As a freshman, I auditioned for an a cappella group on campus. I had a musical background of singing and playing the piano all throughout my life and decided that trying out for an a cappella group would be worth a shot. I woke up at the crack of dawn on a crisp September morning and nervously walked down the hall of exuberant a cappella members full of excitement, awaiting the arrival of their possible recruits. The day was a blur of singing "Landslide" by the Dixie Chicks at least eight times mixed with pitch matching and countless verses of “Row Your Boat.” By the end of the day, I was exhausted, nervous and excited for the possible opportunity of joining a group of people who also shared the same passion for music that I did.
Later that night, I was anxiously awaiting the email to seal my fate that I did not get into a group. But I was pleasantly surprised when I received a phone call of fifteen screaming girls congratulating me into becoming one of the newest members of the Villanova Sirens. I was blown away. I was instantly thrusted into a multitude of activities and sent several schedules that would soon make up a part of my weekly routine. I was beyond excited to not only get involved in another musical environment, but to also live my stereotypical teenage dream of immersing myself into a “Pitch Perfect-like" situation and sing with a group of awesome girls.
It was not until the first night when we had our initial bonding session that I realized how important this group was going to be to me. We crammed all 18 members into a house as we chatted and got to know each other. I came into the experience completely alone and unfamiliar with what to expect next. But as I looked around the room, I noticed a group of diverse individuals who were not only the coolest people I would ever meet, but the people that I could now call my best friends. It was then that I realized how much being in the Sirens would truly mean to me.
We were like a mini- sorority with a sisterhood that would last a lifetime. We randomly harmonized to the latest pop songs of today, ate massive amounts of food at practice so we could de-stress and vent about our crazy lives, had fun performances at A Cappella Palooza, and enjoyed our fifteen seconds of fame while singing the National Anthem at the Wells Fargo Center.
Basically, what I am trying to say is that being in an a cappella group is MORE than just sitting in a room and learning songs to perform in front of large crowds of people at the end of the semester. It’s about the feeling you get when you walk into a room full of girls every Monday and Wednesday who greet you as if they haven’t seen you in ages when it's realistically only been a day. Or the ability to stand up on a desk and sing your vocal part just because you want to or even to act like a complete and utter fool and have everyone accept your weirdness.
As I entered that room as a scared and confused freshman expecting nothing but rejection on that crisp September morning; however, I gained more than a singing group. Instead, I received lifelong friendships with some of the best and most musically talented girls I have ever met and the confidence to be the quirkiest person I can be. So for that, I thank you all.
