Resonate is fully student-led, which means everything we do — every concert, every release, every rehearsal — exists because we made it happen. Over the four semesters I've been part of the group, we've raised well over $10,000, released five songs on Spotify, performed 4 concerts for 600+ people, and have an album coming this summer. None of it comes from a faculty advisor or a department budget. It comes from us.

As music director, I'm responsible for the musical foundation that makes all of it possible. Every semester starts with about two months of building the setlist; sourcing a cappella arrangements takes a good amount of time, and I spend it making sure we end up with a set that flows well, mixes energy levels, and actually fits our group. Once the music is in hand, I solfege every voice part for every song and create individual practice tracks so each member can learn their part accurately before we ever sing it together.

I also get to know each singer's voice well enough to give them the right solo. And before the semester even starts, I map out a long-term rehearsal schedule, breaking each song into sections and laying out exactly what we'll work on each week so we're ready for our end-of-semester concert!

This role has taught me more than I expected. About what thoughtful leadership actually looks like, managing something with a lot of moving parts over a long timeline and what it means to be responsible for other people's experience of music.