BY: DAVIS TRAX
Q News
High Point University clubs have had an interesting year, with not being able to travel in September, to having the mask mandate uplifted as of November 15th. The three a capella groups are taking advantage of both and are working together like this for the first time ever.
BRINGING THE GROUPS TOGETHER
The HPU Toccatatones, Petal Points, and Offbeats are the university’s premier a cappella groups, with the Toccatatones being all-male, the Petal Points being all-female and the Offbeats being co-ed.
Up until this point, neither of the groups have done any collaboration in performance or albums. Every project the groups have done have been on their own and have had lots of success, but competition stirring between groups was what held this possibility back for so long.
Former Toccatatones President Collin Frankhouser was a part of the competitive period in the history of the groups.
“The relationship between the groups was hot and cold,” says Frankhouser, “because on one hand we were all friends but there was still an element of competition between the groups.”
Frankhouser, when he became President of the Toccatatones, made it a priority that all three groups come together and form one unity and family of fine arts, which was not easy since the boys were just releasing their newest album, Ovation, in fall of 2019.
“The longer I was in the community and the more effort we made to communicate, the closer the groups got and the more fun we all had together.”
Frankhouser’s efforts are a part in what lead the groups to come together and eventually plan this trip out. Current Toccatatones President Jacob Janik believes Frankhouser’s effort indirectly lead to the Disney trip being formed.
“All the groups collectively helped bring themselves together, as well as members from all the groups hanging out outside of rehearsals and the parties we have with everyone," said Janik, "but (Frankhouser) is the one who initiated a lot of the activities that allowed us all to hang out together.”
Janik, along with Alexa Ondrush, President of the Petal Points and Shannon Conrad, President of the Offbeats, helped make a graph. They were asked to rank group bond and workload on a scale from one to ten.
Conrad, Janik and Ondrush all believe that group bonding had gone up tremendously since the release of Toccatatones seventh LP, and is at an all time high.
Even with the group bonding being at a high level, all three Presidents have faith that the morale and relationships between the members will only continue to strengthen.
EXCITEMENT FLOWS THROUGHOUT
A constant through this process is the exhilaration each member gets from preparing for the performance. Some can be intimidated knowing how Orlando theme can pull off a spectacle during the holidays.
The Presidents of the group have voiced what excites them individually.
"I love Disney myself and always go every year with the exception of COVID," says Ondrush, "but I haven’t been in the past 3 years so I am very happy to be back especially to perform."
"I'm ecstatic," says Janik, "I feel like it's going to be a good experience in a multitude of ways. It'll be good for us to perform in a different environment. It's just going to be a lot of fun."
"I am extremely excited to be able to go to Disney. Being that Disney is one of the top companies or corporations globally, there are tremendous opportunities that can come out of performing."
Even former Toccatatones President Collin Frankhouser voiced his praise.
"There is a lot of potential to advertise this trip to future singers and to the HPU community as a whole."
Like it has been previously said, a major form of excitement from the group leaders revolves around the groups finally coming together to perform on such a well-known stage.
“In the past the three groups haven’t had the relationship that they do right now," says Ondrush, "and I think our EC’s have done a great job working on that this year.”
"It'll be good for us to learn more intricate, soprano-alto-tenor-bass arrangements," says Janik, "And we get a chance to work those arrangements with the other groups."
"This trip has already been awesome in further building the report and camaraderie between the three groups," says Conrad, "and this has been a great opportunity to work with each other and get a better understanding of how each group runs."
Excitement stems in other ways as well. There is some nervous excitement explained from Janik due to ICCA's happening shortly after for the Toccatatones, but still remains optimistic.
"With the tight timeline we're on and the traveling that we're doing and the logistics of it all, it's a learning experience to see how to deal with tight timelines and getting stuff done when it needs to be done."
Some of the excitement for them goes even further than personal group development and bonds.
DIVING DEEPER INTO THE BENEFITS
A big outcome from this trip could be that all of HPU a cappella can continue to work with Disney.
"I think this is a great opportunity for us and high point university," said Ondrush, "For us to be able to go to Disney and perform on behalf of the school and represent it well, looks great and can lead to future opportunities between the two."
"This opportunity isn't something every group gets the chance to do," says Conrad, "and we get the chance to create a relationship with Disney."
"Especially in Disney Springs, when we do a good job, it'll be a chance for us to showcase to Disney and the parks and give them a chance to reach out to us and ask us back," says Janik.
The groups also want to focus on spreading a positive image about the university and share the name of High Point University down in Disney
"This trip will demonstrate what High Point University is all about," says Conrad, "hard work, resilience and choosing to be extraordinary."
These groups will not soon forget this experience they are about to go on.
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