UCLA a cappella groups to jam with local middle school
Under the guidance of UCLA alumna Nina Kasuya (lower left), Emerson A Cappella, a group of Emerson Community Charter Middle School in Westwood, will perform at a concert event to raise money for the school’s arts program. (Courtesy of Nathan Peralta)
By Gail Acosta
May 1, 2015 1:00 a.m.
Participating in drama at Emerson Community Charter Middle School coaxed 12-year-old seventh-grader Akira Shelton out of her shell, allowing her to make friends while building her skills in acting and singing.
But Emerson is often left to find new ways to continue funding its theater, arts and music programs. Emerson students, their parents and staff have taken action for years, with their efforts raising tens of thousands of dollars.
“If these programs were to go away, I would try all that I could to bring it back,” Shelton said.
Emerson’s next fundraising event is “A Cappella Jam,” a benefit concert featuring Emerson A Cappella and UCLA a cappella groups The ScatterTones, Random Voices, Bruin Harmony, Resonance A Cappella and Signature A Cappella. The event will take place Saturday at the Emerson campus in Westwood.
Organized by the parent committee, Partnership in Academics and Community at Emerson, the concert has been in the works for two years. Jeremy Bollinger, a parent of a seventh-grade Emerson student and PACE member, said the concert is centered around a cappella singing to develop Emerson’s theater program.
“The arts programs are major parts of this campus, and each one is designed to create a community in which any kid could feel comfortable in a group,” Bollinger said.
Bollinger said funding the programs is important as it will also give an opportunity for students to build critical relationships with teachers and mentors during the transformative years in their lives.
Emerson principal Dimone Watson said extracurricular activities are mostly funded by fundraising events put on by PACE, donations and sponsorships from local organizations, including UCLA. To fund their drama program, for example, Bollinger said Emerson has had to raise $13,000 to $20,000 depending on the year.
Watson said these activities have been underfunded in the last six to eight years, which disadvantages all students.
“There are students who are not exposed (to the arts) at all,” Watson said. “The school is the only opportunity where they would get exposed to the arts.”
Emerson is part of UCLA’s Together In Education In Neighborhood Schools program that allows children of UCLA staff and faculty to attend the middle school even if they do not live in the area. In exchange, UCLA provides Emerson with resources including UCLA athlete visits, Bollinger said. Because of the relationship between the university and the school, Bollinger said, Emerson was introduced to the UCLA a cappella groups, and UCLA alumna and former Medleys A Cappella director Nina Kasuya.
For the concert, Kasuya auditioned students to form Emerson A Cappella, a group consisting of 13 students. Kasuya said more than 50 students auditioned with hopes of becoming part of the group.
“Something that I’ve seen not just at Emerson but in general is that the interest (for the arts) exists,” Kasuya said. “It’s just a matter of whether or not there is an opportunity (for students) to do something with it.”
In preparation for the concert, the group has been rehearsing twice a week for a month, learning Bob Herzog’s arrangement of the song “Royals” by Lorde. Kasuya said she has also taught the students the history of a cappella and the teamwork it takes to perform as an a cappella group.
For many students, being a part of Emerson A Capella is the first exposure they have had to a cappella singing, Kasuya said. Although it has been challenging teaching the students to learn the song by ear rather than by reading music, she said, she hopes they learn that music is an important form of communication.
“I hope they are able to see that (lesson) in not only their performance but also by getting to see the college groups, and how they embody the music and become the vessel for communicating whatever the message is,” Kasuya said.
As the concert finale, Emerson A Cappella will perform a rendition of Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me” with all of the UCLA a cappella groups.
The funds raised at Saturday’s concert event will also help to fund Emerson’s Academy program, a project-based learning program with elective courses such as music and media arts. Watson said the school is also planning to use the funds to purchase new equipment like microphones and a sound system for the school’s auditorium.
“If we are not able to fund these programs, the kids would be at a loss,” Bollinger said. “A lot of kids have come to rely on (the arts programs) because it’s their home.”
