All students that enjoy singing and dancing at Western Washington University should check out Glee club.
There are no auditions, all it takes is to sing a song for 30 seconds and everyone gets into the club.
The club rehearsals are sporadic.
“Every member picks their own schedule,” said Ryan Morris, the president of Glee club. “You get to pick what numbers you're in.”
Students can participate by choosing a number they want to direct, and they can do any type of music and choreography.
“The directors give opportunities for the people in the groups to collaborate, and it's fun to be able to believe your own creative ideas,” Naomi Puentes, a club member, said.
If you don't know how to sing or dance, there is nothing to worry about, the Glee club’s vocal director and dance coordinator will help you.
“It's a pretty collaborative effort; when directors take on the role of directing, they also take on the role of teaching,” Morris said. “ We have officer positions [like] choreographer and a vocal director, and part of their role is to help people learn those basic skills if they want the help.”
Glee club does not only provide its members with the opportunity to dance but also to make friends and be part of a community.
Lauren Seely Wallach, the vocal director of the club, said her best friends are members of the club now, and this has helped her gain a sense of community.
Being part of the Glee club motivates students to work on their challenges and turn them into skills.
Bailey Hadley, the publicity coordinator of the Glee club, said that one of her challenges was dancing, but learning choreographies has been fun, and she got better at them with time.
According to a study titled “Effects of Involvement in Clubs and Organizations on the Psychosocial Development of First-Year and Senior College Students,” college juniors who are members of student organizations score higher than nonmembers on factors such as educational involvement, career planning, lifestyle planning, cultural participation and academic autonomy.
Dana Smith, the communication manager of Bellingham schools, has knowledge about high school clubs and how they impact students.
“Students who are involved in at least one extracurricular activity are more likely to graduate on time,” Smith said. “They're more likely to experience academic success.”
Glee Club works on a show every quarter. This quarter’s show took place on Dec. 4, 2021 in the Viking Union multipurpose room at 7 p.m.
“Our theme is a cozy night in with Glee,” Wallach said. “We're doing a lot of emotionally driven songs, it's hopefully going to be impactful. We're super excited to have people be able to come back in person again.”
To learn more about Glee club and their activities you can follow their Instagram account.
Paloma Ortiz (she/her) is a second-year journalism student and campus life reporter for The Front. You can reach her at paloma.thefront@gmail.com
