Your heart is racing, nerves are on high alert and you can hear the audience's roar of applause as you wait backstage to put on your final performance. This is the feeling that Nils Peterson the President of “Cadence” the all-male acapella group here at K-State had before performing in front of an audience of 200 people at the quarterfinals of The International Championship of Collegiate Acapella otherwise known as ICCA in Lincoln, Nebraska.
The feeling that Nils Peterson along with other members of Cadence receives from performing is what some college students strive for… fulfillment, satisfaction and a sense of belonging.
Sterling Oliver, Junior in Theatre & Performing arts and music manager of Cadence, said he along with many other students were searching for groups to join when he came into college.
“I wasn’t sure exactly what I was getting myself into, but I always enjoyed singing and performing in high school,” Oliver said. “When I found out about this group that sang acapella around campus I thought I would give it a shot, I’m glad I did.”
Students here at K-State are always trying to save money in any way possible, with Cadence the only requirements are to sing three short verses from your favorite songs to audition and if you make it in then you have rehearsals every day Monday through Thursday without spending a dime of your own money.
Jacob Balzer, Junior in Industrial Engineering, said that there weren’t a ton of options for clubs that had low time commitment and zero to no cost to participate in.
“Coming to K-State I was looking for a group that didn’t require too much time outside of school and because of my major I have a lot of work,” Balzer said. “With the schedule Cadence runs on and the little to no cost of shirts it was the perfect fit for what I wanted to do.”
Time is something as college students we all value and with the amount of time Cadence spends on rehearsals compared to some groups it is remarkable that they pull off the choreography and harmony as a group at every performance.
Adam Johnson, Senior in Bakery Science and Business manager for Cadence, said he was nervous coming in as a freshman to the group without a lot of singing in high school.
“Now as a senior I look back and all my worrying was pointless,” said Johnson “I didn’t know if I was going to be able to balance working for the dining center, school work, and rehearsals but with the help of mentors and the encouragement of the guys in the group I found a healthy balance between each of them.”
As college students, we never know what is going to hit us next. Cadence is a group that could suit a lot of people and could be a healthy addition in your life.
