With the new season approaching, the women’s a cappella group, Chordination, and men’s a cappella group, Soudertones, rehearse each week to learn new music. The groups rehearse each week.
Chordination leader Jamie Alderfer is looking forward to performing more in the spring. “I’m excited to hopefully have some other performances other than the concert,” Alderfer said.
She plans to have the group sing at the Art and Soul Fest, and the elementary and middle schools at the end of the year.
Soudertones leader Joseph Beck feels similarly.
Beck hopes to get an early start on their spring repertoire. “I want more time to work on nitty-gritty stuff so that it’s perfect for the spring concert,” Beck said.
Beck plans to possibly add more rehearsals to the interval so that information learned isn’t lost in between.
Both Beck and Alderfer recognize the benefits of rehearsing more.
Alderfer believes that having extra rehearsals “brings the group together and livens up the music.”
According to club advisor Jon Timmons, the a cappella groups are mostly student-run. “I’ve had the groups ask for my input,” Timmons said.
“I’ve listened to rehearsals and listened to run-throughs and I’ve given feedback.”
Alderfer and Beck are grateful for Timmons’s respect to the student-run nature of the groups. “He’s always there as a resource, but he stays back since it’s a student-run group,” Beck said.
Alderfer feels like he allows independence but is always available for guidance “[Timmons] lets us run [the groups] and it’s very helpful when he steps in when needed,” Alderfer said.
Timmons plans to help in whatever way he is asked to help make the spring concert go well for both of the groups.
For most members, being a part of their group means a lot. Soudertone member Dan Micsion said that he appreciates the brotherhood that Soudertones share, calling it a “judgment-free zone.”
Chordination member Anya Hradnansky enjoys the collaborative aspect of the group. “It’s easy for us to get along,” Hradnansky said.
According to Hradnansky, being a new member in the group is a fresh perspective.
“This is my first year, so I’m looking forward to completing a full year with the group just to see how it runs,” Hradnansky said.
For Chordination member Kacie Watkins, the spring concert will be different from the winter concert for both groups, due to their music selections. “It won’t be just limited to the holiday [music], we can have pretty much any selection we want to do,” Watkins said.