Micheala Patalano, a senior psychology and music double major, said the adrenaline of live performance helped her form strong bonds with the members of the all-female group Sweet Ophelia.

“每个人的紧张. I think there’s something so special about sharing those jitters 恐惧和兴奋，”帕塔拉诺说.

Herrera said the rush of her first performance is one of her favorite memories from 她和凯特在一起的时光 & 键. “我们的第一场演出是我第一次看 people really come together like that and be so inextricable from the music they’re 制作……真的很有意义.”

That sense of community was especially important for many seniors in the groups, who came to campus in the fall of 2020, the year after COVID forced students, faculty 工作人员将在几个月的时间里处于远程状态.

“There wasn’t as much going on,” Reece Chang, a senior music major, recalls of his 但我仍然想要一个表演的机会.“通过虚拟试镜 and outdoor performances, he was able to find community by joining the Chessmen.

The Poor Richards was founded in 1968 and is one of the oldest continuously operating 校园学生团体. 图片来源:黛比林

Kite的成员 & 钥匙，一个为女性和 性少数人群 and the most recent F的加法&M's lineup of a cappella groups, perform at Thursday's Common Hour. 图片来源:黛比林

Sweet Ophelia, an all-female a cappella group, performing songs from their upcoming 音乐会. 图片来源:黛比林

Members of the Chessmen, an all-male a cappella group founded in 1989. 图片来源: 黛比林

F&M students cheer on their classmates at Thursday's Common Hour featuring performances 来自四个无伴奏合唱团. 图片来源:黛比林

«前下一个”

In addition to forming friendships on campus, the groups can connect current students 与校友. Darij Kulchychyj, president of the Chessmen, said some of his favorite moments with the group have been virtual and in-person meetups 与校友, including 几个全男性无伴奏合唱团的创始成员. 

“The kind of momentum and uplift that gave our group was this huge positive boost,” said Kulchychyj, a senior environmental studies and economics double major. ” able to facilitate that kind of energy and attitude is something that I’m really proud of.”

Joslin also emphasized the role of alumni in helping the groups thrive. 其中之一 highlights of her time with The Poor Richards has been working with music producer 埃德·钟(Ed Chung)于今年4月与该组合合作录制了一张专辑.

Joslin said a network of Poor Richards alumni helped her get in touch with Chung and provided logistical support when she needed to access the group’s Spotify account. 

“It was really special and I think it really spoke to the alumni base that we’ve been 在过去的几年里能够利用的资源，”乔斯林说. 

Four a cappella groups at one school may seem unusual, but students say their support of each other and the campus enthusiasm for their performances creates a robust a 无伴奏的文化.

“I think it’s important to know that all of us really work together,” said Herrera. “Where you would expect competition, instead you see people holding each other up.”

乔斯林说，这有助于小组专注于娱乐. “我们的主要目标是 玩得开心. 我们想要表现好，但是每个人都在用这个 作为出口.”

Knowing that people across campus look forward to their 音乐会s helps too, said Kulchychyj. “Concerts are definitely a two-way street with the people that support us. 每一个人 commits so much time to it, and I think that’s recognized by the student body.”

Although the groups are student-run, Joslin said she has always felt they are well-supported 整个F&米社区.

“Our show at True Blue Weekend was standing room only, and there were a million other 晚上九点半的活动.m. 在星期五，”乔斯林说. “我觉得这真的很特别 学院在这方面做得很好.”