Sigma Alpha Iota

sai-national.org • Winter 2022 7 Music Notes M elAUdic is a women's a cappella student organization that was founded in the spring of 2020 by Kappa Phi Chapter member Amanda Bishop on the Auburn University campus. Amanda saw a gap in the music ensembles at Auburn and took initiative to start something new. Auburn already had a men's a cappella group; Amanda could see that the women were lacking an opportunity to sing in an ensemble without the pressure of receiving class credit. She wanted to start something more fun. When asked about her motivation in starting the group, she said, "I started MelAUdic Women's a cappella group at the suggestion of Dr. Rosephanyne Powell, one of my choral professors. She had faith that I could do it, and even though I wasn't sure myself, I took it and ran." MelAUdic has continued to grow and has taken on a new, powerful meaning for everyone involved since its creation. Amanda put it best when she said, "MelAUdic is a group of very talented women who sing many different genres of music. To me, MelAUdic is a group of friends who all share the love of singing - much like SAI!" MelAUdic has become a community that has drawn some amazing women together. It has transformed to really mean so much to everyone involved, who work tirelessly to foster a nurturing and empowering environment for all its members. The group faced many struggles as it tried to launch and get its feet underneath it in the midst of a global pandemic. The group started in January of 2020, and by spring break in March, the University was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. MelAUdic's leader, Amanda, led the group beautifully through that unexpected and unprecedented turmoil. She was able to overcome their inability to meet in person by orchestrating virtual rehearsals and online performances. Even when classes returned to campus, the CDC mandate was that singing should be done 15 feet apart outside without masks, and at least 6 feet apart with masks. Amanda orchestrated outside rehearsals with the whole group and sectionals inside an audio recording room at the campus library. As a result, MelAUdic is still thriving today! Despite the uphill battle to get started, the group has not only survived but has prospered. Amanda is a music education major and as she comes to the end of her final semester, another SAI member will take over Amanda's role as MelAUdic President — Steph Kalinowski. Steph joined MelAUdic in the fall of 2020; she wanted to expand her past experience of leading a women's a cappella group in high school to leading a college ensemble. Though she now majors in biomedical sciences, Steph has kept music in her life in every way she can. When asked about what MelAUdic has meant to her, she answered, "MelAUdic has been and continues to be the highlight of my week. I care so much about these girls, and it means so much to me to be able to help them share their talents with the world via this group." All the members of SAI have shown tremendous leadership in MelAUdic even without officer positions. Anna Ryan and Emily Thomson have taken leadership initiative by aiding others to learn music and by bringing great enthusiasm to the group. This school year, MelAUdic will have four concerts. The group began with a fall concert, which included music from a variety of genres. On December 3rd, they took the stage for their holiday concert. In the spring MelAUdic will perform a spring concert and wrap up the year with a "MelAUdic Favorites" show, where they will bring back songs from this year that they think deserve a second spotlight. The December concert had an extra special meaning. The members of MelAUdic were looking forward to supporting one of their members through a tough time — she has a family member battling breast cancer. As the members learned of this hardship, they grew closer and became inspired to help. While discussing options it didn't take long for all to agree to donate all the proceeds from the holiday concert to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama. This organization is particularly close to their member's family. With the help of SAI members, MelAUdic has blossomed into something no one would have imagined when the idea of a women's a cappella group was brought to the table almost two years ago. The women have not only made an impact to one another but to their community. MelAUdic is now an Auburn staple, and our chapter cannot wait to see what they will become in the many years ahead of them. — Submitted by Steph Kalinowski, Editor, Kappa Phi Chapter Forming MelAUdic During the Pandemic T he 20 21 - 2 0 2 2 M el A Udic group at thei r fa ll c o nce rt f e at urin g S A I m e m bers An na R yan, E m i l y Th o ms o n, a n d Steph K a li now s ki . T he 20 21 - 2 0 2 2 M el A Udic group at thei r fa ll c o nce rt f e at urin g S A I m e m bers An na R yan, E m i l y Th o ms o n, a n d Steph K a li now s ki .

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